Average book length non-fiction means

The average sales per title are utterly without meaning. If you read 300 words per minute, then you will able to read one page in 49. The following are average wordcount ranges by genre. Before diving into the specifics of genrebased word counts, lets look at the broader picture of average book length. The question of fiction and nonfiction was not introduced into the story so that brings another question as to the length of nonfiction v fiction and whether there should be a separate category for nonfiction ebooks so that we can remove these ebooks from the general population for data assessment purposes or simply provide another set. I dont know if the question is meant as a mentalstatistical exorcise. So then its just a matter of how much you have to say or the length your contract calls for. 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. Biography or autobiography is a nonfiction as the person really existed, and purportedly, the content is an account of that.

With digital as well as print books available, the length of books varies. Know your content, know your mainline pitch and some. The skys the limit for the maximum length, though anything over 250,000 is getting into war and peace territory. This means your book will be between 100 and 230 pages in total. That means your manuscript must be at least 3540,000 words long. If a story takes more than one book, it becomes a series. You may decide that compensation isnt your end goal and your publication is more about creating a. You can use comparable, successful books as models to determine the length you book should be. I know of an author with a very large publisher whose novel has sold only 1,087 copies in its lifetime. The book length on kindle is rather useless since you dont get a real book length. A publisher with a production department that knows what theyre doing can estimate book length from a manuscript formatted in courier 12point, 1 margins, 25 lines per page. So 50,000 words is the minimum for a nonfiction book. Minimum realistic word count of nonfiction book writing. Book writing and publishing faq how long should my.

Any selfhelp or motivational nonfiction book should be between 30,000 and 70,000 words. If youre selfpublishing, length means little, as we mainly do marketing online and. And conversely, a longer book of over 60k words or 200 pages can command a higher price. I heard 10,000 words can be accepted as an e book at a short length at least for non fiction.

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. It may be based on a real story or it may even accurately describe the real event. So lets begin our calculations by focusing on word count first. Generally speaking, a shorter book of 150 finished pages or 40k words or less typically commands a lower price. For most publishers, a book is novellength when its between 50,000 and 110,000 words. Indeed, most traditional publishers limit nonfiction authors to 80,000 words for standard 6 x 9 books, between 240 and 280 pages. This may particularly be the case in academia, legal proceedings, journalism and advertising. 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.

The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 words. Learn the average word counts for various genres of fiction and nonfiction so you can determine the ideal length for your book. The size is less important than the value to the customer. Every category will have an average length, including childrens books, young adult, business books, etc. And a typical howto nonfiction book might need between 7 and 12 chapters to do this. By 2017, however, that number has dropped to 273 pages. Average book prices, 2014 2014 public 2014 school 20 public 20 school 2012 public 2012 school 2011 2010 2009 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008. Word count is commonly used by translators to determine the price of a translation job. Nonfiction wordcounts sit between 70,000120,000 words. Now that you know how the average nonfiction book is laid out, you are ready to move forward with learning how to increase your reading speed.

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. But the actual writing process time for a nonfiction title is usually faster than for a novel of 100,000 words. An approximate word count round numbers based on what your wp tells you enables them to estimate costs and other factors involved in printing a book. For starters, the average count for a page in a book is 250300 depending upon its trim size, margins, and font size. However, nonfiction need not be written text necessarily, since pictures and film can also purport to present a factual account of a subject. But i also know of others who have sold over 500,000 copies. What is the ideal length for a nonfiction book proposal.

I heard 10,000 words can be accepted as an ebook at a short length at least for nonfiction. Within the broad category of fiction, we divide stories up by length. Book size is often based on how thick the spine will be and how it will stand out in a bookstore although things are changing. Available in ebook, print, audiobook and workbook formats. If youd like some guidelines, you can assume that the average nonfiction book is 50k words, and that they have 12 chapters, so around 4k words would be an average chapter length. Jul 23, 2012 so 50,000 words is the minimum for a non fiction book. Complete content means that your chapter will be relevant to your. Id guesstimate that nonfiction books generally yes, this is very rough run perhaps 150450 pages, and at about 350 wdpage that works out to something like 50150k words. In outlining your book in 3 easy steps, editor shawn coyne says. What is the ideal length for kdp when writing a nonfiction book. However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for nonfiction books. This means that publishers are somewhat conservative.

