Average length non fiction book

Pencilthin books on narrow topics that are under 50,000 words are quite common. And publishers are looking for more nonfiction authors to write e book singles, which run anywhere from 20 to 100 pages in length. Length of non fiction article and what to do about it. Typically, fiction makes use of 250 words each web page, although 300 is additionally an usual worth. As with everything else when it comes to writing a book, these are only guidelinesnot rules. Do you want the pace to be brisk to the reader and skip in a staccato.

Book length average length of a non fiction booki youtube. Ive decided since i dont have an agent to do the bulk of the research and interviews first, then seek help, armed and ready. 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. These are books that resemble young adult in matter and storytelling. Easygoing, fairly light, userfriendly, nonfiction book for the masses. Amazon ebook page length by genre kindle page length. The book length on kindle is rather useless since you dont get a real book length. Someone wrote me to ask, what does an average first book deal pay. Im just saying that some things are more important than word counts. In 2011, the lists average length peaked at 467 pages. That means your manuscript must be at least 3540,000 words long.

By the standards of fiction that is considered very short size news, actually. Ive just published a non fiction book at 44,000 words and am now. However part why the new writers, the answer is difficult to identify because the answer is so difficult. Obviously, my point is not that you should submit a first book of anywhere near 200,000 words. When talking about book length, its common to talk about word count rather than page count. If you choose to selfpublish, you have a choice to go long or short. Oct 27, 2018 chapter length matters more than you think. However, many authors, frustrated with the low price of ebooks, have taken to writing ebooks that are between 40,000 and 50,000. It is not the final outcome that the real about white pages.

If you have provided all the information that you feel is needed or is relevant, then you are done. In this report im going to exertion to sass that question. The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 words. If your story is a melody, its sections make up the underlying beat or rhythm. Available in ebook, print, audiobook and workbook formats. This is not an uncommon length in traditional publishing, especially in my observation for nonfiction books that are heavy on research. Jun 07, 2017 to answer the immediate question, lets look at some numbers. Book length average length of a non fiction book a 10 minute training video from video discusses how to determine the av. In fiction, a book about between 50,000 and 80,000 words about 200 to 300 pages in paperback. The average wordcount for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. Generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book. This is still respectable, if your content feels new and your writing is impressive. Aug 05, 2019 before diving into the specifics of genrebased word counts, lets look at the broader picture of average book length. According to amazons great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words.

I dont know what i can say to add to what has already been said. 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. If you are planning to write a 200page book, then at 250words per page you are aiming for 50,000 words total. Novelist jane smiley suggests that length is an important quality of the novel. 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. 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.

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 himself. I get asked this a lot, and my answer is always the same. 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. So, what is the average length of a non fiction book.

My experience is that a book reaches its right length when the story follows the beats in save the cat writes a novel, the characters come alive and become memorable, their development is believable, and the plot develops and wraps up properly. I know fiction works on average come in at 60,000 but i really had no idea about non fiction. The length of your book should be determined by the content, whether it is a work. This is about the length readers want for general non fiction, and it keeps publishers happy given the high cost of paper. At the other end of the spectrum a book of 80,000 to 100,000 words has significant heft, 320400 pages. With digital as well as print books available, the length of books varies. Make it actionable, helpful, and great value and the length wont matter.

Be aware that the word average means that for every book that sells 15,000, there is one that sells 5,000. If you have an idea for a nonfiction book, its better to write a couple of chapters and then pitch a book proposal. Jul 17, 2017 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. Non fiction readers, in particular, want value fast. Jul 14, 2011 book length average length of a non fiction book a 10 minute training video from video discusses how to determine the av. Oct 18, 2017 knowing this, why does chapter length matter. And can you explain how money is paid on a traditional publishing. Perhaps you dont have enough content to create the standard nonfiction book at 80,000 words. Better to have solid, clear information than rambling to make a page count. Lets take a look at some generally accepted rules for fiction and nonfiction lengths and how they might fit into your overall writing career.

Then, more importantly, lets talk strategy and consider some case studies. Less than 100 pages and it becomes difficult for a printer to print the title of the book on the spine. Awards, too, often categorize a book by how long it is. The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 to 75,000 words, but this can vary depending upon category. How to set the retail price for your nonfiction book. For most publishers, a book is novel length when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. Although science fiction and some other kinds were now invasive and can exceed 400 pages 200,000 words. Average nonfiction word counts biographies and memoirs. Since 2011, the average length of a bestseller has dropped steadily from year to year. Although science fiction and some other genres have been creeping up. By 2017, however, that number has dropped to 273 pages.

A word count guide for 18 book genres, including fiction and non fiction. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. A good way to gauge appropriate length is to check out similar books for comparison. The average nonfiction book is about 50,000 to 75,000 words, which is about 153 to 230 ebook pages. As for non fiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. The average length of a nonfiction book is 50,000 words, with some books falling at around 3540,000 words, and others running as long as 70,000. Id guesstimate that nonfiction books generally yes, this. Nevertheless, you would be wise to come close to these suggested manuscript lengths. The trade paperback is 314 which is at least 350 on a standard paper book.

The harry potter books are young adult titles, and ya publishers generally look for manuscripts in the 50,000 to 80,000word range. If the topic really justifies length and especially if your credentials are highly impressive you can go longer, but check that you remain interesting, even at length. Youll probably be familiar with these premium formats. The average income from a published book bizfluent. With upper middle grade, you can aim for 40,000 55,000 words. 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. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing stack. A fulllength nonfiction book usually contains 9 to 15 chapters of average length. Book length average length of a non fiction book book n. Thats reason for nonfiction writers to pausebut not for too long.

