Nnon fiction book word count

The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about. Sep 12, 2012 put a title the exact title in the search engine, then click on the title, or one of the titles if more than one comes up. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for non fiction books. The second or third in a particularly bestselling series can go even higher. Word counts may also be used to calculate measures of readability and to measure typing and reading speeds usually in words per minute. Granted, that might seem like an intimidating number to. The creation of hilow books to help children with low reading levels and readers with additional learning difficulties develop their reading confidence. May 27, 2008 the question of how long your manuscript should be is sometimes hard to answer because different publishers have different guidelines.

Your book will have to meet a much higher standard. As for nonfiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. Should writers worry about word count the editors blog. I received a request awhile ago to do a post on word counts for different age categories in childrens lit. Fullcolour photographs of the birds in the garden at. Word count for book series the first book in each series below was the authors first. 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. Im going to give you some information here, but first i want you to know why this is important. A word count guide for 18 book genres, including fiction and. Sep 06, 2014 according to chuck sambuchino see below for word count. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for nonfiction books.

Word count matters because every book, regardless of genre, has an. Word count, with a little help from amazon alexis grant. If yes, then most publishers still work on specific word count lengths for books so youll probably be aiming for around 60,00080,000 words for nonfiction. I have often looked this up and got different results, which makes it very confusing. Word count for famous novels, in ascending order by number of words.

Count up the total number of words on 10 random full lines from different. Ya manuscripts can have a word count anywhere from 55k to 90k. There are a lot of agents that will reject on atypical word count alone. For the book hatchet, the actual word count is 41,672 and i give you 41,212. Your guide to book word counts fiction and nonfiction. If you stick to these when youre writing your nonfiction book, youll be fine. Word count discrepencies in novel submissions a reader writes to ask. Nonfiction or nonfiction is any document, or content that purports in good faith to represent truth and accuracy regarding information, events, or people. 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. Anything in this word count wont scare off any agent anywhere. Between 80,000 and 89,999 words is a good range you should be aiming for. Popular novels word count 100k 105k books goodreads. The actual word count for harry potter and the sorcerers stone is 78,792 and my utility calculates 77,876.

If yours is too short, restructure it and add more tightly written stuff. I just popped into my office and pulled a few books off the shelf. These were to do with whether the book would be categorised as a novel or a novella or an epic or something else. I clicked on the unabridged version, and it lists the word count as 97,364. Heres a quick word count guide for adult fiction, adult sff, young adult contemporary, young adult sff, and middle grade. Famous books and their word counts freelance writing jobs.

Thus, if they are expecting an epic fantasy and your epic fantasy book comes in at 80k, they are. Is it expected that chapter lengths are more or less of similar length. I have therefore made some averages, based on what ive heard from publishers and agents at childrens book events, and from research and reading. For others, making sure that they dont go over the word count can be a chore especially if their editor is strict about not going over that number. Amazon states that the minimum accepted word count is 2,500 words, but they prefer to see longer word counts in their singles range. Aug 05, 2019 certain publishers of very specific genres like love inspired, harlequin will require a set word count or range, but my first bit of advice is to plot out a strong, solid story using timetested structure, write the book with careful and expert crafting learn to be a great wordsmith and develop your unique voice, and ignore the constraints. Im concerned because the word count is around 1,000 words. For others, making sure that they dont go over the word count can be a chore especially if their editor is strict about not going over that numbe. Traditionally published mysteries, like the books of sara paretsky, louise penny, laurie r. A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid.

Put a title the exact title in the search engine, then click on the title, or one of the titles if more than one comes up. Estimate your page count book designer fiona raven. Like a general fiction novel, a good target word count for a memoir is 80,000 words. The longest is the order of the phoenix with a word count of 257,000 words. If youre working on a novellength book, aim for 50,000 words at the very least but its better to aim for 90,000. Each chapter averages 3000 words and the final word count, including fact boxes, will be around 50000 words.

Author eve tells me her book came in at 95,000 words. In contrast, word count is finite and usually i can calculate book length with about 99% accuracy in part because also included in any calculation is a count of figures, tables, etc. And as youve probably guessed it is sitting pretty right in between middle grade and adult. The only reason to adhere to a certain word count for your book is your assessment of reader expectations. Can one chapter be very long and then the next one be much shorter. Mar 27, 20 as a rough estimate when i look at word counts i use 4 pages to words, so a 42,000 word book comes to approx 168 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. Nonfiction content may be presented either objectively or subjectively, and may sometimes take the form of a story. The question of how long your manuscript should be is sometimes hard to answer because different publishers have different guidelines. But for mainstream ya it is always best to stick to under 80k. A word count guide for 18 book genres, including fiction and non. That often dreaded, while at the same time appreciated, element of freelance writing. The word count in picture books is sliding like stocks in 2008. In this post, id like to share some thoughts on word count considerations.

