As for the word count: Now that just seems wierd. I kind of assume they do that so they have some idea how many pages they'll need to print ... but why they need a character count estimation is bizarre. Especially as some word processors will give you an accurate character count as well. Personally, I was just going to go with the simple "200-250 words/page" model and multiply...
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As for the cuts: A forty page long parade?! Gah!
As for the SYA knowing more than you: Blasphemy!