How Long Should My Book Be? (Word Counts!)
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- Опубліковано 3 бер 2020
- We're often asked how long authors' books should be... well, we've answered! We cover all of the major genres within. And here's a blog post in writing:
bookendsliterary.com/2019/03/1...
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Jessica Faust’s love for books is what first brought her to open BookEnds Literary Agency. It is her desire to be an advocate for all authors that pushed her to create her blog, the BookEnds UA-cam channel and to maintain a vibrant presence on Twitter.
Jessica is proud to have grown BookEnds to an agency that represents authors of all genres for children and adults, allowing her to reach more readers and help more authors and illustrators achieve their dreams.
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Since interning at BookEnds as an undergrad in the summer of 2015, James has (basically) never left. He's just continuously level-up-ed inside of BookEnds. Now he is the Literary Assistant and Social Media Manager for the team. He’s been a reader since his mom gave him the first A Series of Unfortunate Events book and ordered the sequels regularly through Scholastic book orders.
James is currently growing his own list and is actively seeking submissions in adult literary and upmarket fiction, mystery, thrillers, and suspense. He is also accepting submissions in all sub-genres of Young Adult fiction, and is actively looking for Picture Books that make him laugh.
Connect with BookEnds!
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Website: www.bookendsliterary.com
Connect with Jessica: bookendsjessica
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This is my new favorite channel, okay?
OKAY :)
I've been working hard over the past month and have taken my book from 126k to 94k. Still working and will have her trim and slim very soon. Thank you for the help!
I feel like, if I sat down and had coffee with Jessica in the morning, the sun would set, the moon would rise, and the stars would be shining before we finished chatting and laughing the day away. I'd love to have you as an agent, but you'd be awesome as a friend, too! Thanks for being you! 💕
I read somewhere that most of Agatha Christie's novels fell between 40,000-60,000 words. Granted, that was a different time period, but it does show a novel can be complete at a lower word count than what can be considered standard.
@APOLLO 19 Lovecraft wrote a lot of novellas, but he did short stories primarily. Also, he didn't get much recognition until after he died.
Im not reading anything over 30k words lol
When your desire is to join the will be published authors in the world. You crave information. Totally by accident, I stumbled upon these videos. Thank you Bookends.
Thanks so much for addressing this so quickly for all of us! I always appreciate the tips you give.
From Jessica Faust on Bookends website:
"Reaching out to the Agents of BookEnds, I’ve come up with a word count cheat sheet. Use it and use it well.
Picture Books: 0-1000 words; ideal length around 600 words
Chapter Books: 5,000-15,000 words; ideal length around 10,000 words
Middle Grade: 35,000-65,000 words, ideally 35,000 words
Contemporary YA: 60,000-85,000 words, ideal length 80,000 words
YA SFF: 70,000-100,000 words, ideal length 90,000 words
(Most) Adult Fiction (ie: romance, mystery, suspense, thriller, upmarket, literary, and women’s fiction): 80,000-100,000 words
Category Romance: 50,000 words (might vary by line)
Adult SFF: 100,000-120,000 words
Cozy Mystery: 70,000-85,000 words
Historical Fiction 80,000-120,000 words
***this post was originally published March 2019."
Thank you for this video. I love watching their videos. So much fun and informative. I hope to have Jessica as an agent one day. I can tell she really cares about her clients.
This one's real interesting to me because my novel's definitely longer by a significant margin, but not (I hope) a crazy one. I've got a fantasy novel that atm is 165k words, and while I worry about selling it, the story is complete. Overediting the book down is going to take away vital pieces of the story. Thanks Bookends for helping me understand this extra difficulty I'm gonna have to get through to sell this novel.
I'm in the same boat with a sci fi detective novel that has a lot of character drama that is central to the plot. I'm also not sure how I'm going to cut it down to that 100,000 word sweet spot if it's even possible.
Another informative video. Thank you! And I'll have my eye out for a protagonist named Mary Jo.
