Anything above 70k but less than 115k science fiction and fantasy tend to run up around 100k115k words. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count. The average book sells 3000 copies in its lifetime publishers weekly, 2006. Know your content, know your mainline pitch and some. There are a lot of books that fit nicely into this range, such as enders game with 100,609 words and the martian with 104,588 words. I found some disagreement about the ideal length of mystery novels. Popular nonfiction like novels, these books fall into the 70,000 to 120,000word range. Amazon ebook page length by genre kindle page length. According to amazon s great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words. Do check your comparable titles recent debuts onlyto make sure your story falls in that range. Like fantasy novels, science fiction authors depend on words to describe scientific and fantastical stuff in their novels. This is due in large part to the variety of subgenres within it and the trend for a book series with an ever greater word count. In science fiction, they like 80,000 to 100,000 words, but will let you go longer if the story is worth publishing. Anything over 110,000 words is considered too long for a fiction novel.
I have no idea where the writer of the article got his or her information, but thats simply untrue. How does your book measure compare to whats succeeding in todays marketplace. Onethird of the novels that come into the agency are rejected because theyre too long or. Although the length of fiction is genredependent to an extent fantasy novels, for example, tend to be on the thicker side, sticking to the ideal novel length is still the best advice. The average length would depend on the genre of the novel. One article i read last week that was posted online at a major writing magazine actually insists that the average novel nongenre is 150,000 words. In comparison, the database gives an average length of 89,000 words for adult fiction excluding fantasy, smack in the middle of the commonlycited range of 80,000100,000. While anything over 40,000 words can fall into the novel category, 50,000 is considered the minimum novel length. Tolkiens the lord of the rings trilogy has an enormous word count, with the longest clocking in at over 175,000 words. Fantasy and science fiction novels are known to be lengthier than other books.
Romance novels often run between 50,000 and 90,000 words on average. That said, the average word count for science fiction and fantasy novels generally lies between 100,000 and 115,000. But, most nonfiction publishers want to be sold the concept, and therefore be able to discuss the direction of the project, before you write the book. How much does the average author earn publishing their book. But while the length of a novel is to a large extent up to its writer, lengths may also vary by subgenre. You dont have to pick a number like 80,000 and then divide it by 30 chapters to give you 2500. Science fiction and fantasy books should be 90,000 to 125,000 words. As these novels are in another world, those number of words are really needed to establish that alternate universe as well as possible.
A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid. Smiley lists novels as typically being between 100,000 and 175,000 words, while national novel writing month requires its novels to be at least 50,000. Mar 18, 2016 science fiction and fantasy novels break the above word count rules and can be longer how many words are there in a scifi or fantasy novel. Sep 17, 2015 the average traditionally published book which sells 3,000 in its entire lifetime in print only sells about 250300 copies its first year. Hillsy said im always confused when it comes not so much to word count, but to word per page count. The sweet spot, according to donald maas, is 100,000 to 115,000 words. Aug 05, 2019 for most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. Using this exercise, you should end up with a good idea of book length expectations for a novel like yours. You shouldnt set manuscript guidelines for yourself on chapter length. But i also know of others who have sold over 500,000 copies. The average wordcount for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. The average traditionally published book which sells 3,000 in its entire lifetime in print only sells about 250300 copies its first year. Onethird of the novels that come into the agency are rejected because theyre too long or short, perkins says.
Bestselling author caleb carr may write novels of 250,000 words, but when you pitch your novel and offer up that number, be prepared for a glacial reception. The maximum number of main and recurring secondary characters you can use in a story is the number the audience can understand as unique entities. Sep 18, 2017 in comparison, the database gives an average length of 89,000 words for adult fiction excluding fantasy, smack in the middle of the commonlycited range of 80,000100,000. Why modern novelists need to watch their weight books. Thats the level where publishers may suggest dividing a story into multiple volumes. The figure was found through looking at a number of books text stats, until brave new worlds 64,531 word count landed in the exact center of all books50% of books have fewer words and 50% of books have more words. I understand that kicking out an 800 page novel 200000 words then is going to be an extra cost for a publisher and im not even gonna bitch about the sheer number of novels over 600 pages i have andor read ok i admit, they are pretty much all scifi and. May 12, 2012 new writers tend to assume that a chapter must be a certain set length in order to maintain the average novel length of around 80,000 95,000 words, but in truth, chapters can be as long or as short as you need them to be. On the upper end, a novel over 110,000 words is considered an epic.
