Average book word counts

Word count for famous novels organized commonplace book. Jan 11, 2011 colleen lindsay reminds us that word counts have a practical and commercial effect, in that they translate into numbers of pages per book, which is a direct hard cost of producing your book. Typically, youll want your novel to be much shorter. Page counts are from paperbacks on my shelf or goodreads.

Jun 16, 2017 a compelling story will carry most readers through longer word counts than the standard ranges without their noticing. My own past research on ya word count turned up 5080,000 as an average guideline. In 2011, the lists average length peaked at 467 pages. My middle grade novel is complete at 250,000 words, and have five sequels planned which will each be approximately the same length. This means your memoir will average between 150 and 265 pages. In outlining your book in 3 easy steps, editor shawn coyne says, the average novel today is about 90,000 words. But, he also mentions that the wizard of oz was 40,000 words. Id guess that the actual average number of words in a novel was. Generally, 50,000 would be considered the minimum word count, and ideally a novel should be over 70,000 words. With fun, lighthearted, simple middle grade youll want to stay around the 20k30k word count range.

On the upper end, a novel over 110,000 words is considered an epic. A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid. Word counts for different genres of novels vary, but there are general rules of thumb that a writer can use for how long is too long. Writing for reluctant readers at writing world stated count of 4001200 words. Between 80,000 and 89,999 words is a good range you should be aiming for. Towards the bottom, i also checked the ongoing epic fantasy series, a song of ice and fire and the original lord of the rings trilogy. On average, when writing a memoir should not exceed 90,000 words and that is a stretch when it comes to memoir word count. These word counts are my personal references they are not official, and do not include back matter, which is bonus material for the reader or information geared for parents, teachers, or. As for nonfiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. So, the average wordcount for a typical novel is anywhere from 70,000 to 120,000 words. Everything you need to know about novel word counts nathan. The actual word count for harry potter and the sorcerers stone is 78,792 and my utility calculates 77,876. There are a few book word count guidelines for each genre, but these arent hard and fast rules. The popular book the noticer 2009 by andy andrews barely breaks the novel barrier at 40,454 words without the readers guide that was added to pad the book.

A good way to gauge appropriate length is to check out similar books for comparison. Onethird of the novels that come into the agency are rejected because theyre too long or short, perkins says. Literary agent paula munier says a 90,000 word count is the sweet spot for debut fiction. Stephen king word count 112263 274,672 bag of bones 203,3 black house 252,270 blockade billy 15,917 carrie 60,718 cell 121,931 christine 193,602 cujo 121,150 cycle of the werewolf 15,955 desperation. Only word counts are below, not page counts, as some novels vary between editions. Word counting may be needed when a text is required to stay within certain numbers of words. Ar book finder categorizes this book as a middle grade. Page numbers can vary from edition to edition due to text, layout and paper sizing. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing.

For debut books in this field the average word count tends to be 35k and it has therefore become the marker many industry professionals look for in queries from new writers. Well, as publishers matter less and less, in some respects, word counts matter less and less. Colleen lindsay reminds us that word counts have a practical and commercial effect, in that they translate into numbers of pages per book, which is a direct hard cost of producing your book. While average word length is 50,000 to 80,000 words, this genre has so much variety that word count depends on the book and its intended audience. 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. A guide to word counts filles vertes publishing, llc. Word count is commonly used by translators to determine the price of a translation job. This is a general list of age categories and word counts for childrens books. The average mean word count was about 73,000 words. Like a general fiction novel, a good target word count for a memoir is 80,000 words. Your guide to book word counts fiction and nonfiction.

And, in case youre wondering, here are the average word counts for other popular genres. Pencilthin books on narrow topics that are under 50,000 words are quite common. The old man and the sea was about 25 to 30,000 words, tops. 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. Well, different publishers continue reading below share 289. You would be wise to come close to these suggested. Count up the total number of words on 10 random full lines from different places and divide by 10 to get the average wordsperline count the number of lines on each page to get the linesperpage check that the book actually starts on page 1 sometimes the stuff before it starts is counted then. The daily word counts of 19 famous writers word counter blog. Since this was the first book, rowling had more time to edit the book and make the writing more concise. Im okay with a manuscript that goes up to 30,000 words over the suggested word count. The average nonfiction book is about 50,000 to 75,000 words, which is about 153 to 230 ebook pages. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count.