The story about changing "Mary" to "Mary Joe" just for the word count made me laugh.😂
Thanks so much for addressing this issue. Every time I have asked someone about this, the answer is, "how long is a string?" That made me think that length is subjective and doesn't really matter. Now, I know that my book is a little too short and I'm giving it another run through.
Thank you, I'd say more but I have a lot of work to do. Cheers!
My favorite video, love word count. Currently at about 6k in my Fantasy Novel
Good Advice!
I think I have seen all the videos. Can't wait for the next. My YA Dystopian will have almost 100K words. Ouch!
NOTES FROM VIDEO (I only covered adult fiction, as this is what I'm writing):
- Most adult fiction (romance, thriller, mystery, up=market fiction, literary fiction): 80k-100k (~90k is great)
- Sci-fi, fantasy, historical: 100k-120k
Ultimately, it's a range. Have to consider cost as well, because the longer the word count the more pages the publisher has to pay for. Longer, bigger books tend to come from authors that have a track record and a fan base.
Books that come in at ~200k may trigger thoughts that a book hasn't gone through proper editing, as it likely needs to be edited down. Likewise, books ~50k may trigger thoughts that there needs to be significant editing to "flesh out" the book a bit more.
Those are just some points I thought were especially helpful!
Hello BookEnds Literary Agency, I've been watching your channel for a while now, you seem like a really awesome guys and the tips you are giving are priceless. Makes me wonder after I write my fantasy novel and then find the best translator to spend some bucks on translating it in English, do I stand a chance to start publishing in the US (with you guys being my literary agents if you like my work), even though I don't live there (I'm from Bulgaria)?
My first book is 250,000 words and doesn't fit into any genre (making it "literary fiction" by default). I never planned to publish it traditionally, but I'm tempted to send out queries just for the experience.
Great video! Thanks again for the great info source, always helpful and to the point.
Now, I feel one aspect was left out (and hopefully we can get some clarification here n the comments). You talked about authors crossing the line and writing above the recommended zone - but how about books that are below the threshold?
If having too many words gives the impression that the author has not yet mastered editing, how about having -10.000 or -15.000 words? What's the impression here?
Is this scenario preferable or are both too much and too little equally bad?
Thank you!
Eek, this video is definitely for me! :)
The Award for how to find 10000 words without blinking an eye goes to BookEnds!!
Im not sure if I’d feel incredibly guilty or lazy for pulling such a move.
Thank you soooo much for your generosity with these videos. They are immensely helpful. And I love Buford. Regarding word counts for children's books... When I check word counts of books that are doing well, they don't fall within the ranges I often see requested. Instead, I see 1500, 2500 and 5000 or more word counts doing very well. Is it okay to do research this way rather than stick with rigid word count requests? Sometimes you don't know the word count your idea will require until you've fleshed it out and see what form it takes. If something is done well, shouldn't that be the first concern rather than cramming ideas into word counts? (Within reason, of course)
It does depress me hearing about agents’ attitudes to word count. I realise this is largely down to commercial concerns, as well as the fact that the slush pile is full of over- and under- writers who probably do need some guidance, but I feel your pain re. a project having its own natural limit / size. Because agents are the gate-keepers, this forces many writers to try to squeeze or extend the size of what would otherwise be naturally ‘right’ for their work, which feels like it stunts creatively or ruins the original idea. There’s also a real sense of ‘we know better’, when I’m not altogether convinced that that’s always the case. It just seems like the publishing industry in general views many things in a rather reductive manner, and when that reductiveness is based purely on commercial viability, you can’t help but feel as though there could be a number of unique voices and stories out there that are being hobbled by trying to conform to these (aesthetically arbitrary) restrictions.
It also feels a little patronising towards readers. I’ve rarely (if ever) decided not to buy a book purely based on its size. If I like the back page blurb, then I’m interested, however much of a ‘doorstop’ it might be. I also don’t especially care whether or not I’ve heard of the author before, so the industry’s timidity regarding debut authors always comes across to me as a little overplayed. Ah well, what do we know, eh? We’re only the writers.
