Average number of words in a science fiction novel

Martins song of ice and fire series based on this infographic martins five books have an average length of 354, 000 words. I found some disagreement about the ideal length of mystery novels. The length can vary greatly between genres, though. Why modern novelists need to watch their weight books. A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid. With a track record to back them up, established writers have greater flexibility. I was looking online and most of the sources i found said the average number of words per novel page is 250, and the average words per book were 60,000120,000. The average book sells 3000 copies in its lifetime publishers weekly, 2006. How much does the average author earn publishing their book. I am 42000 words in to my first novel and i have 39 chapters, so on average its just over words per chapter, though some may be nearer 2000. A science fiction novel, on the other hand, might range from 90,000 to 125,000 words. This makes me wonder if publishers choose book sizes based on average scene. Fantasy and science fiction novels are known to be lengthier than other books. A 90,000 word count signals to professionals that you know what you are doing.

But genre books fantasy, scifi, or historical fiction are often longer. Know your content, know your mainline pitch and some. New writers tend to assume that a chapter must be a certain set length in order to maintain the average novel length of around 80,000 95,000 words, but in truth, chapters can be as long or as short as you need them to be. Sep 20, 2019 as you can see, word count for science fiction books vary widely. Analyzing chapter lengths in fantasy fiction creativity. You have to make sure they dont decipher the clues and figure out the mystery right in the middle.

According to author earnings, less than 45% of those authorearnings are going to traditionally published authors the rest go to indie and small presses. Sep 17, 2015 the average traditionally published book which sells 3,000 in its entire lifetime in print only sells about 250300 copies its first year. The length of novels varies by genre and by publisher. The writers style has a great deal to do with this. Why modern novelists need to watch their weight books the. When you find those commercial breaks, end your chapter and start a new one. The longest average chapter lengths were lord of the rings 7,500, prince of nothing 8,700, and the beefiest chapters were found. Onethird of the novels that come into the agency are rejected because theyre too long or. You dont have to pick a number like 80,000 and then divide it by 30 chapters to give you 2500. How many words long do publishers of fiction novels. The title with the shortest chapters, on average, was whirlwind in the thorn tree, averaging just 2,900 words each. Put simply, anything less than 70,000 words or over 110,000 might make publishers think twice before accepting it. But i also know of others who have sold over 500,000 copies. This very abbreviated story is often difficult to write, and even harder to write well, but the markets for micro fiction are becoming increasingly popular in r.

But for mainstream ya it is always best to stick to under 80k. Like fantasy novels, science fiction authors depend on words to describe scientific and fantastical stuff in their novels. Tolkiens the lord of the rings trilogy has an enormous word count, with the longest clocking in at over 175,000 words. Fantasy novels can run from 90,000 to 100,000 words. The acceptance of a more ambitious word count in these two genres is the need to describe whole new worlds and presumably original. This genre is generally accepted to be longer in length compared to other books. Precise word count definitions will vary, but as a general rule of thumb, a short story is anything up to about 7500 words sometimes 10,000, with higher word counts typically called novelettes, and short novels called novellas. But, most nonfiction publishers want to be sold the concept, and therefore be able to discuss the direction of the project, before you write the book. The sweet spot, according to donald maas, is 100,000 to 115,000 words. How much does the average author earn publishing their. Feb 18, 2012 for much of the 20th century, novels averaged 75,000 to 80,000 words, making a book of fewer than 250 pages and sometimes barely 200. I know of an author with a very large publisher whose novel has sold only 1,087 copies in its lifetime. However, we do not suggest writing a novel of 500,000 words unless you as established as stephen king is. The average digital only authorpublished book sells 250 copies in its lifetime.

