{"id":122,"date":"2020-11-10T16:20:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T16:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=122"},"modified":"2025-05-12T13:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T12:33:44","slug":"average-novel-wordcount","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/average-novel-wordcount\/","title":{"rendered":"How Many Words Are There In A Novel?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When I wrote my first novel, I started to worry that I was off the mark regarding how many words I had to offer. I was scared that agents would reject my book simply because I had got the length wrong. How many words are there in an average novel, how many pages in a book, how many words per page? I didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I went to a bookstore, gathered some (big, hefty) novels in a genre like mine, and sat there on the shop floor and counted the average words per page to come up with a number. It turned out that, yes, in terms of book length, I was at the very long end of things, but not impossibly long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I sold that book for a good six-figure sum, and have never looked back since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At least you don\u2019t need to run down to your nearest bookstore, since this guide will tell you quickly the ideal word counts for every category of novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-many-words-are-in-a-novel\">Average Word Count For A Novel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The average word count for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. For children\u2019s fiction, the general rule is the younger the audience the shorter the book, and for YA novels the average is 50,000-70,000 words. Non-fiction word counts sit between 70,000-120,000 words. Word counts also vary by genre, as detailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n    <section class=\"free-signup-block  alignfull\" id=\"\" data-redirect=\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/resource-downloads\/the-jericho-writers-vault\/\">\r\n        <div class=\"content-container\">\r\n            <div class=\"free-signup-block-container\">\r\n                                    <div class=\"free-signup-image-container\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Editing-Website-blocks.png\" alt=\"\">\r\n                                            <\/div>\r\n                                <div class=\"free-signup-text-container\">\r\n\r\n                    <div class=\"free-signup-text-wrapper\">\r\n                                                        <h2>Ready to clean up that messy first draft?<\/h2>\r\n                                                    <div class=\"wysiwyg-container\"><p>Join our free community for instant access to: <\/p>\n<\/div>                                                    <div class=\"features-list\">\r\n                                                                    <div class=\"feature\">\r\n                                        <div class=\"icon-container\" style=\"background-color: #F7941D\"><i class='bx bx-laptop'><\/i><\/div>                                        <div class=\"feature-text\">\r\n                                            <div class=\"feature-description\">Digital tools like our self-editing pyramid<\/div>                                        <\/div>\r\n                                    <\/div>\r\n                                                                    <div class=\"feature\">\r\n                                        <div class=\"icon-container\" style=\"background-color: #F7941D\"><i class='bx bxs-user-voice'><\/i><\/div>                                        <div class=\"feature-text\">\r\n                                            <div class=\"feature-description\">Peer-to-peer support &#038; 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I\u2019d guess that the actual average number of words in a novel was somewhere close to 90,000 words. (How come? Because novels mostly cluster at the shorter end of that 70-120K spectrum. There are plenty of prolific authors who might never break the 100,000 word barrier.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These guidelines assume that your book is broadly commercial (rather than highly literary, let\u2019s say) and that you are writing for adults. If you are within that broad zone, then as far as length goes, you\u2019re doing fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then again, sometimes fiction is long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your story justifies the length, you needn\u2019t worry if you get up to&nbsp;<strong>150,000 words<\/strong>, or even&nbsp;<strong>180,000<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that is on the very long side. 180,000 words print about 650 paperback pages. You only get away with novels of that scale if the story has an epic quality and storytelling is remorselessly excellent. (Also, don\u2019t trust any source on the internet which tells you that such stories are unsaleable. They\u2019re just not. My own first novel was 190,000 words long and was sold to HarperCollins for a lot of money.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-genre-romance\">Genre Romance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are writing true genre romance \u2013 the kind of thing Harlequin Mills &amp; Boon is known for \u2013 then books are typically short. Your target is probably 50-60,000 words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, longer books that still tell a proper romantic story, can do well. These books generally run from 75,000 to 100,000 words, or in rare cases a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>When we Believed in Mermaids \u2013&nbsp;<\/em>Barbara O\u2019Neal \u2013 100,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>And Then You Loved Me<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Inglath Cooper \u2013 90,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>That Boy<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Jillian Dodd \u2013 80,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Rescuing Lord Inglewood<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Sally Britton \u2013 55-60,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-women-s-fiction\">Women\u2019s Fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of fiction written for women will have an element of romance, but is far more complicated and interesting than classic Mills &amp; Boon fare. Such books will have a minimum length of 75,000 words but seldom exceed 110,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See our comments about saga though!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Me Before You<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Jojo Moyes \u2013 140,000 words \u2014 very unusual length for women\u2019s fiction this one, but it was a very unusual book!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The Storyteller\u2019s Secret<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Sejal Bedani \u2013 110,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Where the Crawdads Sing \u2013&nbsp;<\/em>Delia Owens \u2013 105,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The World That We Knew<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Alice Hoffman \u2013 95,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The Dressmaker\u2019s Gift<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Fiona Valpy \u2013 80,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Bridget Jones\u2019s Diary<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Helen Fielding \u2013 75,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-family-saga\">Family Saga<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Saga, by definition, has an epic feel, and you\u2019re not really in saga territory at less than 150,000 words. But some of those books are very long. I have a friend who writes saga and her publisher actually wants books of 250,000 words. That\u2019s about three ordinary novels squashed into one. Wow! (And, uh, you don\u2019t get paid three times as much, so unless you really want to write saga, I\u2019m going to suggest you review your choices!