Short or Long? The Truth About Average Book Length

Are you a beginner writer who is confused about the average book length? Do you find it hard to choose to keep it long or short? You do, right? Well, to be honest, you’re not the only one struggling with it. Readers want some things spicy but with a sweet touch, and many writers fail to provide a balance in terms of length. 

If your story is short, readers will find it not worth the money, and if your story is too long, they’ll feel like a slog. So, what to do? How to catch the attention of the readers without destroying their interest? Balancing your book length is your answer. In this article, we’ll guide you through the average book length and give some tips that will help you write a story worthy of praise. Let’s get started! 

The Subtle Art of Writing a Perfect Novel

Take a moment and think, what do you need to start writing a novel instead of a marvelous story? A good genre, isn’t it? Well, if you know the ideal length of your genre, then you have made it in terms of writing a perfect novel. A good genre will not only let you decide the average book length of your story but also allow you to plan the order of events and story arc of your novel. 

Let’s begin our journey on how to write a perfect novel by knowing the average book length. It is crucial to understand that the answer may vary depending on what type of novel you’re writing. Here are some ranges that you can keep in your mind as a benchmark. 

What Should Be The Average Book Length? 

If we look at a novel’s average book length from a publisher’s mindset, then it should be between 50,000 to 110,000 ideally. Usually, the average book length of an adult novel is around 90,000 words. Now, there’s a difference between a novel for young ones and for adults. 

We would suggest if you are targeting a young audience then your average book length should be 50,000 to 80,000 words. On the other hand, if you are targeting an older population, then you can keep the average book length between 25,000 – 40,000 words. Yet, again genre really matters in deciding how long it should be. 

How To Decide Average Book Length According To Different Genres? 

Let’s address this matter once and for all. Here’s what an ideal novel length should be. 

Fantasy Novels

The highest word count comes from science fiction and fantasy novels. These novels tend to have a greater average book length ranging around 90,000–120,000 words. However, writing a fantasy fairytale isn’t as easy as we have traditionally thought. You have to add a lot of words when building a fantasy world and introducing scientific or magical systems. 

A very good example of this can be seen in George R.R. Martin’s prequel Game of Thrones, which was named “A Song of Ice and Fire.” We have all heard of it, and some of us have read it as well. But did you know it was a 120,000+ word series? 

Romantic Novels

Romance novels are one of my favorite genres and everyone loves them, especially teenagers. Usually, most writers mess up when writing a romantic novel because they try to make it long, and as a result, the writer drags the story. When you try to drag a story too long, it often loses its charm. 

In order to keep the charm alive, keep a romantic novel around 50,000–100,000 words. Don’t overdo this limit, or else you’ll ruin the story. Some romantic novels can go below this range and can be around 40,000. The art is to keep it relevant to your genre and make the audience connect with characters and stories. 

Mystery, Thriller & Horror Novels

There’s a crazy fandom of thriller, mystery and horror novels, and we can’t deny it. Thriller, mystery and horror novels are hard to write, and they also go towards a shorter average book length. An ideal mystery and thriller novel should be around 70,000 and 90,000 words. 

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is not loved by all, but it’s a good genre that you can opt for. If you are planning to write a historical fiction novel, then ideally, you have to finish your story in between 80,000 and 100,000 words. Don’t try to exceed the average book length of historical fiction because it will become too bland for the readers. 

Now, as we promised you above, we’ll give you some tips on how to become a pro author. Here’s one for you. If you haven’t decided what your genre should be and are worried about the average book length of your novel. Aim for around 90,000 words for your first copy; it’s a safe goal. Even if it’s your first novel, go for it. 

What is The Average Book Length In Terms Of Pages? 

Books come in various beautiful shapes and sizes. Now, we all agree that women and books look good in all shapes and sizes. So it really doesn’t matter if your book is too big or printed with different fonts and spacing because it is unnecessary to be consistent with the page count. The best way to calculate an average book length is through its words and not by its pages. 

However, if you really wish to calculate an average book length with its pages, then divide the total word count by the number of words on a page. Ideally, a double-spaced document within a standard manuscript formatted in 12-point font contains around 250 words per page. On the other hand, if you format your manuscript as a single-spaced document, then it will be around 500 words per page.

Suppose a novel is about 90,000 words long then it will break down into 360 double-spaced pages. Now, we know how lazy you are in doing calculations for each word count, so don’t worry, we will do the maths for you. 

