Paper BytesUltimate Guide in Fiction and Nonfiction Word Counts
A reader would never think that a good book is too lengthy or too short. However, the length of a narrative is one of the most frequent questions asked by authors.
To be sure, different publishers seek different lengths for various genres. There are, however, some basic principles that will be outlined below. It is essential to understand that they are not rigid laws.
Be cautious not to stray too far from your original intent, and keep in mind that a brilliant concept and well-written piece will always triumph.
Number of Words In A Novel
The average novel's word count is approximately 85,000, although it may vary between 50,000 and 120,000.
Guidelines for publishing houses differ, so check their website or email them personally to see what they anticipate in terms of length. Don't go too far from their recommendations.
Most importantly, particularly if you're concerned about your work being too short, maintain tight, straightforward, well-edited, and well-honed scenes. Make each word count, and never let your total consist entirely of superfluous words. Editors have an uncanny ability to see through the fluff.
If more words are required, they should come from other well-written situations.
Word Count According to Book's Genre
Fiction
Micro-Fiction: 5-350 words
Example:
Fleeing Complexity by Jon McGregor
Golden Years by Edith Pearlman
Widow's First Year by Joyce Carol Oates
Children's Picture Words: 400-800 words
Example:
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Miss Nelson is Missing by James Marshall
Flash Fiction: 500-1000 words
Example:
The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury
A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf
A Telephonic Conversation by Mark Twain
Short Story: 1500-5000 words
Example:
Luck by Mark Twain
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
The Door by E.B. White
The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling
A Little Cloud by James Joyce
The Great Carbuncle by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Novella: 10,000-50,000 words
Example:
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Middle Grade Fiction: 20,000-50,000 words
Example:
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Young Adult: 50,000-100,000 words
Example:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Adult Novel: 50,000-120,000 words
Example:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Nonfiction
Devotional: 30,000-50,000 words
Example:
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Self-Help: 40,000-90,000 words
Example:
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
Memoir: 50,000-90,000 words
Example:
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Narrative: 50,000-110,000 words
Example:
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Biography: 50,000-110,000 words
Example:
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Just As I Am by Billy Graham
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