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>The Thorn Birds<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Colleen McCullough \u2013 195,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-crime-and-thriller-genres\">Crime And Thriller Genres<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Crime novels often run a little longer than women\u2019s fiction. So 75,000 words is fine as a lower limit, but anything up to 120,000 words is unproblematic. Truth is, as long as you make sure every single word counts, you can go up to 135,000 words without troubling anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>I Am Pilgrim<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Terry Hayes \u2013 195,000 words (epic feel to this book, hence the length)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Talking to the Dead<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Harry Bingham (that\u2019s me by the way!) \u2013 115,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>I let you go<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Clare Mackintosh \u2013 95,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The Girl on the Train<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Paula Hawkins \u2013 95,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Crossing (Harry Bosch) \u2013 Michael Connelly \u2013 80,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-historical-fiction\">Historical Fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Historical fiction is a slippery category, because it\u2019s not really a category. A literary-type love story set in Renaissance Venice is very different from massive war story about the Mongol hordes. Reader expectations are utterly different in both cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So for \u201cnormal\u201d historical fiction \u2013 typically, a somewhat literary category \u2013 I\u2019d suggest that 75,000 to 100,000 words is about right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But as soon as you introduce the sense of something epic \u2013 in time, space, and magnitude of events \u2013 you can get up to word counts of 150,000 to 180,000 words, or even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>What the Wind Knows<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Amy Harmon \u2013 100,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Beneath a Scarlet Sky<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Mark Sullivan \u2013 150,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Wolf Hall<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Hilary Mantel \u2013 200,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fantasy-and-sci-fi-genres\">Fantasy And Sci-fi Genres<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fantasy novels can be long. They can be up to 180,000 words, or even over 200,000, but the novel must be wonderful and must fully justify its word count. In other words, you must be scrupulous about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/types-of-editing-how-to-choose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">editing every sentence for length<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With SF, you really just need to explore your niche, as it can be quite variable. Epic space opera can easily run to over 150,000 words, whereas a short, hard space disaster book might run to just 60,000 words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re not sure of your genre, just find the most appropriate bestseller list on Amazon and take a look. You\u2019ll soon get a sense for where your book needs to fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Lord of the Rings \/ The Fellowship of the Ring&nbsp;<\/em>\u2013 J. R. R. Tolkien \u2013 190,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The Atlantis Gene<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 AG Riddle \u2013 135,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>1984<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 George Orwell \u2013 90,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Bella Forrest \u2013 110,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-literary-genre\">Literary Genre &#8211; Novel Vs Novella<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re writing for a more<a href=\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/what-is-literary-fiction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> literary<\/a> audience, then the rules above apply on upper limits. In other words, anything up to 120,000 words, no problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And lower limits are quite a lot lower. A good, short literary novel might be 60,000 words. A very good, very short novella might be as little as 45 or 50,000. The shorter it gets, the better it needs to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Wolf Hall<\/em>&nbsp;(by Hilary Mantel) is over 200,000 words&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>On Chesil Beach<\/em>&nbsp;(by Ian McEwan) is just 40,000 words long<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-note-about-our-word-count-estimations\">A Note About Our Word Count Estimations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In some cases, word counts are published and in those cases, we\u2019ve used those published sources. In other cases, we\u2019ve used online tools such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.readinglength.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reading Length<\/a>&nbsp;to estimate the length of a work. We would expect the actual length to be within +\/- 10% of our stated length and usually closer. We have rounded to the nearest 5,000 words in all cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"How-Long-is-a-Non-Fiction-Book\">How Long Is A Non-Fiction Book?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-memoir-and-biography\">Memoir And Biography<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most memoirs need to be in the 70,000 to 100,000-word range. Only if you\u2019re a major celebrity can you blow right through that word count and just keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Becoming \u2013&nbsp;<\/em>Michelle Obama \u2013 165,000 words. I\u2019d say she\u2019s a major celebrity, though, so \u2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Educated<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Tara Westover \u2013 100,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The Salt Path<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Raynor Winn \u2013 90,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-popular-non-fiction\">Popular Non-Fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For the kind of book that normally sits on the front tables at Waterstones or Barnes &amp; Noble, you\u2019ll find that 70,000 to 120,000 words is about typical. If the topic really justifies length (and especially if your credentials are highly impressive) you can go longer, but check that you remain interesting, even at length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Really hard to give examples, because this is a very broad category indeed. But for what it\u2019s worth \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Daniel Kahnemann \u2013 150,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Fear: Trump in the White House<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Bob Woodward \u2013 135,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Hillbilly Elegy<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 JD Vance \u2013 75,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>A Brief History of Time<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Stephen Hawking \u2013 50,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"How-Long-is-a-Children\u2019s-Novel\">Niche Non-Fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For anything really niche \u2013 e.g.