It has fewer words than the other six books, making it the shortest book in the series. As a reader, ive never felt a good book was too long, even more than a thousand pages. Word counts for chapter books and middle grade can range from 1,50030,000 or more. The stories should be easy to follow and have an average word count of 1,000 to 10,000 words, a range similar to an adult short story. Oftentimes, professional editing will cut down the unnecessary information so your memoir is the appropriate word count. The sorcerers stone 77,325 words the chamber of secrets 84,799 words the prisoner of azkaban 106,821 words.

Writing for young adults a look at the numbers hannah holt. Word counts may also be used to calculate measures. The average word count in a book is 60k to 100k words. Rowlings recordbreaking series began with two titles on the high end of that spectrum and finished with five that left the guidelines in the dust. By most peoples standards, 40,000 words would be pretty short for a novel. The more words, the more pages, the higher the print costs, the more copies that need to be sold to recoup their investment, and so on. The left behind series original books, not including the prequel, 19952007 by tim lahaye and jerry b.

Picture book word count, and other rules that are meant to. Right now, when it comes to novellength word count, its all about 90,000 words. Despite their ongoing success, those epic sagas are the rare exception to general word count rules. At an average reading rate of 125 words per minute, thats about 145 hours of reading. Word counts are from accelerated reader bookfinder or other online sources and have been rounded to the nearest counts can vary depending on parameters so these are not hard and fast figures. Average word count in a book book editing services. Apr 08, 2019 word counts for chapter books and middle grade can range from 1,50030,000 or more. But overall, heres my own rough stab at word counts by genre. The word count is the number of words in a document or passage of text. I have rounded the averages down slightly, both to account for twilights outlier status and my own preference for brevity.

This may particularly be the case in academia, legal proceedings, journalism and advertising. The average wordcount for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. Take a good look at the average word counts you need for a novel or nonfiction. Below are several different ya series, their word counts per book and total word counts for the entire series. For example, atonement has a word count of 123,378 and my utility comes up with 110,765 words. These word counts are my personal references they are not official, and do not include back matter, which is bonus material for the reader or information geared for parents, teachers, or older readers. Know your content, know your mainline pitch and some. Tolkiens the lord of the rings trilogy has an enormous word count, with the longest clocking in at over 175,000 words.

When combined, the total harry potter word count is over a million words. I have rounded the averages down slightly, both to account for twilights outlier status and. The first book, harry potter and the sorcerers stone, has 76,944 words. A nonfiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. A compelling story will carry most readers through longer word counts than the standard ranges without their noticing. If your book is too long and you need to cut it, dont fret. The di vinci code 2003 by dan brown is 8,380 words christian book word count. Nevertheless, you would be wise to come close to these suggested manuscript lengths. Smashwords gives a precise word count for each and every b. Obviously, my point is not that you should submit a first book of anywhere near 200,000 words. Nonfiction books tend to be shorter, around 45,000 words on average, and novels ten to be longer, around 80,000 words on average. Most young adult novels fall between 50,000 and 80,000 words.

Anyway, heres the figures and facts i have so far looks like big debut novels are anything but unusual in epic fantasy now. Oct 23, 2017 the average mean word count was about 73,000 words. Ive been researching the word countspages of ya novels to make sure im not under or over. Based on this list compiled by nicole humphrey cook.

A story that is over 40,000 words is generally considered a novel. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. Jenkins started strongly but weakened, along with the. Now, before you lose your mind, let me explain what i mean. Between the ages of four and eight, children have picture books read to them and also begin to read themselves. I know that this is considered long but i really cant cut anything, it is all integral to the story. Sharp objects has a word count of 80,565 and my utility calculates it at 80,7. Ive been doing some research into epic fantasy word counts recently, especially to get an idea of debut novel figures over recent years. Hilo books for upper elementary grades at ala example titles ranging from 1090k words. Big, epic stories get anywhere from 120,000 to 200,000 words. I just popped into my office and pulled a few books off the shelf. 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. This is a 100% safe range for literary, mainstream, womens. Average nonfiction word counts biographies and memoirs.

Mar 17, 2010 over time, the word count diminished and volume 8 the mark contained only 85,341 words, and the last volume, number 16 kingdom come, dwindled to 77,776 words. The harry potter books are young adult titles, and ya publishers generally look for manuscripts in the 50,000 to 80,000word range. For most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. Thats the level where publishers may suggest dividing a story into multiple volumes. According to amazons great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words. Famous book series and novel word counts number of words. There may be times when someone doesnt want to pick up a long book, but on the whole i dont think most readers much notice word count. Sep 20, 2019 its okay if your first draft is over 90,000 words. Basically, instead of applying a formula for word count, we apply the final format and see what results. Picture book word count, and other rules that are meant to be. This averages to about 22 to 23 chapters per novel, with the average chapter length around 4,280 words. Word counts of famous book series harry potter by jk rowling.

