Average number of words in a nonfiction book

Using amazons number of words as a guide, 5,000 words would equal 26. How many words should my nonfiction book manuscript be. If chapters break your book into digestible ideas, the right chapter. This number was significantly different from the average we had seen for the estimated print length that had been given in the product details of each book s amazon sales page. Established authors often write longer biographies. We need to count words if we are writing for a publication that asks us to stay within a set number of words. Feb 15, 2017 bestselling books show us what the public likes, and of course, were hoping that our own novels will be liked by the public. These books are generally heftier in general, so for a 150page book you can target 45,000 words and 60,000 words for a 200page book. Nowadays, the average nonfiction book clocks in at around 50,000 to 75,000 words. While there are no hard and fast rules on the amount of words a book. Most literary genres have expected word lengths, which have been driven. Feb 24, 2015 sketch out your outline, make sure your structure works, and then start coming up with more clever titles for the chapters and parts, if you use those.

I asked agents elizabeth pomada and michael larsen of larsen pomada literary agency to add their thoughts to the subject. So with your 34 a book a day you would need to read 6 hours a day to read 53 books that were 120,000 words each in 74 days. Knowing how many words in a novel is the first step toward writing a book. I just popped into my office and pulled a few books off the shelf. May 25, 2020 standard nonfiction business, political science, psychology, history, etc. Many books in the nonfiction category are also acquire. As always, be sure to keep it interesting so you can justify the word length. The top 10 bestselling literary fiction books actually had the secondlongest average word count of all of the genres i studied, with over 109,000 words. For example, if youre planning to write a book with 200 pages, then at a word count of 250. The best thing that you can do is look over comparable books and try to judge word count by their size, average words page, and illustration content. Pencilthin books on narrow topics that are under 50,000 words are quite common. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing. Jan 11, 2011 a short memoir would be about 65,000 words, though if youre an established author read. At the other end of the spectrum a book of 80,000 to 100,000 words has significant heft, 320400 pages.

Frequently asked questions getting published meg cabot. May 07, 2018 a typical nonfiction book ranges between 55,000 and 80,000 words. Any selfhelp or motivational nonfiction book should be between. Elizabeth said, for nonfiction books, it depends on the kind of book. Right now, when it comes to novellength word count, its all about 90,000 words. The average nonfiction book is about 50,000 to 75,000 words, which is about 153 to 230 ebook pages. In any of these books, some chapters are longer than others. Most adult books are about 90,000 words, and no longer than 100,000 words unless youre jk rowling. By 2017, however, that number has dropped to 273 pages. Lets look at some chapter lengths, but remember that these are averages.

Generally, there are 300 words per typed doublespaced page, using a 12 point font. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count. Rowlings recordbreaking series began with two titles on the high end of that spectrum and finished with five that left the guidelines in the dust. It contains 38 lines per page, with an average of 12 words per line, thus 456 words per book page. As persuasion progresses, jane austen seems to elongate hers, building them up on a crescendo. Count up the total number of words on 10 random full lines from different places and divide by 10 to get the average words perline count the number of lines on each page to get the linesperpage check that the book actually starts on page 1 sometimes the stuff before it starts is counted then.

Lewis the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, roald dahls charlie and the chocolate factory, and george orwells animal farm all came in under the 40,000 mark 38,421 words, 30,644 words, and 29,966 words, respectively. Like novels, these books fall into the 70,000 to 120,000 word range. How to set the retail price for your nonfiction book. 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. Mar 20, 2020 the average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 to 75,000 words, but this can vary depending upon category. But as a nonfiction book, youd want at least 40,00050,000 words. As for nonfiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. You want 50,000 to 85,000 words for a fulllength selfhelp book, half that for a selfpublished ebook. An average nonfiction book has a word count of 250 words per page. Picture book word count, and other rules that are meant to be. As a nonfiction writer myself, i know this is tough. Average word count ranges from 70,000 to 100,000 words, although biographies of major celebrities or public figures can support a higher number. Sep 29, 2014 he wrote, the number of e book singles any e book between 5,000 and 30,000 words in length published in the third quarter increased a whopping 27 percent compared to the second quarter of 20. Oct 27, 2018 i use the target average of 1,500 words per chapter.

At above average reading speed you would need about 8 hours of above average reading speed to complete it. Calculate book page count using word count for book design. The average book length also varies by genre, as detailed. Standard nonfiction business, political science, psychology, history, etc. In my opinion, if your nonfiction book is fewer than about 30,000 words 120 pages, it does not feel substantial enough to be real book. The daily word counts of 39 famous authors writers write. One of the smallest books i have read this year was only 380 pages, and had 120,000 words. The average adult novel runs approximately 100,000 words while those in other categories run 80120,000 words. It should be enough to communicate your message effectively. It depends on the font you are using, of course, but in general, 250300 words per page. Over time, the word count diminished and volume 8 the mark contained only 85,341 words, and the last volume, number 16 kingdom come, dwindled to 77,776 words. Now, this doesnt mean that you have to compromise your manuscript and make it. How many words should be in an adult nonfiction book. Your chapter length has to work well with the overall word count of the book short chapters create an even distribution of both content and action.

