The Cursed Book of Naetheai
August 4, 2024
How Many Pages Is a Novel? Guide by Genre & Length
January 5, 2026The Cursed Book of Naetheai
August 4, 2024How Many Pages Is a Novel? Guide by Genre & Length
January 5, 2026How Many Words Are in a Novel? A Simple Guide by Genre
If you have ever asked yourself, “How many words are in a novel?” then you are not alone. Many new writers are confused about how “long enough” their novel/story should be, and they often seek answers from their mentors or agencies, which is normal.
Generally, a novel must be at least 40,000 words in order to be considered a novel. However, most novels are between 70,000 and 100,000 words, with many averaging around 80,000 to 90,000. This length also depends upon the genre you choose, your target audience and your publishing method.
Word count is important for a novel because it directly affects your story's pacing, reader expectations, publishing standards, and even printing costs. The length of your novel helps agents and publishers to quickly grasp where your novel fits in the market.
For example, young adult novels tend to fall between 50,000 and 80,000 words and fantasy novels tend to fall in the range of 90,000 to 120,000 words.
If you are considering traditional publication, adhering to these ranges is more important, since some publishers are more rigid in their expectations. If you are planning for self-publishing, then you have more flexibility in your length.
Readers also have expectations about a novel's length, so these word count ranges have become general industry and community standards. The most important thing to remember is that your novel should be as long as it needs to be to tell your story completely, not just to meet a number.
Word count affects the number of pages, see How Many Pages Is a Novel?
What does it mean by that?
Let’s put this in simple terms.
A novel is a long piece of fiction. Unlike short stories, novels give you the room to develop your characters, build your world and tell your story more deeply. Since this article is about word count, here’s how to think about word count for beginners,
- If the word count is less than 40,000 words, it’s a novella.
- 40,000–70,000 words is considered a short novel.
- 70,000–100,000 words is the norm for a novel.
- 100,000+ words is considered long novel.
But again, this depends on the genre, because each genre has its own expectations,
- Romance ranges from 60,000 to 90,000 words
- Fantasy/Sci-fi ranges from 90,000–120,000+ words
- Mystery/Thriller ranges from 70,000–100,000 words
- Young Adult ranges from 50,000–80,000 words
For debut/first-time authors, it is quite important to stay within these standard ranges if you are choosing a traditional publisher, as they are less likely to take risks on unusually long or short manuscripts. So, what is the ideal word count for beginners? If you can tell your complete story in 40,000 or more words, that's fine. If you feel it is rushed, then think of expanding it. Technically, any manuscript over 40,000 words can be classified as a novel, but readers may still feel it is quite short or closer to a short novel.
How To Find The Number of Words in Your Novel (Step-By-Step)
If you’re looking for a method to find how long your novel should be, here’s a basic process you can follow.
Step 1: Choose Your Genre
To begin with, decide what kind of story you are writing. Each genre has its own word count range that it is expected to have.
To begin with, decide what kind of story you are writing. Each genre has its own word count range that it is expected to have.
For example, Fantasy/Sci-fi tends to require more words for world-building purposes and romance tends to focus more on relationships. This helps you to decide your target word count early.
Step 2: Know Who Your Target Audience Is
Ask yourself, for whom are you writing?
- Kids
- Teens
- Adults
Younger audiences typically enjoy shorter novels, while others desire more depth and longer stories. So your target audience plays a part in your word count, as well.
Step 3: Outline Your Story
Another way to estimate how many words your novel may have is to draft a simple outline. By breaking your story into beginning, middle and end, you can have a rough idea of how long your novel might be.
Step 4: Set a Flexible Word Goal
Set a range, rather than a specific number.
For example, you could say, 'I will aim for 80,000 words.'
This takes away pressure and keeps you focused on writing because your word count may change during the editing process.
Step 5: Write First, Edit Later
Many beginners fall into the trap of worrying about word count too early during the writing process. The main focus in the first draft should be getting your story written and then planning for the word count during editing.
Step 6: Revising and Making Length Adjustments
Once you have your first draft, you have time to work on the word count. If the story feels rushed, add more detail to scenes to develop the characters or environment. You can stretch it out by adding character arcs, developing conflicts, or adding significant detail to the environment or world-building.
If it feels long, cut out scenes that aren’t necessary to the story, that feel repetitive, that slow down your story narration or that don’t advance the story.
Your final word count should be natural, not forced.
Examples / Mini Tips
Let’s examine a couple of simple examples.
Example 1: Romance Novel
If your goal is 70,000 words across 20 chapters, each chapter will average about 3,500 words.
Try to make each of your chapters somewhat consistent in the word count. But some chapters may be shorter or longer, depending on what the story needs.
Example 2: Fantasy Novel
If your goal is 100,000 words across 25 chapters, each chapter will average about 4,000 words.
Don't try to overload the beginning of your story with world-building. Focus on the story, and create your world very naturally as you revise.
Mini Tips for Beginners
- Write daily and don’t worry too much on total length
- Use word count tools (such as Google Docs or Word)
- Break your goal down into smaller chunks (such as 1,000 words each day)
- Your first draft doesn’t need to be perfect, concentrate on telling your story.
Common Mistakes Made By Beginners
Here are some common mistakes writers make when thinking about word count,
- There is no “perfect” word count. Concentrate on telling a whole story.
- Don’t make your story too short for some reason, it could sound rushed or incomplete.
- Adding extra scenes just to add up words can weaken your story.
- Constantly counting the number of words in the early stage of writing will slow down your writing process and distract you from completing your story.
There's a common myth that longer novels are always better, but that's not true. A well-written novel of 70,000 words is far better than a bloated 120,000+ word novel.
FAQ
Final Thoughts
So, how many words are in a novel?
The answer is usually somewhere in the 70,000 to 100,000 words range but what really matters is how long your story needs to be.
If you are just starting out, give yourself a flexible goal and work on getting your draft finished.
Ultimately, readers don't care about the exact word count. They care whether your story is complete, interesting, and satisfying.
You don’t need to have a perfect number of words in your novel, you just need to get started, rather than concentrating on words.
To learn more, read 'How to Outline a Book' and 'How to Write a Novel from Start to Finish'.
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