Average book length nonfiction

Less than 100 pages and it becomes difficult for a printer to print the title of the book on the spine. Since 2011, the average length of a bestseller has dropped steadily from year to year. So 50,000 words is the minimum for a non fiction book. The important thing is that your length fits your book. The average wordcount for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. In 2011, the lists average length peaked at 467 pages. Before diving into the specifics of genrebased word counts, lets look at the broader picture of average book length. He claims that 121,000 is the average successful ebook length. What is a reasonable estimate for the minimum length, in word count, for a nonfiction book. From these numbers, we can establish some guidelines. Write as much as it takes to tell the story, and no more. What follows is a rough guide to book length expectations in certain genres. If youre a new author, id recommend staying on the shorter side, perhaps around the 75,000 word mark.

Font size is the most crucial factor in typesetting a book. The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 words. You might be more surprised if a ya novel required olympianlevel arm strength to lift. What is a reasonable estimate for the minimum length, in word count, for a non fiction book. A word count guide for 18 book genres, including fiction and non fiction. Book length average length of a non fiction booki youtube. This is about the length readers want for general non fiction, and it keeps publishers happy given the high cost of paper. So if you write a 35,000 word manuscript, your formatted book will likely be around 140 pages. Once you have a vision for your booksmall, standard, or wide formatyou can move on to the second step in deciding how many words you should write. In the traditional publishing world, its a length that publishers would avoid due to increased printing costs. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing stack. In fiction, a short book is between 50,000 to 80,000 words roughly 200 300 pages in paperback. A good example of this is the click moment, by frans johansson, an excellent book on the influence of randomness in determining success. Loves abiding joy 2003 by janette oke, aimed at a younger audience perhaps, is half that length at 65,668 words.

Your job is to write a good story, and that means including all the detail needed to to make it good, and to leave out anything extraneous. That means your manuscript must be at least 3540,000 words long. It makes quite a difference whether you want to publish a childrens picture book, a 50recipe smoothie book, a science fiction novel or a technical. The 1 thing you need to do to write a new york times.

When you read a book that has highquality typesetting, you probably wont even notice it. Generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book. I dont know what i can say to add to what has already been said. When talking about book length, its common to talk about word count rather than page count.

This means your book will be between 100 and 230 pages in total. A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid. That doesnt mean you can submit a manuscript twice the length a publisher recommends. Although the length of fiction is genredependent to an extent fantasy novels, for example, tend to be on the thicker side, sticking to the ideal novel length is still the best advice. However part why the new writers, the answer is difficult to identify because the answer is so difficult. Jul 23, 2012 the average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 words. The art of the nonfiction book proposal writers relief, inc. Obviously, my point is not that you should submit a first book of anywhere near 200,000 words. Rick warrens first big publishing success, the purpose driven church 1995 was composed of 103,208 words. Jun 18, 2008 if your book will contain a number of charts, photographs, or illustrations, say so. May 11, 2009 word count and book length getting published was indeed a good blog post.

For most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000. The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 to 75,000 words, but this can vary depending upon category. And a typical howto nonfiction book might need between 7 and 12. 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. This is still respectable, if your content feels new and your writing is impressive. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. Book length average length of a non fiction book a 10 minute training video from video discusses how to determine the av. Your guide to book word counts fiction and nonfiction. The average nonfiction book is about 50,000 to 75,000 words, which is about 153 to 230 ebook pages. Oct 27, 2018 chapter length matters more than you think. But rules are made to be broken, and the most successful publishing phenomenon in history did just that.

Nov 07, 2016 and one advantage with ebook publishing is that you can adjust your pricing at any time. Readers of individual genres anticipate certain book lengths, and so do publishers. On one level, you could argue that word count, or length, is probably the last thing a fiction writer should worry about. Elizabeth said, for nonfiction books, it depends on the kind of book. Thanks morriss003, thats the kind of information i needed to know. Does this mean that every chapter must end up somewhere in this range. Word count for novels and books is something i dont think about too often until i travel to a writers conference, and then someone asks a simple, innocent question. Learn the average word counts for various genres of fiction and nonfiction so you can determine the ideal length for your book. With that in mind, ive tried to put together the definitive post on word count for fiction novels, young adult, middle grade, childrens books and even memoir. The length of your book should be determined by the content, whether it is a work. 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. And publishers are looking for more nonfiction authors to write e book singles, which run anywhere from 20 to 100 pages in length.

