Word count of average non fiction book

London, and i was writing the book called following the equator my average was. If yes, then most publishers still work on specific word count lengths for books so youll probably. What is a reasonable estimate for the minimum length, in word count, for a nonfiction book. The length can vary greatly between genres, though. The average wordcount for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. While average word length is 50,000 to 80,000 words, this genre has so much variety that word count depends on the book and its intended audience. Jan 08, 2018 calculate book page count using your word count. Either way, even if you write only one page per day, youll have a completed manuscript in less than a year. Id guesstimate that nonfiction books generally yes, this is very rough run perhaps 150450 pages, and at about 350 wdpage that works out to something like 50150k words.

May 07, 2018 a typical nonfiction book ranges between 55,000 and 80,000 words. Picture book word count, and other rules that are meant to be. If youre writing a non fiction book, be sure to look up that category to find the. A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid. 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. With short stories you can aim for a certain reading time.

Thats why the traditional submission formats exist. As always, be sure to keep it interesting so you can. The average book length also varies by genre, as detailed. Standard non fiction business, political science, psychology, history, etc. When converting character counts to words, a measure of 5 or 6 characters to a word is generally used for english. Oct 27, 2018 i use the target average of 1,500 words per chapter. Fleshing out an imagined historical world lends itself to a higher word count, so historical fiction tends to be closer to 100,000 words. A non fiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. I heard 10,000 words can be accepted as an e book at a short length at least for non fiction. In fact, the average nonfiction book on amazon is 10,000 words, which translates to 80 pages. Generally speaking, a shorter book of 150 finished pages or 40k words or less typically commands a lower price. And conversely, a longer book of over 60k words or 200 pages can command a higher price. Feb, 2019 what is the ideal kdp book length when writing a non fiction book. In outlining your book in 3 easy steps, editor shawn coyne says, the average novel today is about 90,000 words.

Apr 17, 2020 similarly, anything considered literary fiction written more for style and less for profit compared with commercial fiction is often 70,000 words or more. May 14, 2018 literary agent paula munier says a 90,000 word count is the sweet spot for debut fiction. Once you know your word count, follow one of our two methods below to estimate your page count. Pencilthin books on narrow topics that are under 50,000 words are quite common.

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. Between 80,000 and 89,999 words is a good range you should be aiming for. For example, if youre planning to write a book with 200 pages, then at a word count of 250. Jul 23, 2012 so 50,000 words is the minimum for a non fiction book. If you are an author of a book or know of a book s accurate wordcount, contact me. To narrow it down, a regular short story is 1,000 to 8,000 words long and a long short story is between 8,000 and 30,000 words.

Jul 17, 2017 the average length of a non fiction book is 50,000 words, with some books falling at around 3540,000 words, and others running as long as 70,000. Word counts may also be used to calculate measures. Jun 27, 2019 fantasy and science fiction novels are known to be lengthier than other books. Frequently asked questions getting published meg cabot. Add screenshots or other graphics and youve got a nicesized ebook. However, the drop in the overall average length of bestsellers over the last 7 years points to a marked trend in the overall preferences of the average reader. There is no definitive word count guide for non fiction books due to the many subgenres. Be aware that most early readers are commissioned to be written by publishers through agents. The 1 thing you need to do to write a new york times. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for non fiction books. Plus, shorter attention spans and eyestrain from luminous screens mean readers stay with a book for abbreviated periods. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing.

Reading length is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to and affiliated sites. Feb 05, 2021 learn the differences between middle grade and young adult fiction. May 15, 2020 a short story is usually between 1,000 and 30,000 words. Word count is commonly used by translators to determine the price of a translation job. In 2011, the average length of a bestselling non fiction book was 467 pages, but that dropped to 273 pages in 2017. Word counts of the most popular books in the world foster. It should be enough to communicate your message effectively. That said, the average word count for science fiction and fantasy novels generally lies between 100,000 and 115,000. Youll use the word count in your word document to calculate book page count. Word count estimates are not guaranteed to be accurate. A good way to gauge appropriate length is to check out similar books for comparison. American author john steinbeck used 179,148 words to craft the classic grapes of wrath 1939. Kate dicamillo is an american writer of childrens ficti.

The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about 246 to 307 ebook pages. If your manuscript is on the short side, make this clear when pitching to a publisher and give solid. First of all, find your word count in word by opening your document and looking at the bottom left of your screen. Chances are your cozy mystery or literary novel is not an epic. Word counts may also be used to calculate measures of readability and to measure typing and reading speeds usually in words per minute. Minimum word count for self published books create then. As a nonfiction writer myself, i know this is tough. I guess 50,000 is a short novel and some early novels before goes as low as 40,000 which can be considered to be a novella. Apr 06, 2021 during the introductory month of the new system, the conversion of kenpc into the actual number of words in the book actual word count showed significant differences from one book to the other.

