How Many Words in a Novel?
40,000-120,000 words
Typical length: 80,000 words
Word Range
40,000-120,000 words
Typical Length
80,000 words
The typical word count for this type of document is 40,000-120,000 words, with 80,000 words being the most common length. The ideal length depends on your purpose, audience, and the specific requirements of your task.
Typical Structure
- Opening chapter / Hook (3,000-5,000 words)
- Act 1 / Setup (20-25% of total)
- Act 2 / Confrontation (50-60% of total)
- Act 3 / Resolution (20-25% of total)
Guidelines and Tips
Literary fiction: 70,000 to 100,000 words. Romance: 50,000 to 90,000 words. Thriller/mystery: 70,000 to 100,000 words.
Science fiction and fantasy tend to be longer: 80,000 to 120,000 words, sometimes more for epic fantasy.
Young adult (YA) novels typically range from 50,000 to 80,000 words.
First-time authors should aim for the lower end of their genre's range — publishers are more likely to take a chance on a shorter debut.
Australian publishers like Penguin Random House Australia and HarperCollins Australia follow similar guidelines to international standards.
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Open Word CounterFrequently Asked Questions
How many words is a novel?
A novel is generally 40,000 to 120,000 words, with 80,000 words being the most common target for mainstream fiction. Anything under 40,000 words is typically classified as a novella.
How many words is a novella?
A novella is typically 17,500 to 40,000 words. Shorter works (7,500 to 17,500) are novelettes, and works under 7,500 words are short stories.
How many pages is a novel?
An 80,000-word novel is approximately 320 pages single-spaced or 640 pages double-spaced in manuscript format. A typical printed paperback has about 250 to 300 words per page.
How long does it take to write a novel?
Most authors take 6 months to 2 years to write a novel. Writing 1,000 words per day, you could complete an 80,000-word first draft in about 80 days (under 3 months).