The maximum number of main and recurring secondary characters you can use in a story is the number the audience can understand as unique entities. Although the length of fiction is genredependent to an extent fantasy novels, for example, tend to be on the thicker side, sticking to the ideal novel length is still the best advice. Sep 18, 2017 in comparison, the database gives an average length of 89,000 words for adult fiction excluding fantasy, smack in the middle of the commonlycited range of 80,000100,000. There are no hardandfast rules on how long or short a chapter needs to be. I understand that kicking out an 800 page novel 200000 words then is going to be an extra cost for a publisher and im not even gonna bitch about the sheer number of novels over 600 pages i have andor read ok i admit, they are pretty much all scifi and. But again as a surprise to me, dune was a close second, averaging just 3,800 words per chapter. According to amazon s great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words. Mar 18, 2016 science fiction and fantasy novels break the above word count rules and can be longer how many words are there in a scifi or fantasy novel. While 50,000 words is a fairly firm minimum, plenty of ya books reach up to 100,000 words, with a sweet spot at 75,00080,000. Smiley lists novels as typically being between 100,000 and 175,000 words, while national novel writing month requires its novels to be at least 50,000. I personally find the trend these days, particularly in thrillers, is to use shorter chapters.

In other words, a 12page story tends to be roughly 3000 words, etc. The figure was found through looking at a number of books text stats, until brave new worlds 64,531 word count landed in the exact center of all books50% of books have fewer words and 50% of books have more words. On the upper end, a novel over 110,000 words is considered an epic. So its recommended that you follow the average number of word count for this genre. Jul 24, 2009 hillsy said im always confused when it comes not so much to word count, but to word per page count. Novelist jane smiley suggests that length is an important quality of the novel.

By most peoples standards, 40,000 words would be pretty short for a novel. The average wordcount for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. Bestselling author caleb carr may write novels of 250,000 words, but when you pitch your novel and offer up that number, be prepared for a glacial reception. An average novel length is between 80k and 100k, again, depending upon the genre. Romance novels often run between 50,000 and 90,000 words on average. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. I thought the average for a midsized novel would be around. I understand that kicking out an 800 page novel 200000 words then is going to be an extra cost for a publisher and im not even gonna bitch about the sheer number of novels over 600 pages i have andor read ok i admit, they are pretty much all scifi and fantasy, dean koontz or stephen.

At a writers conference i recently attended, publishing veteran jane friedman said 80,000 words is good for most fiction, below 60,000 isnt novel length territory, and above 120,000 is likely too much. Do check your comparable titles recent debuts onlyto make sure your story falls in that range. Look for your chapters to have those similar elements. How many words in a novel vary depending on genre, audience, and the story itself but in general, the average words in a novel is between 60,000 and 90,000 words for most genres. I have no idea where the writer of the article got his or her information, but thats simply untrue. The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about. Perkins agency in new york says its much easier to market a firsttime novelists book if the word count falls between 80,000 and 100,000 words, or roughly 300 doublespaced, typed pagesthe average novel length. A z of science fiction words a useful guide to scientific words for the science fiction enthusiast. Science fiction and fantasy novels break the above word count rules and can be longer how many words are there in a scifi or fantasy novel. That said, the average word count for science fiction and fantasy novels generally lies between 100,000 and 115,000.

However, many authors, frustrated with the low price of ebooks, have taken to writing ebooks that are between 40,000 and 50,000. It makes quite a difference whether you want to publish a childrens picture book, a 50recipe smoothie book, a science fiction novel or a technical encyclopedia. Jun 24, 2019 be aware that the word average means that for every book that sells 15,000, there is one that sells 5,000. Online word counter tool count words and characters quickly. Jan 21, 2016 fantasy and science fiction when you think of a fantasy novel, you might think of an epic such as tolkiens the lord of the rings 455, 125 words or one of the five books in george r. And for every book that sells 20,000, there is one that is a disaster. For childrens fiction, the general rule is the younger the audience the shorter the book, and for ya novels the average is 50,00070,000 words. For most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. It should be noted that, in a novels finished, published form, the actual number of words per page may be quote a bit higher or lower than 250. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count. Science fiction and fantasy novels typically have a word count between 90,000 to 125,000 words.