One of my biggest problems as a publisher is having authors deliver more than was agreed to. The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000. By fiction standards that is considered very short novella size in fact. The figure was found through looking at a number of books text stats. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for non fiction books. Dont submit an outline for a book that contains less than 9 chapters. I dont know if the question is meant as a mentalstatistical exorcise. The length of your book will depend on a number of considerations. The ten awful truths and the ten wonderful truths about. Although science fiction and some other kinds were now invasive and. How many words should be in an adult nonfiction book.

T he indie author chris fox coined the term potato chip chapters for easilydigestible book chapters of a certain size. Im going to write about my experience and not worry too much about the word count. That doesnt mean you can submit a manuscript twice the length a publisher recommends. The average fiction book is about 80,000 to 100,000 words, which is about 246 to 307 ebook pages.

Jul 23, 2012 so 50,000 words is the minimum for a non fiction book. In this article youll discover the average number of pages for four different types of book. 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. Indeed, most traditional publishers limit non fiction authors to 80,000 words for standard 6 x 9 books, between 240 and 280 pages. Nonfiction requires more thinking time from your reader, so you need to consider the role of your book. Mar 17, 2010 i am working on a book about my experience with losing a 9 year old cat to lymphoma.

If you want to get a target for your non fiction book, the best thing may be to look at a dozen or so bestselling books in the genreniche youre aiming at and see what their word counts are. Several years ago, my son wrote a short story that i found to be very good, as did many of his teachers. Make sure you have enough material and time to fulfill this obligation before you propose it. I appreciated your information on word count and novel length, particularly since you broke it down by genre. Want to download this infographic to share and reference whenever you like. Only 62 of 1,000 business books released in 2009 sold more than 5,000 copies, according to an analysis by the codex group new york times, march 31, 2010. 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. I have often looked this up and got different results, which makes it very confusing. My current historical fiction novel of the sea ended up at 85,000 words after nine revisions.

And conversely, a longer book of over 60k words or 200 pages can command a higher price. How to finally write your nonfiction book the new york times. The length can vary greatly between genres, though. Recently i got asked this question, what is the ideal length word count wise for my first book. Microfiction and flash fiction are the tweets of the fiction world. I have therefore made some averages, based on what ive heard from publishers and agents at childrens book events, and from research and reading. Loves abiding joy 2003 by janette oke, aimed at a younger audience perhaps, is half that length at 65,668 words. For most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. Im writing a non fiction book, detailing the unprecedented rise of the boise state broncos football program a reallife david, slaying reallife goliaths. When planning your non fiction book it helps to have an idea of how long a book needs to be to be marketable. One of the questions that new writers always ask is how long should my non fiction book be. Rick warrens first big publishing success, the purpose driven church 1995 was composed of 103,208 words. There are plenty of books that purposefully play with the word counts of their chapters.

Jun 15, 2017 this is a general list of age categories and word counts for childrens books. The range is wide open when it comes to nonfiction books in the christian world. A minimum count for a nonfiction ebook is about 10,000 words, as long as the content is solid. 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 length of your book should be determined by the content, whether it is a work of fiction or non fiction. The art of the nonfiction book proposal writers relief. The 1 thing you need to do to write a new york times best. The 1 thing you need to do to write a new york times.

Book length average length of four types of non fiction book. But rules are made to be broken, and the most successful publishing phenomenon in history did just that. Your guide to book word counts fiction and nonfiction. If youre new to selfpublishing on amazon and wondering, just how much should i write for my kindle book. The graph shows the average length of the top 100 bestsellers in each of the 30 main amazon kindle categories, measured in terms of the number of pages.

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. Smiley lists novels as typically being between 100,000 and 175,000 words, while national novel writing month requires its novels to be at least 50,000. For nonfiction, the people who say a book should be however long it needs to be are absolutely right. In these cases, the overall design of the book determines the publishing costs more than word count. 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. Were doing ask the agent this month your chance to ask that question youve always wanted to discuss with a literary agent. May 11, 2009 32 responses to word count and book length. Thanks morriss003, thats the kind of information i needed to know. In fiction, a short book is between 50,000 to 80,000 words roughly 200 300 pages in paperback.

So if you write a 35,000 word manuscript, your formatted book will likely be around 140 pages. However sometimes, like today, the reverse happens. There are beats between sentences, between paragraphs, and between chapters or sections. A word count guide for 18 book genres, including fiction and.

At a writers conference i recently attended, publishing veteran jane friedman said 80,000 words is good for most fiction, below. Before diving into the specifics of genrebased word counts, lets look at the broader picture of average book length. The retail price you set for your book impacts your profit margin. 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. I noticed way too many non fiction kindle books around 3040 pages. Kindle finally updated the page count to 276 from 114. 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. Nov 07, 2016 generally speaking, a shorter book of 150 finished pages or 40k words or less typically commands a lower price. What is a reasonable estimate for the minimum length, in word count, for a nonfiction book. In 2011, the average length of a bestselling nonfiction book was 467 pages, but that dropped to 273 pages in 2017. Average fiction word counts flash fiction word count. Non fiction usually has longer sentences and also much less white room since it does not have discussion. When writing a longer book that is aimed at 12yearolds and could maybe be considered tween, using the term upper middle grade is advisable.

Though the average word count of a chapter is around 2,000 5,000 words, it all depends on your story. And this ebook page length differs significantly depending on the book genre. In todays market, this is the goto paperback size range for many novels, memoirs, and non fiction books. Id guesstimate that nonfiction books generally yes, this is very rough run perhaps 150450 pages. So the length of these affects the pacing of your story, and the way the reader experiences it. 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. And for every book that sells 20,000, there is one that is a disaster. Sep, 2010 of course, foundation posts work best for this, and ive started with a blog post dating from 2010, and one of the more popular destinations for search traffic, selfpublishing basics. Not a very satisfying answer, i know, but i say it for a reason.