Look for your chapters to have those similar elements. By most peoples standards, 40,000 words would be pretty short for a novel. Perkins agency in new york says its much easier to market a firsttime novelists book if the word count falls between 80,000 and 100,000 words, or roughly 300 doublespaced, typed pagesthe average novel length. Why modern novelists need to watch their weight books the. Be aware that the word average means that for every book that sells 15,000, there is one that sells 5,000. A science fiction novel, on the other hand, might range from 90,000 to 125,000 words. So its recommended that you follow the average number of word count for this genre. George r r martin might come in closer to 300,000 words, but established authors can get away with a lot more than debuts. This makes me wonder if publishers choose book sizes based on average scene. For instance, a romance novel may range from 50,000 to 90,000 words. Put simply, anything less than 70,000 words or over 110,000 might make publishers think twice before accepting it. In other words, let your content dictate your chapter length, not the other way around.
I thought the average for a midsized novel would be around. Word count guidelines do, however, differ between genres and age groups. New writers tend to assume that a chapter must be a certain set length in order to maintain the average novel length of around 80,000 95,000 words, but in truth, chapters can be as long or as short as you need them to be. Sep 20, 2019 as you can see, word count for science fiction books vary widely. However, we do not suggest writing a novel of 500,000 words unless you as established as stephen king is. While 50,000 words is a fairly firm minimum, plenty of ya books reach up to 100,000 words, with a sweet spot at 75,00080,000. There are no hardandfast rules on how long or short a chapter needs to be.
Jun 24, 2019 be aware that the word average means that for every book that sells 15,000, there is one that sells 5,000. However, many authors, frustrated with the low price of ebooks, have taken to writing ebooks that are between 40,000 and 50,000. The length of novels varies by genre and by publisher. But, keep in mind, indie authors are earning 70% of the profit, while traditionally published authors are making more like 10%.
A nonfiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. In other words, a 12page story tends to be roughly 3000 words, etc. For childrens fiction, the general rule is the younger the audience the shorter the book, and for ya novels the average is 50,00070,000 words. Analyzing chapter lengths in fantasy fiction creativity. It makes quite a difference whether you want to publish a childrens picture book, a 50recipe smoothie book, a science fiction novel or a technical encyclopedia. Feb 18, 2012 for much of the 20th century, novels averaged 75,000 to 80,000 words, making a book of fewer than 250 pages and sometimes barely 200. An average novel length is between 80k and 100k, again, depending upon the genre. I understand that kicking out an 800 page novel 200000 words then is going to be an extra cost for a publisher and im not even gonna bitch about the sheer number of novels over 600 pages i have andor read ok i admit, they are pretty much all scifi and fantasy, dean koontz or stephen.
According to amazons great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words. The graph shows the average length of the top 100 bestsellers in each of the 30 main amazon kindle categories, measured in terms of the number of pages for a book in the respective. Precise word count definitions will vary, but as a general rule of thumb, a short story is anything up to about 7500 words sometimes 10,000, with higher word counts typically called novelettes, and short novels called novellas. I am 42000 words in to my first novel and i have 39 chapters, so on average its just over words per chapter, though some may be nearer 2000. Well, calculating it out, that would mean the average book was 240480 pages. Science fiction and fantasy novels break the above word count rules and can be longer how many words are there in a scifi or fantasy novel. How many words in a novel vary depending on genre, audience, and the story itself but in general, the average words in a novel is between 60,000 and 90,000 words for most genres. The average nonfiction book is about 50,000 to 75,000 words, which is about 153 to 230 ebook pages. I know of an author with a very large publisher whose novel has sold only 1,087 copies in its lifetime. The average digital only authorpublished book sells 250 copies in its lifetime. May 07, 2018 this 90,000word guideline for how many words in a novel is just that, a guideline. For most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. May 14, 2018 with a track record to back them up, established writers have greater flexibility.