If i see a huge book on the bookshelf i pass on it. I think most people have an unfinished copy of Infinite Jest on their bookshelf and they'll never make that mistake again.
Very true! If I'll ever give it a go again, it's gonna be an e-book. I know he was already famous and all that, but I wonder what the editor's reaction was when they first saw the MS.
As someone currently working on refining my first ever story, I think I am sat at around 120k words or so, which from what it sounds like is on the high end for Dark Fantasy. I don't doubt there is some fluff in there I can trim, like overused words like very, just and then, ect. But at the same time I still have scenes I want to expand upon or add, without any that I can really remove since they set up characters or future plot points.
Feels like I might be entering the danger zone.
I’ve been wondering something. I live in the U.K. and read a lot of British writers for the 9-12 age (the same age I’m writing for). I’ve seen a lot of advice that the length of middle grade should be about 50k, but all the ones I’ve read are about 80-90k. And this includes debut authors.
I wonder if it’s different in the U.K? What age is middle grade in the US? Or could it be the types of books? I tend to read more fantasy and sci-fi of that age, and I know with adult books that fantasy or sci-fi are longer.
What is the ideal word count range for the Biography, Autobiography, Memoir category?
Thanks for this. Good to hear your thoughts, as a new writer. How about Camus, Philip Roth and Apul Auster. They have quite a few very books. Which category is that? Thanks.
I wrote a 1st draft of my historical novel by "pantsing" it (never doing that again!) It ran to 226,000 words. My brother read it and said, "You've missed out Act 1." So, I wrote a new beginning (38,000 words), and now I'm trying to do the 2nd Draft. The hopes of getting a quarter of a million words down by over half is filling me with dread, panic and brain-boggle.
What’s the word count on graphic novels?
I'm surprised by the Middle Grade range here. Is there a division between upper vs lower MG? When I look at some recent books -- Hello Universe, When You Trap a Tiger, etc. -- they come in around 300 pages, with 150-200 words per page. In total that's 45,000 - 60,000 words. The same is true for some recent debut upper MGs I looked at, so it's not just established authors.
I think the more exception scenarios are mentioned, the more it pushes the individuality agenda. It's like marrying your high school sweetheart.....it happens 1% of the time. Really, I think people should teach the basics and really downplay the "it depends" factors. If you hear it more than once, it makes it seem like it could be you. I don't even think that way but when I keep hearing it in the videos, it starts to sound like a rule that "doesn't really matter" almost
I already have a steady readership for my three nonfiction books, but the agents I'm querying about my novel will never know that, because they'll see my high word count at the top of the online form and stop there.
I’m in the revision of my book and working on getting word count down about 30k to 40k to try and hit the sweet spot. It’s difficult.
This has been a catch 22 for me. I finished my 80k word novel but have been meticulously editing down to 50k for months, so it won't get rejected as needing too much editing, but now I have to get it back to 80k so it doesn't look like I didn't do enough? Sigh.
Thats a lot of editing.
@@ClintLoweTube Six months to write. Been going on 8 months to edit. Trying to make it perfect. I don't want them to have any reason to pass on it. My goal is to have them say "It doesn't even need editing"
I did the same exact thing. I did a very severe edit that pared it down to 50K. I was pleasantly surprised to find that after I did that, it was easier to get it back up to 80K
@@bbcb1856 I'm adding now. Seeing where it needs more story. The story poured out in 6 months but the editing has taken way longer.
Thank you for your amazing content! Would 76k words be acceptable for Adult Mystery or it should be 80k and above? 🤔
yes. that should be fine.
My Middle Grade fantasy is roughly 73k. Since fantasy allows you to reach higher th as n a normal 50k mg novel, I think this is doable
Can Horror/Paranormal be shorter? Like in the 70K?