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. When talking about book length, its common to talk about word count rather than page count. Why word count matters when you submit your book the artful. On a related note, a historical fiction book word count may be 80,000 to 115,000 words. Neither too long nor too short, this book length signals a novelists competency and knowledge of the publishing market to prospective agents and editors. Using the novel example of 90,000 words, that breaks down to about 320 pages. This is about the length readers want for general non fiction, and it keeps publishers happy given the high cost of paper. The length of a typical trade nonfiction book can really vary. The word count is the number of words in a document or passage of text. Standard nonfiction business, political science, psychology, history, etc. If youre self publishing a short story ebook try for a minimum of 3,000 words. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for nonfiction books. Indeed, most traditional publishers limit non fiction authors to 80,000 words for standard 6 x 9 books, between 240 and 280 pages. How to set the retail price for your nonfiction book.

For the larger, 6 x 9 trim size, would be about 300 words per page. 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. The average short story should run anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 words, but they can be anything above 1,000 words. A question many authors have is how many words are on the average page when it comes to books and ebooks on amazon. Oct 16, 2018 meanwhile, a longer word count may be needed to accommodate the worldbuilding or layered details found in many scifi, fantasy, thriller, and historical fiction novels. My wife just picked up that gift book called grandmas dead. A word count that is much higher than the average range tells the agent or editor your work probably needs to be tightened. When you look at competitors book pricing, note the page count. The grandfather of modern christian fiction, in his steps by charles m.

The di vinci code 2003 by dan brown is 8,380 words. Jul 12, 2020 on a related note, a historical fiction book word count may be 80,000 to 115,000 words. For my client base, which includes experienced consultants, coaches, and speakers who selfpublish, i find a nice book length is somewhere in. Apr 07, 2014 generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book manuscripts to be between 50,000 to 75,000 words. Non fiction books tend to follow that same word count expectation at least in print and traditional publishing formats.

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. Average novel word counts are generally around 85,000 but they can range from 50,000 to 120,000. All of these are average book word count ranges and should not be taken as the definitive word count you must reach in your book. Amazon ebook page length by genre kindle page length.

The average across a sample of 50 books in august 2015 showed 172 words per kindle edition normalized page. As for nonfiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. A reasonable word count for a non fiction book would be between 30,000 to 50,000 words. Book word count ranges by genre fiction micro fiction. If i tell you that my book is 70,000 words, and send you an 800 page correctly formated ms the 1. An average nonfiction book has a word count of 250 words per page. Word counting may be needed when a text is required to stay within certain numbers of words. Feb 27, 2014 a word count that is much lower than the acceptable range alerts the agent or editor that your novel or nonfiction book probably hasnt been adequately developed. A nonfiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words.

When you finally complete your book, i guarantee that you will not say to. Book length varies according to genre, but a print non fiction book length averages 50,000 words and commercial fiction averages 80,000 110,000 words. This may particularly be the case in academia, legal proceedings, journalism and advertising. Like novels, these books fall into the 70,000 to 120,000word range. This information helps you calculate how long your novel or nonfiction work has to be to hit a certain page count on amazon, which is important if youre applying for promotions that require you to be above a certain number of pages to qualify. Since the new york times non fiction bestseller list began in 2000, books of all sizes have claimed the top spot. May 25, 2020 using the novel example of 90,000 words, that breaks down to about 320 pages. Breaking bad news with baby animals, which is filled with pictures of cute animals and only one line of terrible news every two pages. If im writing a novel, this gives me 40 chapters and 70,000 words when im done. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. The 1 thing you need to do to write a new york times best.

Calculate book page count using word count for book design. The economics of epublishing allow even very slim books to be properly priced. For childrens fiction, the general rule is the younger the audience the shorter the. What is the ideal word count for a nonfiction book in the business. We all know of outliers within each genre that have been published well under, or well over, these word counts. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing stack. Why word count matters when you submit your book the. So if youre writing a nonfiction book, dont pad it its brevity is one of its selling points. The daily word counts of 19 famous writers word counter blog. They tend to be shorter with some having each chapterreading being only 300 words. Many wouldbe authors worry that readers will not take a short book seriously.

An 80,000 word non fiction book works out to about 350 pages. Perhaps more than any other, ya is the one category where word count is very flexible. As for non fiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. Minimum word count for self published books create then publish. Nov, 2009 so many people today rely on the word count given by their software program, but when you go to print a physical book, the pages matter. Rachelle also mentions that passing 100k in word count means its a more expensive book to. Most adult books are about 90,000 words, and no longer than 100,000 words unless. Generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book manuscripts to be between 50,000 to 75,000 words. Use these numbers as a baseline for your writing goals.