&nbsp;<em>How to Get Started in Internet Fraud<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 there are no real limits. Just write a good book on the topic and let length look after itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-long-is-a-children-s-novel\">How Long Is A Children\u2019s Novel?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-young-adult-fiction\">Young Adult Fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>YA fiction usually needs to be 50,000 to 70,000 words. You can go up to 100,000 if your material is phenomenal and justifiable, but no longer than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 Or at least that\u2019s what I used to say, except that Stephenie Meyer really rewrote the rules. So yeah, you can go over 100,000 words if you are about to reinvent an entire category of fiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><meta charset=\"utf-8\"><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-8380b701-ccb9-4d29-9114-d6e478165c87\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Twilight<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Stephenie Meyer \u2013 120,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Hunger Games<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Susan Collins \u2013 100,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The Fault in Our Stars<\/em> \u2013 John Green \u2013 65,000 words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Outside<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 Sarah Ann Juckes (our head of membership content) \u2013 70,000 words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-middle-grade-fiction\">Middle Grade Fiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Children\u2019s fiction is so varied in terms of length, type, illustration. Your best bet is to go to a good children\u2019s bookstore and look at books like your own in terms of target audience. Multiply up by the number of pages and get to a rough word count. The younger the child, the shorter the word count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not really safe to offer examples. Your best bet is to figure out what books yours is comparable to, then sit down and count the words on 2-3 typical pages. Get a rough average. Multiply by the number of pages in the book. And that gives you your rough word count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Self-Published-Work-And-Ebooks:-Word-Count-Guidelines\">Self-Published Work And Ebooks: Word Count Guidelines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the world of print and physical bookstores, length kind of mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s just a minimum cost of printing a book, trucking it to a store, marketing it, and everything else. Since a 50 page book for $7.99 just feels like bad value most of the time, books like that were never commissioned by publishers. They just didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because traditional publishers still tend to think of print first and digital formats second, the same thing still mostly holds true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you\u2019re self-publishing, it just doesn\u2019t need to hold true for you. What if you wanted to write:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Beach read romances<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 30,000 words each \u2013 in a series of 8 or so books. Well, heck, you can do it. Readers love that kind of thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Short, subject-led books<\/strong>&nbsp;on internet marketing, or cat nutrition, or meditation technique. Well, heck you can do it. Readers can get real value from that kind of thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no right or wrong here. The only golden rule is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You communicate the type of book accurately to the reader, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your pricing reflects the length \/ value you are offering.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>I know that\u2019s technically two golden rules, but the second one is kind of a repeat of the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a rough guide, I\u2019d say that a 30,000 word book shouldn\u2019t sell for much more than $2.99 \/ $3.99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your book is very short \u2013 15-20,000 words \u2013 it probably wants to be $0.99 or free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Do-You-Need-to-Edit-Your-Novel?\">Do You Need To Edit Your Novel?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a good look at the average word counts you need for a novel or non-fiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your book is too long and you need to cut it, don\u2019t fret. It\u2019s often possible to take a good 30,000 words out of a book&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/types-of-editing-how-to-choose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">without really affecting the content<\/a>, just by being rigorous about what works \u2013 what words, sentences, paragraphs, scenes and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/how-long-should-a-chapter-be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chapters&nbsp;<\/a>truly earn their place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The secret to effective self-editing is always just a relentless search for material that isn\u2019t really contributing to the story . . . and searching at every scale. So you need to ask, \u201cIs this chapter or scene really needed? Could I cut it or simply delete it?\u201d But you also need to ask, \u201cDoes this sentence contain more words than it needs? Could I do the same job more effectively with less?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bear in mind that cutting a 12-word sentence down to 9 words might feel like nothing to you . . . but that\u2019s the same proportionate reduction as cutting a 120,000 word novel down to 90,000 words. And you only achieve that kind of reduction by being picky about every single word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I wrote my first novel, I started to worry that I was off the mark regarding how many words I had to offer. I was scared that agents would reject my book simply because I had got the length wrong. How many words are there in an average novel, how many pages in a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[29047],"class_list":["post-122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-novel-writing","tag-unwcpop1"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Jericho Writers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out how many words are used, on average, in various novel genres including romance, crime and thrillers as well as non-fiction memoirs and biographies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/average-novel-wordcount\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Many Words in a Novel? 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