The word count is the number of words in a document or passage of text. Within the publishing industry we tend to talk about the length of a book in words rather than in pages. The retail price you set for your book impacts your profit margin. Aug 05, 2019 before diving into the specifics of genrebased word counts, lets look at the broader picture of average book length. Word counting may be needed when a text is required to stay within certain numbers of words. But, most non fiction publishers want to be sold the concept, and therefore be able to discuss the direction of the project, before you write the book. The spine wouldnt even be thick enough to have the title and authors name printed. This is about the length readers want for general nonfiction, and it keeps publishers happy given the high cost of paper. Oct 18, 2017 as with everything else when it comes to writing a book, these are only guidelinesnot rules. If the material is a memoir or biography the term implies that the person being written about had the. Publishers want to know the overall length of your book. In 2011, the average length of a bestselling nonfiction book was 467 pages, but that dropped to 273 pages in 2017. Thats approximately 300 pages of doublespaced type. Nonfiction meaning in the cambridge english dictionary.

But like all the numbers when discussing book length, you should consider them as yardsticks rather than firm numbers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2. If you are writing a standard length novel, aim for 80,000 to 95,000 words. Also, in the four nonfiction books ive had traditionally published, ive never once been given a word count. 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. No profanity, graphic violence or sexuality romance, if any, is limited to a crush or a first kiss. If you stick to these when youre writing your nonfiction book, youll be fine. If youre drawn to writing much shorter tales, the ideal is to make them part of a series or to link them in some other way so that you can publish several of them in something vaguely novelsized. Short stories are often defined as any story under 7,500 words. Most manga stories run for as long as their mangaka manga author wants them to, or as long as their readership demands.

Word count estimates are not guaranteed to be accurate. Is nonfiction more profitable than fiction for authors. Nonfiction is one of the two main divisions in writing, particularly used in libraries, the other being fiction. Not counting your two to three sample chapters, your nonfiction book proposal should be no longer than 1015 pages. I asked agents elizabeth pomada and michael larsen of larsen pomada literary agency to add their thoughts to the subject. Brands and paul kriwaczek particularly kriwaczekhis chapters can be anywhere from 40 to 14 pages frequently have chapter lengths that vary from long to short, and the same. May 12, 2012 if you are writing a standard length novel, aim for 80,000 to 95,000 words. In fact, the average nonfiction book on amazon is 10,000 words, which translates to. A nonfiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. There will be times when you need to read a book quickly. Why does the length of a typical novel fall in the 80.

The average wordcount for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. For adult fiction especially crime, thrillers, womens fiction, saga and romance, 100,000 words is a good. The trade paperback is 314 which is at least 350 on a standard paper book. It doesnt have to be exact, but its there to guide writers. The average adult novel runs approximately 100,000 words while those in other categories run 80120,000 words. Flannery by brad gooch starts with a 50 page chapter and the rest cap out at somewhere around 30 tops, both h. Word counts may also be used to calculate measures. There are vastly different numbers for mass market paperback novels, tradepaperback original novels or trade non fiction, hardback original trade books, and for non trade titles in any of a. A reasonable word count for a nonfiction book would be between 30,000 to 50,000 words. A recommended wordcount might be 15002000 words but, more. I noticed way too many nonfiction kindle books around 3040 pages. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word nonfiction. Plus you have to take figures and tables into consideration with your word count or manuscript page count.

Nonfiction typically has longer sentences and less white space because it doesnt have dialogue. Typically, a book that is published in paperback format at a length of 300400 pages will come in between 80,000 and 100,000 words. Check the submission guidelines for agents and publishers you want to pitch. Oct 10, 2016 the lengths vary hugely from title to title, but chapters released weekly seem to average 1620 pages while chapters released monthly average 3650 pages. 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. I dont know what i can say to add to what has already been said. Times, sunday times 2008 a huge selection of fiction and nonfiction from our two large independent bookshops. But, most nonfiction publishers want to be sold the concept, and therefore be able to discuss the direction of the project, before you write the book. Book length average length of a non fiction booki youtube. Nonfiction ebook pricing in the kindle store by joel friedlander on april 25, 2011 61 comments pricing of ebooks is a constant source of discussion online, and weve seen the rebellions in the kindle store when publishers were allowed to start setting their own prices last year. I dont think you can put an age on talent when talking about writing. The term nonfiction implies that the material is based on truth, is reliable, and accurate. Many aspiring authors assume that getting started means cranking out tens of thousands of words before you approach an agent or publisher, but. Amazons most sold charts rank books according to the number of copies sold and preordered through, amazon books stores, and books read through digital subscription programs once a customer has read a certain percentage roughly the length of a free reading sample.