For me, though, i like tracking my page progress on a day to day basis. What is the ideal word count for a nonfiction book in the. I know that in fiction book chapter lengths can vary dramatically for various reasons. Recently an author proposed a 30,000 word book to a publisher. As for non fiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels.

Word count is commonly used by translators to determine the price of a translation job. I do track this from time to time, to make sure im on target for the 75,000 words im supposed to shoot for. Stephen king word count 112263 274,672 bag of bones 203,3 black house 252,270 blockade billy 15,917 carrie 60,718 cell 121,931 christine 193,602 cujo 121,150 cycle of the werewolf 15,955 desperation 195,011 doctor sleep. The main takeaway from this is that your word count needs to bear some resemblance to reader expectation. Im 52 000 words into my first draft, and if my chapter length remains the same throughout the rest of the novel, i will land at around 110 000 words give or take of course. Never pad your manuscript just to meet a wordcount guideline. Mar 25, 20 a reader of the editors blog asked about word count for novels and although i answered the question on the blog article where it was posed, i thought other writers might have the same concern.

And man, people love to point out exceptionsand they always will. In itself, no measure is perfect but personally i find word count the most useful. Search for word count totals in books word counters. Nicholas sparks word count the notebook 38,520 message in a bottle 92,760 a walk to remember 49,311 the rescue 100,916 a bend in the road 93,766. Line count varies depending on page size, font size, etc. Feb 12, 2018 heres a quick word count guide for adult fiction, adult sff, young adult contemporary, young adult sff, and middle grade. The average nonfiction book is about 50,000 to 75,000 words, which is about 153 to 230 ebook pages. 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. On the other end, reference and academic books can have huge word counts. So, with only a few edits, the question and answer about word counts.

But i cant edit any more out otherwise the story line is going to be way to fast paced or important plot threads are going to be missed, which is going to ruin the book and the sequel. I also include word counts from some best sellers in each age category. This article suggests that essentially, it should be as long as it needs to be, meaning dont look at the word count, just get the story out then edit. Nicholas sparks word count popular novel word count. What is a reasonable estimate for the minimum length, in word count, for a non fiction book. Upper middle grade can hit in the 50k word count range possibly longer, if its something really special. Pencilthin books on narrow topics that are under 50,000 words are quite common. Word counts ill get straight into it, starting with books for grown ups.

I put in anne of green gables and clicked on the first entry, and it listed the word count as 17,129. Coyne uses the nanowrimo wordcount length of 50,000 words for his examples, calling 50,000 words a good foundation to build upon. Are you wondering what the word count for your book should be. A nonfiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. As you can see, a smaller trim size will produce more pages for the same word count, and a larger trim size will produce less. My wife just picked up that gift book called grandmas dead. When talking about book length, its common to talk about word count rather than page count.

A reader of the editors blog asked about word count for novels and although i answered the question on the blog article where it was posed, i thought other writers might have the same concern. While page counts are a common but not universal feature of bibliographic metadata, word counts are much less frequently provided and are not at all mandatory. The most important thing here is to realize that there are always exceptions to these rules. Yet any piece of fiction climbing over the 110,000 word mark also tends to give editors some pause. This book introduces the feathered residents of a suburban garden in the north east of. You have just discovered the wonderful world of bibliographic metadata. Jul 24, 20 one is word count the actual number of words. We all know there are exceptions, but i wouldnt count on being one. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count.

How many words should be in an adult nonfiction book. But i cant edit any more out otherwise the story line is going to be way to fast paced or important plot threads are going to be. Nonfiction is one of the fundamental divisions of narrative specifically, prose writing in contrast to fiction, which. Many, yes, but there are exceptions due to the layout and font size of a particular book. Most young adult novels fall between 55,000 and 70,000 words. King, and lee child run well over 90k, sometimes going as high as 120k.

