What Should My Word Count Be?
1
SHORT FICTION NOVELS CHAPTERS HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO READ YOUR CHAPTERS? To find out more, check out our posts on flash fiction ( https://rdsy.me/2ZqFbB8) and short stories ( https://rdsy.me/2XGW0at). What Should My Word Count Be? Fear not, here are the standard word counts for popular genres. reedsy “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Popularly credited to Ernest Hemingway, this six-word story is an extreme example of short fiction. Here are the average word counts for standard forms of short fiction: In general, novels are defined as works of fiction over 40,000 words. The average word count, however, will vary depending on genre. In Reedsy’s survey of over 200 novels from a range of genres and eras: Ask yourself how long it will take your readers to get through each chapter. The average adult comfortably reads just over 200 words per minute, which means it takes… had an average chapter length of 2,000 - 4,500 words 55% of novels ⏰ 10 mins to read a 2,000-word chapter ⏰ 15 mins to read a 3,000-word chapter ⏰ 20 mins to read a 4,000-word chapter Here are just a few of the titles on that survey: To find out more, check out our post all about chapter length – https://rdsy.me/2WDUWmi To find out more, check out our comprehensive post on how long your novel should be. https://rdsy.me/2Xd7w00 Microfiction: 100 – 500 Sudden fiction: up to 750 ⚡ Flash fiction: up to 1,500 ✏ Short stories: 2,000 – 5,000 ✒ Novelettes: 7,500 – 17,500 Novellas: 17,500 – 40,000 Commercial and literary: 80,000 – 100,000 Ex. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - 99,121 ( Science fiction and fantasy: 100,000 – 115,000 Ex. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowlings - 107,253 Young adult: 55,000 – 70,000 Ex. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - 62 662 Middle grade: 20,000 – 55,000 Ex. Diary of a Wimpy Kids by Jeff Kinney - 19,784 ❤ Romance: 80,000 – 100,000 Ex. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - 89,426 * Mystery: 75,000 – 100,000 Ex. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 82,960 Thriller: 80,000 – 100,000 Ex. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – 80,565 words , Memoir: 80,000 – 100,000 Ex. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs – 97,600 Western: 45,000 – 75,000 Ex. True Grit by Charles Portis – 54,955 Title One Hundred Years of Solitude Middlesex The Martian A Game of Thrones 1984 Persuasion Gone Girl The Giver Holes #Chapters 20 28 26 73 24 24 64 23 50 Total word count 144,523 168,640 119,970 295,816 88,942 83,237 145,719 43,617 47,079 Words Per Chapter 7226 6023 4614 4052 3706 3468 2277 1896 942 (average) ONE LAST THING: PROFESSIONAL EDITING Reedsy’s editors have years of experience at the world’s largest publishers. To make sure your manuscript is in line with industry expectations, send a request today and start working with the best. https://rdsy.me/31zf6Sj
Transcript of What Should My Word Count Be?
SHORT FICTION
NOVELS
CHAPTERS
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO READ YOUR CHAPTERS?
To find out more, check out our posts on flash fiction (https://rdsy.me/2ZqFbB8) and short
stories (https://rdsy.me/2XGW0at).
What Should My Word Count Be?Fear not, here are the standard
word counts for popular genres.
reedsy
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Popularly credited to Ernest Hemingway, this six-word
story is an extreme example of short fiction. Here are the average word counts for standard
forms of short fiction:
In general, novels are defined as works of fiction over 40,000 words. The average word count,
however, will vary depending on genre.
In Reedsy’s survey of over 200 novels from a range of genres and eras:
Ask yourself how long it will take your readers to get through each chapter. The average adult
comfortably reads just over 200 words per minute, which means it takes…
had an average chapter length of
2,000 - 4,500 words
55% of novels
⏰ 10 mins to read a 2,000-word chapter⏰
15 mins to read a 3,000-word chapter
⏰
20 mins to read a 4,000-word chapter
Here are just a few of the titles on that survey:
To find out more, check out our post all about chapter length – https://rdsy.me/2WDUWmi
To find out more, check out our comprehensive post on how long your novel should be.
https://rdsy.me/2Xd7w00
🐭 Microfiction: 100 – 500
💥
Sudden fiction: up to 750
⚡
Flash fiction: up to 1,500
✏
Short stories: 2,000 – 5,000
✒ Novelettes: 7,500 – 17,500
📖
Novellas: 17,500 – 40,000
📘 Commercial and literary: 80,000 – 100,000
Ex. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - 99,121
(
Science fiction and fantasy: 100,000 – 115,000
Ex. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowlings - 107,253
Young adult: 55,000 – 70,000
Ex. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - 62 662
Middle grade: 20,000 – 55,000
Ex. Diary of a Wimpy Kids by Jeff Kinney - 19,784
❤
Romance: 80,000 – 100,000
Ex. The Princess Bride by William Goldman - 89,426
*
Mystery: 75,000 – 100,000
Ex. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 82,960
🧟
Thriller: 80,000 – 100,000
Ex. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – 80,565 words
,
Memoir: 80,000 – 100,000
Ex. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs – 97,600
🤠
Western: 45,000 – 75,000
Ex. True Grit by Charles Portis – 54,955
Title
One Hundred Years
of Solitude
Middlesex
The Martian
A Game of Thrones
1984
Persuasion
Gone Girl
The Giver
Holes
#Chapters
20
28
26
73
24
24
64
23
50
Total word count
144,523
168,640
119,970
295,816
88,942
83,237
145,719
43,617
47,079
Words Per Chapter
7226
6023
4614
4052
3706
3468
2277
1896
942
(average)
ONE LAST THING: PROFESSIONAL EDITING
Reedsy’s editors have years of experience at the world’s largest publishers. To make sure your manuscript is in line with industry expectations, send a request today and start working with the best.
https://rdsy.me/31zf6Sj
