Word count for novels and books is something that no one thinks about. This is something that those new writers can identify who are or have attended writer’s conferences. Once read a scene in a local newspaper that narrated a new writer asking a simple, innocent question, ‘How long should a book be?’ After reading through the complete story but found that this question was left unaddressed. This is an issue that needs to be addressed. If the word count is exceeded beyond the limits, it simply means that the writer is not aware of editing skills or may have merged two or more books. We thought of sharing some details.
When a writer is narrating a story, there are a lot of elements that go alongside during narration. These include the introduction of characters, joining the knots of the plot, and crafting a perfect ending. If the technical side is taken into consideration, they need to consider the number of words that will be in their final manuscript. There is an end spot when it is narrowed down to word count. This is based on the genre of the book and the target audience.
This blog will shed some light on the answer to this innocent question. We know many of you might be searching for this answer. Let’s dig in.
What’s the Ideal Length for a Book?
There is no hard and fast rule on the number of words novels need to have. However, there are some suggested guidelines from the experts in the traditional publishing industry. These guidelines are important for those writers who are new in this field. A deep understanding of the word count is essential for authors as the future of publishing is bright, especially for those who choose self-publishing.
Examine the needs of the readers
Imagine a group of school students who have never read a book. When they will be asked to read a book for the first time, what will they observe first? Maybe if you were in this situation, you would have also looked at the length of the book. Counted pages and examined if the chapters were short so they could easily be managed.
In the same way, some data collected from experts portray the same analysis. Readers, especially when they are new to reading skills, the first thing they see before buying a novel is the thickness of the book. If you are a writer and new in this field, craft short, quick-paced chapters. This will increase intrigue, and there is a chance that more readers will become avid readers of your book. This could apply to children’s books or books for new readers.
But there are situations when the readers of your book are adults. In this situation, you need to pay attention to the length of the book. You need to add details as you unfold the story. In short, it solely depends on who your book audience is. Decide before you write a book.
Research about what’s the Ideal Length for a Book before you get started
You must find the appropriate word count for your book. Researching within the world of literary fiction will help you in collecting data. Some of the guidelines for determining the length of the story are analyzed as follows:
Word count for science-fiction and fantasy novels
Science fiction and fantasy are the biggest exceptions in the category of books. These books tend to run long. It has to add all the descriptions and world-building in the writing. Experts have preferred that these genres could have words ranging from 100,000-115,000. This is an excellent range. Although these six figures might seem long, they are not. Writers of these genres are well aware that the word counts for these runs long, so they try making them run long. But there is flexibility in keeping it short to 105,000. It will show that you can shape your work. Try keeping your writing within the range.
Word count for middle grade fiction
Middle-grade fiction ranges from 20,000 to 55,000, depending on the subject matter and age range. The word count of these books has been a hot topic in the market in recent years. When you are writing a longer book that is aimed at 12-year-olds, use the term upper-middle.
Writers working for upper middle grades can set their target to 40,000-55,000 words. These books resemble young adults in terms of storytelling and content while staying within the theme.
Word count for young adult fiction
The word count for this fiction is flexible. For new writers, it can start from 55,000-80,000. This is a great range. Book agents state that these books tend to be trending longer in the market. Make sure that you don’t over exceed the word count. If you do so, it would reflect an image that the writers are unaware of the ways to edit the manuscript themselves.
Word count for picture books
Picture books’ standard text comprises 32 pages. That might estimate a minimum of one line per page. These books have the lowest word count, in the range of 500-600 words. When it gets closer to 1000, editors and book publishing houses like Canadian book publishers or others will reject these books’ manuscripts.
Word count for Westerns
Westerns are not long. These books range from 50,000 to 80,000 words. Writers should set a target of meeting 65,000 words. This word count is considered ideal.
Word count for memoir
Memoirs are alike novels. Writers of these manuscripts set a target of reaching 80,000 to 90,000 words. However, editing is essential. It is noticed that writers add everything about their lives in memoirs.
However, if you have an edited copy with a count of 70,000 to 80,000, this is not a terrible thing as your writing is focused on the most interesting parts of your life, and you have avoided creating a long-length book. Moreover, a memoir hitting six digits affects the readers negatively.
Length of novella
The first thing that might hit you when reading this part is a question disturbing you, ‘What is a novella?’ A novella is a category of book that lies between a short story and a novel. The range varies from 10,000 to 40,000 words. If you are new and have written something between a range of 7,500 and 17,000 words, then your manuscript will be known as the novelette.
