“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.”
Thinking about writing your own novel but wondering how many words should in it? Writing a book is no small feat, often requiring months or even years of brainstorming a spectacular story and a compelling set of characters. And whilst content will always be king when it comes to getting editors, agents and publishers to sit up and take notice, the length of your book is something that should be at the forefront of your mind. So, how many words are in a novel on average? And can word counts vary depending on the genre you’re writing? Join us here at What We Reading as we run you through everything you need to know about novel word counts!
Why Word Counts Matter
- Readers have expectations. Our days are so condensed these days, with so many potential distractions and other requirements demanding our attention. Having a story that goes on and on will sooner or later leave a reader frustrated or even bored. What’s more, when you’re writing for veteran readers in a certain genre, they will have an idea of how long a story should be – falling well short or well over that standard is leaving yourself open to scrutiny.
- Bigger novels tend to demand more not only in terms of time commitments but also financial from their readers. Unless you’re a properly established name in a genre, you’re more likely to find a story that is 350-500 pages much easier to sell to audiences.
- The financial cost doesn’t just impact audiences with longer books. Thanks to the growing cost of paper, shipping and all the other things that are involved with producing novels, a beefier book may impact your wallet much more than you realise.
Remember: as cliche as it sounds, every word counts in a story. If it doesn’t add to the story, don’t write it in your book.
Word Counts By Genre
Now that you know why word counts in novels matter, how long should you be aiming for your book to be? Here’s a rough run-down on novel word counts based by genre:
Picture Books
<500 Words
Picture books are traditionally for babies and younger readers, with a firm emphasis on bright colours, and pictures rather than words. It’s not uncommon to see picture books without any words whatsoever, but a few short sentences to go alongside the illustrations is more of the norm.
Check Out How Many Pages Is 1500 Words
Middle-Grade Books
30,000-60,000 Words
Middle-Grade books are designed for 7-13-year-old readers who are looking to push their literacy skills with a story that is fast-paced and action-packed.
New Adult (NA) / Young Adult (YA) Books
45,000-95,000 Words
One of the biggest misconceptions around the literary world is that there is a big discrepancy between adult novels and books aimed at younger audiences. NA and YA books tend to be targeted towards 12-18-year-olds, though their word counts are usually only a few shy of adult stories with a range of characters, various challenges and obstacles and often a strong focus on world-building.
Contemporary Fiction Books
75,000-95,000 Words
Contemporary Fiction books are set in the present day, often centred around issues and problems faced during our everyday lives. Appealing to a mass-market audience, authors tend to spend a lot of their word count on fleshing out characters, delving into their backgrounds, routines, motivations, fears and goals. Relatability and empathy are ultimately core drivers of the characters in these stories, so don’t be afraid to sink some words into fleshing these out.
Literary Fiction Books
55,000-110,000 Words
In Literary Fiction, all of an author’s energy is spent on the reflection of a book’s key themes against the inner workings of their characters. Literary Prizes are given out to stories that stand out for more than pacy plots and cliffhangers at the end of chapters. Editors and agents tend to be less fussy when it comes to Literary Fiction, so long as a story is emotionally fulfilling and thought-provoking in the message it is attempting to convey.
Fantasy Books
85,000-155,000 Words
Fantasy books, it is all about world-building. An ideal word count for a Fantasy novel is around 120,000 words, purely because publishers are often concerned about the cost of printing a book that is chunky in length. It can be hard to keep a pacy, engaging story going the more a Fantasy world expands, which is why authors in the genre often find themselves having to strip parts back in the editing process.
Historical Fiction Books
80,000-110,000 Words
Historical Fiction books rely on authors sinking a good few words on setting the scene and establishing an era in world history that feels authentic and real. As well as that, they also have to cram in an engaging plot, an interesting range of characters and a series of developments that keep the story churning at an engaging pace. Because of this, some leeway is often afforded to authors in this genre when it comes to their word counts.
Romance Books
55,000-95,000 Words
Romance novels come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, being one of the most volatile genres in terms of word counts over the years. Some publishers have been notoriously rigid in the past by demanding their Romance books not come with any more than 55,000 words, whilst others have always sworn no fewer than 120,000 is suitable. In the end, Romance stories don’t tend to have the branching plotlines of other genres, with the majority of the words being spent on the lives, relationships and connections between the characters inside the pages. When they feel believable and genuine, you’ve probably hit your limit.
Horror Books
65,000-95,000 Words
Whether it be gothic, gore or the supernatural, Horror books tend to come with claustrophobic settings and a relatively small cast of characters. Pacing is the key to success with these stories, with every sentence being vital in terms of how an author ratchets up the suspense and tension. Readers should never be at ease reading a horror book, but diving in too quickly will leave your story fizzling out too soon.
Sci-Fi Books
85,000-125,000 Words
Be it in the past, present or future, the goal of Science Fiction is to transport readers to an environment unfamiliar to their own, filled with technologies and concepts that they don’t have access to in the real world. With some Sci-Fi books particularly grandiose in terms of their size and scale, a slightly inflated word count is usually justified. These stories come with much more to explore, so don’t be afraid to commit the words to them!
Crime/Thriller/Suspense Books
70,000-90,000 Words
When it comes to Thriller books, readers crave fast-paced plots that open with a mystery and conclude with a pulsating finale. One of the most dominant genres in the mass-market world of fiction, authors tend to dedicate a large amount of their word count to multiple character perspectives, establishing an array of potential suspects or sinking readers deeper into the mystery with a number of different developments.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