However, it will be on the short side, as the average length of a novel hovers. I publish my books first on smashwords and then, after they pass vetting for the smashwords premium catalog, i publish them on amazon as well. Jun 27, 2019 chapter books will come in at the lower end of the spectrum, while middlegrade books meant for older readers may even slightly exceed 55,000 words. Anything above 70k but less than 115k science fiction and fantasy tend to run up around 100k115k words. A lot does seem dependent on the publisher though i havent drilled down through the figures as yet, but there appear to be publishers who prefer smaller works ie, im told elizabeth bear is contracted to 110k per book from tor, but daw seems especially unfazed by fat word counts. I have therefore made some averages, based on what ive heard from publishers and agents at childrens book events, and from research and reading. Chapter books will come in at the lower end of the spectrum, while middlegrade books meant for older readers may even slightly exceed 55,000 words. Word counts may also be used to calculate measures of readability and to measure typing and reading speeds usually in words per minute. May 14, 2018 literary agent paula munier says a 90,000 word count is the sweet spot for debut fiction. For the purposes of this post, im only talking about ya, middlegrade and adult fiction. The hunger games has a word count of 99,750 and my utility calculates it at 98,916. Everything you need to know about novel word counts.

Apr 11, 2015 stephen king word count 112263 274,672 bag of bones 203,3 black house 252,270 blockade billy 15,917 carrie 60,718 cell 121,931 christine 193,602 cujo 121,150 cycle of the werewolf 15,955 desperation 195,011 doctor sleep. Novelist jane smiley suggests that length is an important quality of the novel. And why would a publisher want to spend more on producing a book and then taking the risk of selling it at a higher price point than they have to. For average word counts based on genre, see this handy reference. For fiction or creative nonfiction picture books not informational, the current word count goal is 500 words. As an editor, i cant tell you how many times ive turned down a manuscript because of excessive word counts. Feb 09, 2015 below are several different ya series, their word counts per book and total word counts for the entire series. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for nonfiction books.

This number can vary depending on if youre writing dialogue or how short each. I have often looked this up and got different results, which makes it very confusing. Of course, word count wont matter if a story doesnt hook the target audience. Dec 08, 2010 word counts for different genres of novels vary, but there are general rules of thumb that a writer can use for how long is too long. The greater the word count the larger the book more sections and pages that are required to be printed upping the price of your book once it hits the shelves. Word count for famous novels, in ascending order by number of words.

Counting chickens a few words about word counts at hope vestergaards site. Neither too long nor too short, this book length signals a novelists competency and knowledge of the publishing market to prospective agents and editors. The grandfather of modern christian fiction, in his steps by charles m. Search for word count totals in books word counters. The actual word count for the hunger games is 99,750 and my utility calculates 94,743 words. What is a good way to get the word count of a kindle book. At a writers conference i recently attended, publishing veteran jane friedman said 80,000 words is good for most fiction, below. If you are planning to traditionally publish, it is significantly more likely you will be successful if you stick to this word count. For more information on word counts for childrens book, check out this post.

My upperlevel ya novel is 211 pages, 61,078 words, tnr 12 pt. When converting character counts to words, a measure of 5 or 6 characters to a word is generally used for english. Before diving into the specifics of genrebased word counts, lets look at the broader picture of average book length. Word counts from the nyt best sellers list writers rumpus. We recommend memoirs be between 45,000 to 80,000 words in order to maintain intrigue and reduce intimidation. 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. Virtually every book i try to shop by a debut author thats any longer than thatregardless of categoryreceives the same response from editors.

For the book hatchet, the actual word count is 41,672 and i give you 41,212. The word counts of some famous novels for comparison. What occurred to me while reading was how the predetermined word counts make it more difficult to query a novel that crosses categories. On average, there are about 300 words per page in a book. Also, heres another list i may swipe and add in here. So itll be off on occasion, but it should get you relatively close for the average book. Im just saying that some things are more important than word counts. Jan 08, 2018 word counts are from accelerated reader bookfinder or other online sources and have been rounded to the nearest counts can vary depending on parameters so these are not hard and fast figures. Apr 23, 2018 few elements of the bookwriting process inspire such handwringing and teethgnashing as trying to constrain your novel within certain seemingly arbitrary bounds. Its often possible to take a good 30,000 words out of a book without really affecting the content, just by being rigorous about what works what words, sentences, paragraphs, scenes and chapters.