May 11, 2009 this entry was posted on monday, may 11th, 2009 at 11. How to finally write your nonfiction book the new york times. Information about nonfiction in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. Also remember, a large number of pages means higher printing costs. As with everything else when it comes to writing a book, these are only guidelinesnot rules. The key differences between middle grade vs young adult. I noticed way too many non fiction kindle books around 3040 pages. And for every book that sells 20,000, there is one that is a disaster. If youre selfpublishing, length means little, as we mainly do marketing online and sell printondemand. The term non fiction implies that the material is based on truth, is reliable, and accurate. Book length average length of a non fiction book a 10 minute training video from video discusses how to determine the av. Thats not short story length, but it is a lot shorter than a fiction novel. Though the average word count of a chapter is around 2,000 5,000 words, it all depends on your story.

How to set the retail price for your nonfiction book. If you set yourself a target of 85,000 words, youll know that if you fall short of that average figure, your story is either lacking in substance, or it doesnt have enough fuel to be a full length novel without some serious editing, and would. How many hours does it take to write a nonfiction book. What is the average age of a nonfiction book author. Focus on friends, family and the characters immediate world and relationship to it. If you set yourself a target of 85,000 words, youll know that if you fall short of that average figure, your story is either. Word count is commonly used by translators to determine the price for the translation job. Mar 20, 2020 the average adult novel runs approximately 100,000 words while those in other categories run 80120,000 words. Reading length is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to and affiliated sites. Your chapter length has to work well with the overall word count of the book short chapters create an even distribution of both content and action.

Sure, with life experience and writing experience, writers change and improve with age and usually grow into more powerful writers no matter the genre. However, non fiction need not be written text necessarily, since pictures and film can also purport to present a factual account of a subject. As for nonfiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels. On the other hand, in other genres for example, literary fiction, nonfiction. It should be enough to communicate your message effectively. Sep 03, 2017 amazons most sold charts rank books according to the number of copies sold and preordered through, amazon books stores, and books read through digital subscription programs once a customer has read a certain percentage roughly the length of a free reading sample. Pencilthin books on narrow topics that are under 50,000 words are quite common. It is a story poem format with a short introduction before each poem to help with some additional history information. A word count guide for 18 book genres, including fiction and nonfiction.

Be aware that the word average means that for every book that sells 15,000, there is one that sells 5,000. Kindle finally updated the page count to 276 from 114. There are plenty of books that purposefully play with the word counts of their chapters. Im writing a nonfiction book, detailing the unprecedented rise of the boise state broncos football program a reallife david, slaying reallife goliaths. Nov 07, 2016 generally speaking, a shorter book of 150 finished pages or 40k words or less typically commands a lower price. Oct 25, 2018 keep in mind that the average compensation per book matters less the more books you sell, which depends on your business model. Ive decided since i dont have an agent to do the bulk of the research and interviews first, then seek help, armed and ready. A non fiction book attractive to publishers of bestsellers starts at around 75,000 words. When talking about book length, its common to talk about word count rather than page count. A short story has a word count of under 20,000 words though anything over 10,000 puts it into that no man s land along with novellas where its. Writers digest recommends 80,000 to 89,999 words as a 100% safe range for literary, mainstream, womens, romance, mystery, suspense, thriller and horror.

However, there is a wide range of acceptable word counts for non fiction books. If you are an author of a book or know of a books accurate wordcount, contact me. Oct 02, 2006 non fiction is one of the two main divisions in writing, particularly used in libraries, the other being fiction. Hi out there, ive just about finished a nonfiction book about little known young and other heroes of the american revolution. Absolutely, chapter lengths can be all over the place. Novels for adult readers fall between 80,000 and 120,000 words. Within those 1015 pages, you must convince an agent, editor and publishing team that you and your book deserve a place on the shelf based on several key factors. Typically age 10 for a younger mg novel, and up to age for older, more complex books. At a writers conference i recently attended, publishing veteran jane friedman said 80,000 words is good for most fiction, below. The book is a rare work of nonfiction that mimics the suspense genre and leaves one gripped until the final paragraph. That number actually lines up pretty well with the data we have on this, but again, that number should neither be a goal, nor a constraint. Del cain, author of two nonfiction books of old west history. As for non fiction books, the standard bestsellers have word counts similar to adult novels.