Total words in a short story
The average length noted in a short story varies from 5,000 to 10,000 words. But the range is flexible. You can craft a short story above 10,000. These stories will be known as flash fiction, where words are either 500 plus or minus.
Thriller
One of the features of a good suspense story is that the writer needs to keep the plot rolling to let the readers enjoy the story. An ideal word count set by experts in this category ranges from 70,000 to 90,000 words.
Romance novels
Not every romance story needs to be an epic. Contemporary romantic plots are fun and fast read. There is no fixed limit for these stories. Some stories are 50,000 words long, a perfect book to carry along on vacation. Meanwhile, high-end romance novels are 100,000 words long. It depends on the writer how they tailor their story in the category of romance.
Historical fiction
Historical fiction is based on factual information, important historical figures, and conflicts and solutions. Therefore, the procedure of portraying a story within the historical world lends itself to a higher word count. Writers of these books are in a habit of expanding the word count. Their word counts are closer to 10,000 words.
Children’s illustrated books
Writers who are keen to develop reading skills among children pay extra attention to building this skill from childhood. Children-illustrated books are designed especially for 4-8-year-old children or those who are emerging as early readers. The word count of these books is oscillating between 500-600 words. This is so children can develop their habits and not withdraw from seeing the thickness of the book.
Books designed for children
These books are designed for children between the ages of 7 and 8. These children have stepped in developing the habit of reading chapter books. The range of such books is set from 1,000 to 10,000. This range will set the book’s thickness to a certain limit. All the writers of these books, when copies are placed on the market shelves, will look identical.
Check out the industry standards of the genre you are writing
Another mechanical component linked to book length that all writers should consider is the standard of the industry.
Readers of certain genres have set some expectations when narrowed down to book length. These standard word counts are the supporting system that you can use as a guideline. The word count of your book’s manuscript should not exceed the line of limit that is often based on a book’s genre. The target audience determines this count. A book should not be too short or too long either. This will help your book look similar to the books found on the shelf.
When economic conditions are taken into account, there are two types of publishing, and authors choose one of their own choices and budget. What is Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing? The traditional publishing industries narrate that shorter novels are often more marketable, while longer novels are more expensive when seen in terms of printing. But if authors choose self-publishing? Even though there is no restriction, as authors are free to add creativity, you should still keep the word count list in mind.
The best advice is that you should first focus on writing the story. Later, the editor and publishing service providers will help you determine the cost of your word count. For instance, a good editor will help you either increase or decrease the count according to the limit you can publish. In the same way, a publishing house will assist in drafting an estimated budget that might cost you if opting for any publishing.
But there is a certain thumb of the rule set for debut novels. Surveys have proven that debut novels lie between 80,000 and 100,000 words. If your novel is 50,000 words, then this novel is in the category of being a minimum-length novel. A word count over 100,000 is considered too long. Therefore, be aware of the industry trends before you publish your book in the market. You can read through different books of your genre for a better understanding.
FAQs
What is the ideal length of a guidebook?
When experts have compared some of the popular guidebooks in terms of size and length, they have concluded that on average a guidebook has 6-10 sections with 25-40 pages. It is a mixture of written content, images, external resources, and videos or audio clips.
What is the minimum length of a novel?
Novel is an umbrella term, and many types of books fall under this category. Either your novel can be fiction or non-fiction. The data collected from surveys have estimated that a book with 40,000 words can fall in the category of being a novel. However, 50,000 is the minimum length of a novel. But there is a restriction. Authors writing fiction novels cannot exceed more than 110,000 words.
Why add pictures when writing non-fiction books?
When authors are crafting non-fiction books, they need to add pictures occasionally to make the readers comprehend the context, topic, or arguments that are being narrated in the book. This could be best explained through an example. For instance, if you are talking about a person who may be the main character of the story. The character must be portrayed in black and white print with the features discussed in the story. The readers will better understand and relate to the character.
What is the word count of a novella?
The range of a novella varies from 10,000 to 40,000 words.
The final thoughts
Once you have decided on your book genre and the story you will deliver to your audience, the information about the ideal length for a book from this blog might help you design your new manuscript. However, keep in mind that these are just the guidelines. Your main focus should be your story, and you should ensure that you are narrating it in a way you have thought of. Without any concerns start with the drafting process by keeping an eye on the length of the work.