The longest average chapter lengths were lord of the rings 7,500, prince of nothing 8,700, and the beefiest chapters were found. Larger print, or smaller print, of course, and wider or narrower margins, can make that vary, depending. Short, choppy segments of dialogue can result in lots of white space and fewer words per page. The writers style has a great deal to do with this. I personally find the trend these days, particularly in thrillers, is to use shorter chapters. Science fiction and fantasy novels typically have a word count between 90,000 to 125,000 words. Think of someone describing the characters in a television show, where characters are identified by their appearance rather than by their written name. With fun, lighthearted, simple middle grade youll want to stay around the 20k30k word count range. The length can vary greatly between genres, though. A 90,000 word count signals to professionals that you know what you are doing. This makes me wonder if publishers choose book sizes based on average scene length, to create the illusion of a certain pace. Outside of romance you need to figure on a minimum of 75,000 words.
I was looking online and most of the sources i found said the average number of words per novel page is 250, and the average words per book were 60,000120,000. Jun 27, 2019 how many words should a fantasy novel be. Average word count ranges from 70,000 to 100,000 words, although biographies of major celebrities or public figures can support a higher number. How many words long do publishers of fiction novels.
A z of science fiction words a useful guide to scientific words for the science fiction enthusiast. Within short stories, there is a further breakdown to define supershort stories as flash and microflash. This very abbreviated story is often difficult to write, and even harder to write well, but the markets for micro fiction are becoming increasingly popular in r. Fantasy novels can run from 90,000 to 100,000 words. Generally, 50,000 would be considered the minimum word count, and ideally a novel should be over 70,000 words.
And for every book that sells 20,000, there is one that is a disaster. A change of scene, a change of chapter seems to make sense to me. Book page count calculator how many pages is my novel. How much does the average author earn publishing their. Yet any piece of fiction climbing over the 110,000 word mark also tends to give editors some pause. According to author earnings, less than 45% of those authorearnings are going to traditionally published authors the rest go to indie and small presses. Online word counter tool count words and characters quickly. When you find those commercial breaks, end your chapter and start a new one. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. The title with the shortest chapters, on average, was whirlwind in the thorn tree, averaging just 2,900 words each.
With a track record to back them up, established writers have greater flexibility. If you get a deal with a small press especially one where. Most print publishers prefer a minimum word count of around 70,000 words for a first novel, and some even hesitate for any work shorter than 80,000. The acceptance of a more ambitious word count in these two genres is the need to describe whole new worlds and presumably original.
You have to make sure they dont decipher the clues and figure out the mystery right in the middle. This 90,000word guideline for how many words in a novel is just that, a guideline. It should be noted that, in a novels finished, published form, the actual number of words per page may be quote a bit higher or lower than 250. Jul 24, 2009 hillsy said im always confused when it comes not so much to word count, but to word per page count.
This genre is generally accepted to be longer in length compared to other books. But for mainstream ya it is always best to stick to under 80k. But again as a surprise to me, dune was a close second, averaging just 3,800 words per chapter. For much of the 20th century, novels averaged 75,000 to 80,000 words, making a book of fewer than 250 pages and sometimes barely 200. But genre books fantasy, scifi, or historical fiction are often longer. As mentioned, general fiction for adults should come in at 100,000 words. The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about 246 to 307 ebook pages. The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about. Novelist jane smiley suggests that length is an important quality of the novel. Martins song of ice and fire series based on this infographic martins five books have an average length of 354, 000 words. Fantasy and science fiction when you think of a fantasy novel, you might think of an epic such as tolkiens the lord of the rings 455, 125 words or one of the five books in george r. Each genre and subgenre has its own word count range. Suggested changes corrections ecliptic to elliptic. Jan 21, 2016 fantasy and science fiction when you think of a fantasy novel, you might think of an epic such as tolkiens the lord of the rings 455, 125 words or one of the five books in george r.