• A 50,000-word book is around 200 pages
• A 60,000-word book is around 240 pages
• A 70,000-word book is around 280 pages
• An 80,000-word book is around 320 pages
• A 90,000-word book is around 360 pages
• A 100,000-word book is around 400 pages
• A 110,000-word book is around 440 pages

If you’re writing one page a day, you’ll finish your novel in about a year. 

What’s The Average Book Length Of A Book? 

Other than novels, there are many different types of books, such as textbooks, memoirs, autobiographies, and self-help books. If you’re writing one of them, here’s how you can decide their average book length. 

Self-Help Books

Self-help books, such as a mind platter, are an amazing way to nurture your mind. However, a self-help book usually has around 40,000–50,000 words. Now, the primary reason why self-help books have short book lengths is due to their genre. No one wants to read advice all the time. Readers wish to read something that’s concise and quick, yet it holds the power to teach them something new in a short span of time. 

Memoir

A memoir is a narrative story written from someone’s perspective. Memoirs have a similar average book length and word count to a novel. Sometimes, a memoir can be as long as 80,000–100,000 words. It all depends upon the author’s thoughts and perspective. 

Biography

A biography tends to run far longer than a novel and a memoir. You’ll be amazed to know that a good autobiography can range up to 200,000 words. However, we think a good target should be around 80,000 to 200,000 words. Obviously, it’s an autobiography. You can go as far as you want with it. At the end of the day, it’s your story, and only you will decide how to narrate it. 

Textbooks

Now, the matter with textbooks is quite different than usual. The average book length of a textbook depends on the subject that you are writing about and the audience you’re targeting. For example, if you are writing a biology book full of small details and information, it will be about 200,000 words. However, if you are writing an arithmetic textbook designed for elementary schoolers, it might only be 30,000 words. 

Now, many new writers struggle to decide how long their textbooks should be. The trick is to see another textbook or your reference book for research with similar topics and see their word count. It will provide you with a sense of how specifically long a textbook should be. 

Moreover, many of you will struggle to find your genre even after so many options in this guide. Still, if you’re facing a problem and need suggestions related to various genres for writing a novel or a book or deciding on the average book length, try AI. 

You may like it or not, but this is the 21st century, and AI is ruling our world. Getting assistance from AI can help you elevate your work. For that purpose, you can choose Arvin, your new buddy, to help you with small writing tasks and suggestions. Arvin can be your new best mate. Here’s how you can give a simple command to Arvin, and it will do the rest for you. Cherry on top, you can get free services from Arvin. Try it now! 

• Visit the Chrome browser and search for Arvin.
• Go to Arvin.chat
• You’ll see a new interface. Write your prompt in the box and enter it.
• You will get all the information you need.

Why Are Books Failing So Bad? 

Lately, there’s a debate going on about books. Books are not in trend anymore due to social media. But is it true? Are books not working due to social media or the failure of writers to provide good stories? What’s the real matter? Well, it’s really concerning for the books and publishing industry. However, blaming social media for everything is not fair. 

Nevertheless, it is true that social media is taking all the spotlight with its trendy content, but there are some flaws in the book industry as well. The books available on the market are not well-marketed. If you wish to sell your book, then you have to spend money on its marketing. 

Another concerning reason can be the average book length of your manuscript. Yes, you heard it right. In order to provide more content and something good, writers are overdoing it. Dragging a story is not an option because sometimes it loses its true essence. Sometimes, the author drags the story and tries to visualize and portray the second lead instead of keeping focus on the main lead. 

Try not to make it too long; just stick to the average book length and keep it real. Building different characters is good but it can cause damage to the story. For example, if you wish to show other characters strong, try to do that within the whole novel like George R. R Martin did in Game of Thrones. Each one of his characters was strong enough, yet he didn’t overshadow the role of his main leads. 

Final Verdict

To be honest, it’s very important to hit the right sweet spot when it comes to choosing the average book length. It totally depends on what type of book you’re writing. If you are going for a traditional story, then you should know that traditional editors and publishers can be really cruel. They won’t publish a newcomer’s story if it doesn’t meet their expectations and requirements.

The pro tip will be to play solo. Go for self-publishing your book because it will provide you with a good opportunity to sell it to your target audience. You’ll connect with the audience without getting them bored if you fulfill their requirements and the average book length. And if you’re having trouble completing your target book-length, you can always get Arvin’s assistance.