However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for nonfiction books. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. That being said, if your nonfic book is 100,000 words, thats huge. Deconstructing five spooky picture books with spoilers and word counts. For the larger, 6 x 9 trim size, would be about 300 words per page. On average there are 233 words per page for a nonfiction book and 280 words per page for a fiction book on amazon. Virtually every book i try to shop by a debut author thats any longer than thatregardless of categoryreceives the same response from editors. The top 100 for this category which the 98,000 word average is drawn from also had the smallest difference between the shortest book and the longest book. For example, memoirs are generally 80,000 to 90,00 words. When talking about book length, its common to talk about word count rather than page count.

To fill a page in word, you would need around 500 words, 1. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing stack. If im writing a novel, this gives me 40 chapters and 70,000 words when im done. Once you have a vision for your book small, standard, or wide formatyou can move on to the second step in deciding how many words you should write. The total page count excluding appendices and index is 204 pages, thus about 93,000 words. You have a lot more wiggle room as far as pages and word count because nonfiction books are often intended for schoolage readers instead of ages 2 6, which is the target age for fiction picture books. A nonfiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. You can use word to count how many words you have written in a document. Oct 18, 2017 the average chapter word count of these novels falls within the 2,0005,000 range. Most traditional publishers will place restrictions on an author and require that the manuscript not exceed a specified word count, unless special concessions are made. For example, a biography intended for primary grades k2 will have fewer pages and a lower word count than one intended for intermediate 35. Feb, 2019 in fact, the average nonfiction book on amazon is 10,000 words, which translates to 80 pages. If the content is stepbystep and high quality, 15 pages is enough for a 99 cent kindle book or a freebie used for lead generation. Your 4,000 words might be a short story, but there are fewer opportunities for publication of such stories.

Amazon ebook page length by genre kindle page length. Paperback books typically contain how many words per page. Harry potter and the sorcerers stone has an average of 4,560 words per chapter. In fact, the average nonfiction book on amazon is 10,000 words, which translates to 80 pages. Martin and harper lee keep things more evenly paced in a game of thrones and to kill a mockingbird, respectively. Add screenshots or other graphics and youve got a nicesized ebook. Generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book manuscripts to be between 50,000 to 75,000 words. When it gets closer to 1,000, editors and agents may shy away. Nonfiction standard nonfiction business, political science, psychology, history, etc. If youre writing a nonfiction book, be sure to look up that category to find the length of similar books.

But honestly, i think youre approaching the question backwards. Perhaps you dont have enough content to create the standard nonfiction book at 80,000 words. If youre writing a nonfiction book, be sure to look up that ca. Jul 12, 2020 how many words should my nonfiction book manuscript be. There is no reliable data from 2012 to make a viable yeartoyear comparison. Therefore, a 55,000 word book should be about 200 manuscript pages.

In this article im going to attempt to answer that question. Jul 23, 2012 the average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 words. Dec 02, 2020 the page doublespaced on the right fills less than half the page. And dont forget to calculate what your word count will be.

If so, you might give yourself a goal of writing a 96 to 128page book in the 6 x 9 format, thus only about 30,000 to 40,000 words. Whatever your publisher requests is often the ideal answer. The length of a typical trade nonfiction book can really vary. In years past, a thick book spine was the advertisement for the title on a bookstore shelf. One of the questions that new writers always ask is how long should my nonfiction book be. Indeed, most traditional publishers limit nonfiction authors to 80,000 words for standard 6 x 9 books, between 240 and 280 pages. There is no definitive word count guide for nonfiction books due to the many subgenres. One of the questions that a new writer often asks is how long should my book be. If yes, then most publishers still work on specific word count lengths for books so youll probably.

The harry potter books are young adult titles, and ya publishers generally look for manuscripts in the 50,000 to 80,000 word range. I know its frustrating to not know exactly how many pages or words your book should be, but let me explain. A reasonable word count for a nonfiction book would be between 30,000 to 50,000 words. A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid. This is still respectable, if your content feels new and your writing is impressive. Apr 07, 2014 generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book manuscripts to be between 50,000 to 75,000 words. Many of the misconceptions on the ideal booklength are leftover from outdated publishing industry standards. The popular book the noticer 2009 by andy andrews barely breaks the novel barrier at 40,454 words without the readers guide that was added to pad the book. Whats the size of the paperback, mass market or trade. May 14, 2018 what follows is a rough guide to book length expectations in certain genres.