Word Count: How long should a novel be?
When writing a novel, there is no official rule about how long each story should be. Regardless, authors tend to follow a set of guidelines set out by the expectations of the readers and publishers. Fantasy or sci-fi novels tend to be longer than romance novels or mystery stories, for example.
If word counts are only guidelines, then why do they matter?
To put it simply, publishers. Over the years, publishing houses have created a set of rules regarding the novels they put out based on previous sales. As a rule, publishers are more likely to accept a submission by a first-time author if it falls within their standards for the length of a novel. This stems from the fact that while the effort that comes with marketing and publishing a book is the same whether it’s an 100,000 epic or a 30,000 word novella, longer books can be sold at a higher price point.
When it comes to indie publishers or self-publishing, these guidelines tend to be less strict. Prospective readers mostly buy e-books, shopping by title, cover image and description rather than how thick the spine of a book is. Self-publishing specifically has given authors the ability to bend the rules, and ultimately following what is right for their story rather than adhering to a set of rigid rules. Even so, many choose to follow the established word counts, as these align with the expectations of the readers.
On the other hand, established authors with a wide readership pool are an exception to this rule, as they will often sell the same number of copies no matter the length of their story.
Word count examples
When it comes to word count, here are the average word count of shorter story forms:
- Novella: 15,000 – 45,000 words
- Novelette: 7,000 – 15,000 words
- Short Story: Less than 7,000 words
- Flash Fiction: Less than 1,000 words
While novels start at 45,000 words, the acceptable length is also highly dependent on one other thing: the novel’s genre. Fantasy novels tend to be the longest, followed by sci-fi and thrillers, while middle grade and YA books are typically the shortest. Of the adult genres, romance usually has the smallest word count.
- Fantasy & Sci-Fi: 100,000 – 115,000 words
- Thriller: 90,000 – 100,000 words
- Crime and Mystery: 75,000 – 100,000 words
- Commercial & Literary Novels: 80,000 – 110,000 words
- Memoir: 80,000 – 90,000 words
- Romance: 40,000 – 90,000 words
- Young Adult: 55,000 – 70,000 words
- Middle Grade: 20,000 – 55,000 words
For romance specifically, the word count will vary greatly depending on the sub-genre that you are writing. Paranormal and regency romances are at the shorter end of the spectrum, while mainstream romances tend to run longer.
Before writing within a specific genre, the best thing to do is to research -even briefly- what the word count is expected to be. This will save you a lot of head aches down the line when you are trying to promote your book to literary agents and publishing houses.
Why is it important to stick to a word count?
If you wish to traditionally publish your debut novel, it’s best to stay within the expectations that the publisher sets out. Many agents will not even look at a novel if it is overly long or overly short, immediately rejecting them on word count alone.
Of course, there are many, hugely successful books that utterly ignore the word count standards. Examples of this are the Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling (the longest of which, The Order of the Phoenix, is 257,045 words) or George R.R. Martin’s A Storm of Words within the A Song of Ice and Fire series, at 424,000 words.
And while these are examples of already bestselling authors, this is not always the case. Diana Gabaldon’s debut novel, Outlander, is 305,000 words long, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring -the first in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is 188,000 words.
Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you want to follow the rules or break them.