Is that a good length for your reader on this topic. Dec 08, 2010 ya fiction for mainstream ya, anywhere from about 45k to 80k. The first book in each series below was the authors first. And remember, keeping to word counts is important, but what makes or breaks your chances with a publisher is the quality of your manuscript. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing. I was quickly flooded with emails from many an angry author for daring to put a word count on a level of book. Hearthkeeper by cordelia kingsbridge, love, sex, and understanding the universe by harrie farrow, rubble an. When i began writing for kids a decade ago, i was told to keep it under 1200 words, ideally under. As you can see, established authors get much more flexibility when it comes to the length of their book. Nowadays, the average nonfiction book clocks in at around 50,000 to 75,000 words. 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. Ive been writing a novel over the past year, and with the help on your site as well as a few other sites, ive been converting it into manuscript format.

Jul, 2015 amazon states that the minimum accepted word count is 2,500 words, but they prefer to see longer word counts in their singles range. A word count guide for 18 book genres, including fiction. I was a little disappointed by the ending, but that. According to chuck sambuchino see below for word count. A way to check word count of published books anita nolans blog.

Heres how i worked out the word count i literally counted the words in a cathy kelly book, a sheila oflanagan book and a marian. For full titles, authors and descriptions of these books, see whats on my travel memoir bookshelf. Jun 15, 2017 this is a general list of age categories and word counts for childrens books. A way to check word count of published books anita nolan. Im leaving this in the list to show that word count isnt offered for every book. As a rough estimate when i look at word counts i use 4 pages to words, so a 42,000 word book comes to approx 168 pages. Well, different publishers look for different lengths for different genres. But it shouldnt be word count for the sake of word count. This information is important whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction. Sharp objects has a word count of 80,565 and my utility calculates it at 80,7. 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. My first book, three times a lady was roughly 100,000 words. Surely when writing the important thing is to get words on the page even if theyre in pink comic sans.

Standard word counts for books publishing with kindle. What is a reasonable estimate for the minimum length, in word count, for a nonfiction book. None of them fit the industry standard in word count. Larson writes science fiction with a word count around 100k. However if youre curious to see what the average word count is for standard genres, check out the breakdown in the article. Shorter isnt necessarily better, but it can be an important consideration. I recommend staying within or close to the recommended word count for your age categorygenre unless youve received a lot of feedback verifying it needs every word or doesnt need more if youre low. The hunger games has a word count of 99,750 and my utility calculates it at 98,916.

Of course i didnt remember it except for the main theme of the book. This is a 100% safe range for literary, mainstream, womens, romance, mystery, suspense, thriller and horror. The problem im having is that im thinking its to long. For example, atonement has a word count of 123,378 and my utility comes up with 110,765 words. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing stack. Non fiction 2nd edition scholastic guided reading program.

A recommended wordcount might be 15002000 words but, more. Ya fiction for mainstream ya, anywhere from about 45k to 80k. Much has changed in childrens fiction in the past twenty years. For some content writers or bloggers, hitting their word count is a pain. We all know of outliers within each genre that have been published well under, or well over, these word counts. Also, heres another list i may swipe and add in here. Based on this list compiled by nicole humphrey cook. Example of nonfiction book proposal keeping up with the jackdaws. Once you have decided what type of book you are writing, which genre you are writing in and the approximate word count, you can then consider which of two ways you will approach your writing. For average word counts based on genre, see this handy reference.

When converting character counts to words, a measure of 5 or 6 characters to a word is generally used for english. This book introduces the feathered residents of a suburban garden in the north east of england. Never pad your manuscript just to meet a word count guideline. Id guesstimate that non fiction books generally yes, this is very rough run perhaps 150450 pages, and at about 350 wdpage that works out to something like 50150k words.

In 2011, the average length of a bestselling nonfiction book was 467 pages, but that dropped to 273 pages in 2017. Nov, 2015 much has changed in childrens fiction in the past twenty years. If your book falls within the standard preferred wordcount range, its one less. I also include word counts from some best sellers in. Where can i find a database of all published books word. Apr 27, 2014 to find the word count in your favorite kids book, visit the a.

Jul 08, 2014 you have just discovered the wonderful world of bibliographic metadata. Heres how the wordcount of your book will decide what category your masterpiece falls in. As a reader, ive never felt a good book was too long, even more than a thousand pages. Age categories determine the guidelines for your childrens book at suite 101. Young adult fiction allows for a lot of flexibility in word count. And remember, keeping to word counts is important, but what makes or breaks your chances with a publisher is.