Verified answer

Lauren, there are really only two reasons a book is too short. Either its story isn't big enough to make up a book, or the writer's early drafts are telling rather than showing.

I can't guess about your story, but I'd be happy to give an example of the show-tell thing so you can check your work for it.

Telling:

Len had been irritable at the furniture store, so I made his favorite dinner.

Showing:

"Tell me again why I have to be there?" Len said.

"Because if you let me pick the upholstery and you don't like it, you'll have to live with it anyway. Come on, sweetie, it'll only take a half hour."

But the half hour had stretched to ninety minutes as the number of choices overwhelmed them. When I timidly said, "Maybe not blue after all?" Len stormed out of the furniture store and sat in the car, the engine running.

My face flushed as I apologized to the sales woman who'd been so patient. "I'll be back," I promised, then hurried to my husband.

"Just don't say anything," he said.

Good idea. I didn't. He retreated to his computer the moment we got back, and I checked the refrigerator. Beef Wellington took hours, but it might be a peace offering. I set to work despite my paperback calling me.

---

Me again. See how much longer it takes to show? Not that you want or need to show everything, but if you judiciously choose what's worth showing and do it, you'll end up with a much longer work.

Good luck!

Make sure you have enough world building if it's something like fantasy or sci-fi.

But, according to many literary agents, books usually come up short when there's inadequate character and/or plot development, so make sure those things are fully developed in your novel.

Do you have subplots? Does your character grow as a person at the end; meaning, do they learn something from their experiences throughout the book that makes them wiser?

Try writing a load of sub-plots. They'll help to bulk out your story.