The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about 246 to 307 ebook pages. Oct 18, 2017 from these numbers, we can establish some guidelines. 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. A writers average income from a particular book depends upon whether the book is fiction or nonfiction as well as whether the author has gone through the traditional publishing route or published the book. I dont know if the question is meant as a mentalstatistical exorcise. The list was revised in september 2010 in consultation with a number of us fiction editors, but. The range is wide open when it comes to nonfiction books in the christian world. Jun 24, 2019 be aware that the word average means that for every book that sells 15,000, there is one that sells 5,000. How to set the retail price for your nonfiction book. Check the submission guidelines for agents and publishers you want to pitch. With digital as well as print books available, the length of books varies.

However, be prepared to be flexible when it comes to length and formatthe publisher will have the final say. The length of your book should be determined by the content, whether it is a work of fiction or nonfiction. In this article im going to attempt to answer that question. One factor can be measured, though, and that is the average page length of a book. Its a perennial question asked by writers of all genres. By fiction standards that is considered very short novella size in fact.

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. I was curious to the public reaction to shorter novels as they are not physically picking up a printed book in a bookstore and can assess the length of it before they part with cash. 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. If you have an idea for a nonfiction book, its better to write a couple of chapters and then pitch a book proposal. If youre new to selfpublishing on amazon and wondering, just how much should i write for my kindle book. How to finally write your nonfiction book the new york times. Apr 07, 2014 i get this question a lot, and its a valid oneespecially since the answer can be divided between traditionally published books and selfpublished books.

A good way to gauge appropriate length is to check out similar books for comparison. Discover what size your book should be and if thats comparable to the standard book sizes in publishing. Dont submit an outline for a book that contains less than 9 chapters. Amazon ebook page length by genre kindle page length. Sep 29, 2014 and publishers are looking for more nonfiction authors to write ebook singles, which run anywhere from 20 to 100 pages in length. The figure was found through looking at a number of books text stats. I get this question a lot, and its a valid oneespecially since the answer can be divided between traditionally published books and selfpublished books. Jun 07, 2017 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. One of the benefits of writing in scene form is that the ending of a scene provides a place for the reader to comfortably take a pause.

May 14, 2018 readers of individual genres anticipate certain book lengths, and so do publishers. Selecting the right one for your book one of the decisions you have as an independent publisher, taking the real selfpublishing path is what book size youll have. That doesnt mean you can submit a manuscript twice the length a publisher. Books with much shorter sections become bestsellers all the time. The ten awful truths and the ten wonderful truths about. Recently i got asked this question, what is the ideal length word count wise for my first book. Thats reason for nonfiction writers to pausebut not for too long. The post lists a dizzying number of genres and a recommended word count range for each. The total page count excluding appendices and index is 204 pages, thus about 93,000 words. If you have provided all the information that you feel is needed or is relevant, then you are done. If you picked up a scifi or historical novel from a bookshelf, you wouldnt be surprised if it was pretty hefty and probably had a dragon on the cover. Oct 01, 2012 lets talk about an issue thats sure to rise up in your mind. Each page contains about 34 lines, with an average.

It contains 38 lines per page, with an average of 12 words per line, thus 456 words per book page. Want to download this infographic to share and reference whenever you like. Easygoing, fairly light, userfriendly, nonfiction book for the masses. When i did my research while writing my memoir, i found the range of 80,000100,000 words to be suitable. Choosing the font size for your book typography tips. If perhaps it had even more pictures it would be even a lot better. One of the questions that new writers always ask is how long should my non fiction book be. Writing a first novel that doesnt represent too much of an economic gamble for a publisher makes it so much easier for the publisher to say yes. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing. I was surprised when smashwords founder, mark coker, revealed that on average, as word count decreases, so do sales. Trim sizes in this post were updated on january 30, 2015 as soon as you get serious about selfpublishing a book, you are confronted with the choice of what size your book ought to be for instance, if you want to get a price on how much a book will cost to print, the first thing you need to know is the size.

At the other end of the spectrum a book of 80,000 to 100,000 words has significant heft, 320400 pages. It makes quite a difference whether you want to publish a childrens picture book, a 50recipe smoothie book, a science fiction novel or a technical encyclopedia. The size of the book is referred to as the trim size. Oct 10, 2016 the right answer to how long should my book be. Nonfiction authors dont always benefit from pricing lower. Book length average length of a non fiction book one of the questions that new writers always ask is how long should my nonfiction book be. All book publishers and book designers have a standard they go by to estimate page length. Pencilthin books on narrow topics that are under 50,000 words are quite common. However sometimes, like today, the reverse happens.