Aug 05, 2019 for most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. Thats the level where publishers may suggest dividing a story into multiple volumes. The average length would depend on the genre of the novel. The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about 246 to 307 ebook pages. Word count rules for novels are entirely different. Each genre and subgenre has its own word count range. Hillsy said im always confused when it comes not so much to word count, but to word per page count. The average nonfiction book is about 50,000 to 75,000 words, which is about 153 to 230 ebook pages. One article i read last week that was posted online at a major writing magazine actually insists that the average novel nongenre is 150,000 words. But, keep in mind, indie authors are earning 70% of the profit, while traditionally published authors are making more like 10%. Generally, 50,000 would be considered the minimum word count, and ideally a novel should be over 70,000 words. According to amazons great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words. Most print publishers prefer a minimum word count of around 70,000 words for a first novel, and some even hesitate for any work shorter than 80,000.

May 14, 2018 with a track record to back them up, established writers have greater flexibility. As these novels are in another world, those number of words are really needed to establish that alternate universe as well as possible. Yet any piece of fiction climbing over the 110,000 word mark also tends to give editors some pause. In other words, let your content dictate your chapter length, not the other way around. This makes me wonder if publishers choose book sizes based on average scene length, to create the illusion of a certain pace. Suggested changes corrections ecliptic to elliptic. Popular nonfiction like novels, these books fall into the 70,000 to 120,000word range. Using this exercise, you should end up with a good idea of book length expectations for a novel like yours. Anything over 110,000 words is considered too long for a fiction novel. If you get a deal with a small press especially one where. There are a lot of books that fit nicely into this range, such as enders game with 100,609 words and the martian with 104,588 words. A change of scene, a change of chapter seems to make sense to me. Well, calculating it out, that would mean the average book was 240480 pages. Within short stories, there is a further breakdown to define supershort stories as flash and microflash.

Onethird of the novels that come into the agency are rejected because theyre too long or short, perkins says. Amazon ebook page length by genre kindle page length. In comparison, the database gives an average length of 89,000 words for adult fiction excluding fantasy, smack in the middle of the commonlycited range of 80,000100,000. But while the length of a novel is to a large extent up to its writer, lengths may also vary by subgenre. May 07, 2018 this 90,000word guideline for how many words in a novel is just that, a guideline. With fun, lighthearted, simple middle grade youll want to stay around the 20k30k word count range. Word count guidelines do, however, differ between genres and age groups. George r r martin might come in closer to 300,000 words, but established authors can get away with a lot more than debuts. As mentioned, general fiction for adults should come in at 100,000 words.

In science fiction, they like 80,000 to 100,000 words, but will let you go longer if the story is worth publishing. A nonfiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. This 90,000word guideline for how many words in a novel is just that, a guideline. For instance, a romance novel may range from 50,000 to 90,000 words. While anything over 40,000 words can fall into the novel category, 50,000 is considered the minimum novel length. Book page count calculator how many pages is my novel.

Outside of romance you need to figure on a minimum of 75,000 words. Average word count ranges from 70,000 to 100,000 words, although biographies of major celebrities or public figures can support a higher number. This is due in large part to the variety of subgenres within it and the trend for a book series with an ever greater word count. Fantasy and science fiction when you think of a fantasy novel, you might think of an epic such as tolkiens the lord of the rings 455, 125 words or one of the five books in george r. You shouldnt set manuscript guidelines for yourself on chapter length. May 12, 2012 new writers tend to assume that a chapter must be a certain set length in order to maintain the average novel length of around 80,000 95,000 words, but in truth, chapters can be as long or as short as you need them to be. The average traditionally published book which sells 3,000 in its entire lifetime in print only sells about 250300 copies its first year. Be aware that the word average means that for every book that sells 15,000, there is one that sells 5,000. Romance novels are shortest at 55,000 words harlequin main line.

Short, choppy segments of dialogue can result in lots of white space and fewer words per page. The graph shows the average length of the top 100 bestsellers in each of the 30 main amazon kindle categories, measured in terms of the number of pages for a book in the respective. Think of someone describing the characters in a television show, where characters are identified by their appearance rather than by their written name. Larger print, or smaller print, of course, and wider or narrower margins, can make that vary, depending. Science fiction and fantasy books should be 90,000 to 125,000 words. Jun 27, 2019 how many words should a fantasy novel be. How does your book measure compare to whats succeeding in todays marketplace. Anything above 70k but less than 115k science fiction and fantasy tend to run up around 100k115k words.