If you’re writing your first novel, you might wonder what word count is appropriate. The answer first and foremost is that you need to focus on the content and make sure the quality is there. Stories take time to develop (and by time, I mean words). Characters also need to be explored and developed (again, this takes words to accomplish).

Readers of different genres expect different word counts. In general, a book is typically between 50,000–100,000 words. Most first-time authors keep their books between 40,000–80,000 words, though. Shorter books can be easier to pitch to a publisher. After all, longer books are more expensive to print. Again, the word count for a novel isn’t as important as the words themselves.

Write well and readers will be pleased.

If you’re curious about the standards for the word counts for a novel of varying genres, let’s explore the expected lengths.

 

Children’s Books

 

Children’s books span a wide age range. A seven-year-old won’t read the same number of words as a fourteen-year-old. In general, kid books are broken up into age ranges.

 

Babies and Toddlers

 

Books for very young kids will mostly be filled with illustrations, along with a few words. As a mother of three, I remember scouring the bookstores for picture books that would appeal to my two-year-old. Good Night Moon was a favorite, as were all the Boynton books. However, for me, they still had too many words for someone with a limited vocabulary. When I found Good Night Gorilla, I was impressed by how few words there were. It was a winner in my book.

 

Middle Grade

 

Once your child reaches the age of six, they are sometimes ready for chapter books. I used to read these books with my children. They’d read a page, then I’d read one. As they grew older, they’d read more and more until they were confident enough to take the reins on their own. These books would typically have a word count around 5,000–10,000.

 

Young Adult

 

Young Adult (YA) books are actually quite long. The acceptable range spans from 50,000–90,000 words. These appeal to kids aged 12–18 or older. It’s a genre that many adults enjoy as well.

 

Adult Fiction

 

There are hundreds of genres and subgenres for adult fiction. First time writers often write to ask about the word count for their novels. Here are a few genres that are commonly mentioned:

 

Contemporary Fiction

 

These novels take place in the modern-day world-literature written in the recent past (i.e.: the 1990s or the twenty-first century). These books typically run 70,000–100,000.

 

Romance Novels

 

This popular genre has various subgenres, including historical, YA, suspense, paranormal, and many more. The word count varies widely from 50,000–90,000 or more. Historical romances tend to be longer, whereas YA might be shorter on the whole.

 

Sci-fi and Fantasy

 

These two genres often overlap. There are dozens of subgenres here, but overall these books tend to run longer because they involve a lot of deep world building, which takes words to set up. Sci-fi and fantasy novels tend to run 80,000 – 150,000 words.

Now, if you are a first-time author, your word count should probably not go beyond 100,000 words unless you plan to self-publish. Traditional publishers will shy away from accepting a 150,000 word manuscript from a first-time author because they know what is entailed with maintaining the pace and tension across all those pages. In addition, these tomes are much more expensive to print and translate if they want to hit the foreign markets.

 

Suspense/Thriller and Mystery Crime

 

These novels are complex puzzles that require an author who can drop hints early and weave a compelling story. The word count for a novel of these genres typically falls in the 70,000–90,000 word range. Give yourself time to explore various suspects and create a few nice red herrings that are believable, all while keeping the pace required.

 

Memoir

 

I’ve written over two dozen memoirs in the last 20 years. It’s important to note that memoirs follow many of the same guidelines of literature, while being a unique genre with its own set of additional rules. Memoirs can range from 50,000 to 75,000. One can go a little longer if needed, but I wouldn’t advise to go above 80,000 words if this is your first book.

 

The proper word count for YOUR novel

 

The most important thing to keep in mind is the word count needed to make your novel sing. Consider the complexity of your plot. If you have a dozen characters in an ensemble piece, you can’t limit yourself to a short book. Each character needs to be developed and requires their own journey. Also, if you have a lot of characters, you probably have a decent number of engaging subplots; these require words to develop.

Start your first novel by writing a first draft without editing. It might wind up being 200,000 words. That’s fine! When you come to the last page, put the book down for a while. Give yourself a respite. Then read it over again and see what you can cut. Pull those pieces out and save them (never delete large sections, as you might want to use them later). Work on trimming your manuscript down to size. After all, it’s easier to cut than it is to add text in this phase.

If you need any help, I can be an excellent sounding board. If interested, please ask me about my consulting packages. I’d love to help!