My first book: 98k
Mary Jo😂👏🏽😂👏🏽
Is there a reason why small presses (that accept un-agented submissions) are more flexible with word count than the bigger publishers that only accepted agented submissions? Like how 60K words would be okay for an adult novel for a small press but not a big publisher?
The really, really, short version: *New adult fiction authors, if you aim for 90k then you'll be right in the sweet spot.* 👍
I don't think I heard nonfiction word count. Is it the same range as fiction?
what about a fractured fairy tale 55000 words but one to two illutrations per chapter?
Ouch...my YA Fantasy novel is currently at approximately 185,000 words 🤦♀️
what about memoir?
Oh dear, my manuscript is already 126.000 words and I still haven't reached the end.
Don't panic. In most cases you'll be surprised how much fat you can cut to make a better book. My book was originally 130k. Way too long. Now it's 98k and still dropping.
@@MrK.A was this post getting an agent or before you've queried? I'm at about the same range of 137k for a psychological thriller and querying... but I'm now debating if I'll need to go back and cut down which mayyyy be hard to do. Any tips?
They don't speak much of low word count books for thriller/adult fiction. They talk of submissions being too large all the time, as if that's the only problem they come across. What about works that are below 80k? I've seen SO many authors with those word counts. For instance, I have a 71k word count book. Is 71k still considered too low? Sometimes a story doesn't need to be so large just for the sake of being large.
60 to 80 is fine.
I just read on MSWL an agent who said she just deleted 231 or so queries because the word counts were too low for the genre. Every publisher wants at least 80k. BTW Harry potter 1st book was 77k
@@annmanzo That's interesting... Sucks but nonetheless interesting.
@@annmanzo every agent is different
What if one is looking at creating something like the wheel of time, the game of thrones, the stormlight archive, etc...with a high concept twist and an upmarket aim ... would you guys ever be willing to give a shot at something like that, given its size?
I believe they gave you the answer in the video above with the example of Rowling. Be prepared to write a shorter thing for your first release. GGRM for instance was an established writer before selling the idea of GOT. I believe, not sure, he submitted 3 chapters and expected the first book to be 400 pages and a triology ;)
Self-publish it.
@@ClintLoweTube All great ideas, but what I'm really wondering is whether or not they would be interested in something of such size, or does it seem too much for them.
Greetings, I wrote a 5000-word manuscript in the genre of children's chapter book. It was rejected by another agent. If I rewrite and submit it with 10,000 words, will your agency reject it as a short story? I enjoy your informative videos. Everyone respects your agency for your compassion for the writers' struggle. Thank you. Arthur
Self publish your book dont let that stop you !
is 70K a decent wordcount for a horror novel? If not, then what is the minimum acceptable wordcount for a horror novel?
good to know... I always shoot for 80-100k
No D.
This information is irrelevant. A Little Life, which is one of the most successful books in recent years,is 280k words.
There are tons of best sellers with way over 100k words.
You can take their advice, or not, but if not, then why watch their videos at all? Why seek expert advice if your just gping to ignore it put of hand?
Of course there will be exceptions, but in general, the exceptions prove the rule.
I would however feel more free to do what you want, if your focusing primarily on ebooks, as they are clearly talking about print book lengths.
Finally, that was her second book. Their word counts are geared more towards non established authors. They fully admit that those with fan bases can break the rules more easily. But my estimation, based off of page count, her first book had less then half the word count. Like around 124k words.
just because there are exceptions doesn't mean that the guidance is "irrelevant". If you can write a book as good as A Little Life then yeah, you probably don't need to worry
1) Luck, 2) Connections (knowing people in the industry). Susanna Clarke's debut, "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" is 800 pages long, but she also spent time working in publishing, as an editor, and published a number of short stories beforehand.
2:49 but that’s so unfair, haha
8:00 **considers deleting previous comment**
Murielle Azzi *considers re-reading comment* I said they don’t talk much about it. They just give an example. Doesn’t fully answer what to do when you’re under 80k words
Michael Dault i’m actually well over 110K but nevermind haha