How Long is a Book?

Determining the Right Word Count for your Novel

Apr 24, 2007

Publishers often have minimum book length expectations. How long should your book be? It depends a lot on the genre and audience.

We've all read short books that are paper thin, and many of us have attempted the large, heavy ones that seem to be packed with tiny type. Some authors even have so much to say that their series seem to go on forever. Book length can be intimidating for new authors, but it is important to have enough content to fill a salable book and keep the reader happy. So, how long should your book be?

There are no hard and fast rules or laws about book length, and exact numbers will vary from resource to resource. However, there are some generally accepted guidelines that publishers and writing groups follow to identify book lengths. Book length is usually determined by a word count. A word count is simply the number of words in a manuscript. When you submit a book or proposal, this is the unit of length you will work with.

Books of 120,000-150,000+ words are recommended to be broken up into parts or a series. A single book of this length tends to become longer than an attention span can take. It can also be difficult to properly fill a plot after too long.

A quick look at my bookshelf reveals five books to use for examples. One simple way to estimate the number of pages in a book is to count the number of words on one page, and multiply by the number of pages. Here are a few examples of lengths for the books I'm currently reading:

Turning Life into Fiction by Robin Hemley (non-fiction) 327 pages 98,000 estimated words

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (memoir) 430 pages 107,000 estimated words

Remember these are only estimates and could vary by several thousand words. However, they will give you an idea of how long popular paperbacks are. Many non-fiction books you find at the local bookstore are shorter than their fiction counterparts. Non-fiction today includes a lot more visual technique than the textbooks and how-tos of yesteryear. When you're considering a non-fiction book, 25,000 is the general minimum that is required to fill a thin paperback guide.

Font size, page dimensions, and paper quality will also determine the size and thickness of your book. The key things to remember are that your book has a distinct beginning, middle, and end, vivid characters, and a solid plot. If these expectations are fulfilled, you can find a place for your story no matter what length.

The copyright of the article How Long is a Book? in Resources for Writers is owned by Kimberly Dawn Wells. Permission to republish How Long is a Book? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

May 5, 2007 3:35 PM

Kimberly Dawn Wells :

Book too long? Book too short? Need filler? Need to split? What's on your mind for questions about book length?

May 7, 2007 7:54 PM

Alana Thomas :

I am writing my first, and possibly only book. I have an idea of the length I am aiming for, 30000 words, but need to know how long the typical preface is. My current one is about 750 words. I have pretty much said what I wanted, but not sure if it is "long" enough. Any ideas?

May 18, 2007 7:41 AM

Kimberly Dawn Wells :

If you've said all you have to say, you're done. For a preface there really isn't any requirement for length, or to have a preface at all. Some prefaces are several pages, some one or two.

In fact, there is no requirement for any writing to be a specfic length. You make it the length you think it should be, and that will then determine how it is published and read. Some stories just aren't meant to be long, and there's nothing wrong with that.