There are a few book word count guidelines for each genre, but these arent hard. This is not an uncommon length in traditional publishing, especially in my observation for nonfiction books that are heavy on research. Nonfiction ebook pricing in the kindle store by joel friedlander on april 25, 2011 61 comments pricing of ebooks is a constant source of discussion online, and weve seen the rebellions in the kindle store when publishers were allowed to start setting their own prices last year. Would it be better to write a short book people can get through quickly or a longer one that goes into more depth. Any selfhelp or motivational nonfiction book should be between 30,000 and 70,000 words. In todays market, this is the goto paperback size range for many novels, memoirs, and non fiction books. The figure was found through looking at a number of books text stats, until brave new worlds 64,531 word count landed in the exact center of all books50% of books have fewer words and 50% of books have more words. The harry potter books are young adult titles, and ya publishers generally look for manuscripts in the 50,000.

While theres no reliable statistic, heres an interesting post on word count from the blog of former agent colleen lindsay. Most traditional publishers will place restrictions on an author and require that the manuscript not. 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. The question of fiction and non fiction was not introduced into the story so that brings another question as to the length of non fiction v fiction and whether there should be a separate category for non fiction ebooks so that we can remove these ebooks from the general population for data assessment purposes or simply provide another set. Jan 11, 2011 authors often ask me about average word lengths for their manuscripts. By 2017, however, that number has dropped to 273 pages. Good typesetting will make the book more legible, easyontheeye and be superbly suited to the genre and context of the book. I asked agents elizabeth pomada and michael larsen of larsen pomada literary agency to add their thoughts to the subject. If you choose to selfpublish, you have a choice to go long or short. Book length average length of a non fiction book one of the questions that new writers always ask is how long should my non fiction book be.

And for every book that sells 20,000, there is one that is a disaster. 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. The art of the nonfiction book proposal writers relief. 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.

Long book length at the other end of the spectrum a book of 80,000 to 100,000 words has significant heft, 320400 pages. You may wonder when to use a short scene versus a long scene. If youre selfpublishing, length means little, as we mainly do marketing online and sell printondemand. Im just saying that some things are more important than word counts. The length can vary greatly between genres, though. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count. I heard 10,000 words can be accepted as an e book at a short length at least for non fiction. The average income from a published book bizfluent. The harry potter books are young adult titles, and ya publishers generally look for manuscripts in the 50,000 to 80,000word range. A full length nonfiction book usually contains 9 to 15 chapters of average length. You may also describe the general format you envision.

Your chapter structure needs to be in proportion to the overall length of. Not necessarily, according to a new study by book in a box of 272 non fiction books that hit the new york times best sellers list between 2011 and 2017. Generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book manuscripts to be between 50,000 to 75,000 words. As for non fiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. According to amazons great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words. Average nonfiction word counts biographies and memoirs. If you are planning to write a 200page book, then at 250words per page you are aiming for 50,000 words total. Youll probably be familiar with these premium formats. And this ebook page length differs significantly depending on the book genre. A fulllength nonfiction book usually contains 9 to 15 chapters of average length. Book size is often based on how thick the spine will be and how it will stand out in a bookstore although things are changing. Nevertheless, you would be wise to come close to these suggested manuscript lengths. T he indie author chris fox coined the term potato chip chapters for easilydigestible book chapters of a certain size.

It depends on the author and publisher and topic or genre. If the average length is 300 pages, youre looking at a 75,000 word manuscript approximately one reason its harder for a new author to sell a 140,000 word manuscript is the size of the book. Ford, glen book length average length of a non fiction book. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for non fiction books. Rather than focusing on the fictionnon fiction aspect of a memoir, read books specifically about writing. In 2011, the average length of a bestselling nonfiction book was 467 pages, but that dropped to 273 pages in 2017. You will find that almost all your books are more than 100 pages long about 25,000 50,000 words depending on your style. One of my biggest problems as a publisher is having authors deliver more than was agreed to. Premium fiction and non fiction hardcover or hardback sizes vary widely in the us, but generally the size of these books tends to fall somewhere between 6 x 9 in and 8. Perhaps you dont have enough content to create the standard nonfiction book at 80,000 words.