Book length guide
How many words in a book?
Most adult novels run 80,000 to 90,000 words. Nonfiction runs shorter: 40,000 to 60,000 for a business book. Check your own count below.
Pages in a 6" x 9" paperback
167
At about 300 words a page
Double-spaced manuscript
200
Industry standard: 250 words a page
Manuscript, double-spaced
12pt, 1-inch margins · ~250 words a page
200 pages
Single-spaced document
12pt, Word or Google Docs · ~500 words a page
100 pages
Paperback 5" x 8"
Typical trade layout · ~250 words a page
200 pages
Paperback 5.5" x 8.5"
Typical trade layout · ~275 words a page
182 pages
Paperback 6" x 9"
Common nonfiction size · ~300 words a page
167 pages
Reading time
3 h 30 min
Audiobook length
5 h 23 min
50,000 words is a typical length for a business or self-help book.
Fiction
How many words in a novel?
What agents and editors expect from a novel, by genre. These are guides for a first book: established authors get more room.
| Genre | Aim for | Wider range or note | Pages at 6" x 9" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult novel (literary, commercial, romance, mystery, thriller, horror) | 80,000 to 89,999 | 71,000 to 109,000 | 267 to 300 |
| Science fiction and fantasy | 100,000 to 115,000 | 90,000 to 124,000 | 334 to 384 |
| Western | 50,000 to 80,000 | 65,000 is a solid target | 167 to 267 |
Why the ranges matter. A debut manuscript far outside its genre range is a common reason for a quick no from agents: too short reads as underdeveloped, too long as expensive to print and in need of an edit. Self-published books have more freedom, but readers of each genre still expect a certain length.
Word count, not page count. Agents and editors talk in words because pages change with the font, trim size and spacing. Use the words to pages calculator or the pages by word count table to turn a target into pages.
By length
Short story, novella or novel?
The word counts the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association uses for the Nebula Awards. Publishers in other genres use similar cut-offs.
| Category | Words | Pages at 6" x 9" |
|---|---|---|
| Short story | Under 7,500 | 1 to 25 |
| Novelette | 7,500 to 17,499 | 25 to 59 |
| Novella | 17,500 to 39,999 | 59 to 134 |
| Novel | 40,000+ | 134+ |
Children's and young adult
How many words in a children's book?
Shorter books for younger readers, from picture books to young adult novels.
| Book type | Words | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Young adult | 55,000 to 79,999 | Not much below 47,000 |
| Middle grade | 20,000 to 55,000 | Upper middle grade 40,000 to 55,000 |
| Picture book | 500 to 600 | Editors hesitate near 1,000 |
Nonfiction
How many words in a nonfiction book?
There is no formal standard for nonfiction. These are the ranges we plan with when we write business books for clients.
| Book type | Words | Pages at 6" x 9" |
|---|---|---|
| Lead magnet ebook or short guide | 5,000 to 15,000 | 17 to 50 |
| Short business book | 20,000 to 35,000 | 67 to 117 |
| Business or self-help book | 40,000 to 60,000 | 134 to 200 |
| Memoir (Writer's Digest) | 80,000 to 89,999 | 267 to 300 |
Write to the job the book has to do. A lead magnet ebook needs to solve one problem well, so 5,000 to 15,000 words is plenty. A book that wins clients for a coach or consultant needs to show how you think, which most people manage in 20,000 to 35,000 words. A full business or self-help book that covers a method end to end usually lands between 40,000 and 60,000.
Shorter is not weaker. Busy readers are more likely to finish a short book, and a finished book is the one that gets recommended. Add words when the reader needs them, not to reach a page count.
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