Key takeaways
Most adult novels land between roughly 70,000 and 100,000 words, according to Reedsy's editors, with fantasy and science fiction often running longer and young adult and middle grade shorter.
For awards, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America counts 40,000 words or more as a novel, and anything between 17,500 and 40,000 words as a novella.
Agents care about fit. A word count that matches your genre helps, and a number far outside it needs to be justified by the book.
To hit a target, divide it by the days you have. At 500 words a day, an 80,000-word draft takes 160 days.
Every new novelist asks the same thing at some point: how long is this supposed to be?
The honest answer is "it depends," but that is not very helpful. There are real ranges that editors, agents, and awards use, and knowing them helps you plan your draft and avoid a manuscript that is too short or too long for what you are writing.
This guide gives you word counts by genre and by form, with the source for each range named so you can check it yourself. It then covers what debut authors should aim for, how chapters and pace fit in, and a plan for reaching your target one day at a time.
How Many Words Are in a Novel?
A standard adult novel sits somewhere around 70,000 to 100,000 words, according to Reedsy's guide to novel word counts, which draws on its team of editors. Reedsy gives about 40,000 words as the minimum for a work to count as a novel and notes that some genres run up to roughly 140,000.
Jericho Writers, a UK writing and agent-matching service, states that the average word count for adult fiction is between 70,000 and 120,000 words in its guide to novel word counts.
Those two ranges overlap, and it is fair to say the middle of the market is around 80,000 to 100,000 words for most adult genres. Individual books are often outside it.
Novel Word Count by Genre
These are ranges from Reedsy's editors. Treat them as a guide, not a rule.
| Genre | Typical word count (Reedsy) |
|---|---|
| Fantasy and science fiction | 100,000 to 115,000 |
| Mystery and thriller | 80,000 to 100,000 |
| Literary fiction | 80,000 to 100,000 |
| Romance | 80,000 to 100,000 |
| Horror | 70,000 to 100,000 |
| Memoir | 80,000 to 90,000 |
| Young adult | 55,000 to 80,000 |
| Nonfiction | 50,000 to 80,000 |
| Middle grade | 20,000 to 55,000 |
Jericho Writers adds some detail on other ranges. It gives young adult as roughly 50,000 to 70,000 words, says an epic space opera can run well over 150,000 while a short, tight science fiction story might be only 60,000, and says commercial novels need roughly a 70,000 to 75,000 word minimum to sell, while literary novels can start a little lower, perhaps around 60,000 or even 50,000. Its examples for crime and thrillers include books of around 80,000 to 95,000 words.
You will notice the sources disagree a little, for example on young adult. Neither is wrong. Publishing is not standardized, and different houses and editors have different preferences.
Word Count by Form: From Flash Fiction to Novel
Story length has names, and for awards in science fiction and fantasy the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) defines them in its Nebula Award rules:
| Form | Word count (SFWA Nebula rules) |
|---|---|
| Short story | Fewer than 7,500 words |
| Novelette | 7,500 to fewer than 17,500 words |
| Novella | 17,500 to fewer than 40,000 words |
| Novel | 40,000 words or more |
These are the definitions used for that award. Other prizes, magazines, and publishers set their own limits, so check the guidelines of wherever you plan to submit. Very short forms are usually defined by individual markets, and many magazines publish stories well under the SFWA's upper limit for short stories.
If you are writing short fiction, see also our creative writing prompts for ways to start.
How Many Words Should a Debut Novel Be?
Agents and editors take on unknown writers more readily when the manuscript is in a normal range for its genre. A long first book is a bigger risk to publish, since it costs more to print and edit.
Jericho Writers' advice for authors seeking an agent includes these points:
- Match your genre. No agent, it says, is going to read a middle grade book of 167,000 words.
- Novels can be up to 180,000 words or even more, but the book must be wonderful and must justify its length.
- Commercial novels need to be around 70,000 to 75,000 words at the minimum to sell.
In practice, that means the safest target for a first novel is the middle of your genre's range, and a draft that goes well beyond the top of it usually needs cutting before you send it out. A draft well under the range may need more development. Always check the submission guidelines of any agent or publisher you plan to approach, because many state their own preferences.
How Many Words Per Chapter?
There is no standard chapter length. Some novels have chapters of 1,000 words and others 5,000 or more. What matters is that each chapter has a shape: a purpose, a turn, and a reason to read the next one. To plan, divide your target by the number of chapters you want. For example, an 80,000-word novel in 32 chapters averages 2,500 words per chapter. Decide on the number of chapters that suits your plot and the pace of your genre, and keep an eye on whether any chapter is far longer or shorter than the rest without a reason.
How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?
This is arithmetic, and a daily word count turns a big goal into a routine.
| Daily words | 50,000-word draft | 80,000-word draft | 100,000-word draft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | 200 days | 320 days | 400 days |
| 500 | 100 days | 160 days | 200 days |
| 1,000 | 50 days | 80 days | 100 days |
| 2,000 | 25 days | 40 days | 50 days |
These days assume you write every day. If you write five days a week, multiply by 1.4. A first draft is not a finished book. Revision often takes as long as drafting, and sometimes longer.
A Plan to Hit Your Word Count
- Choose your target. Use the genre ranges above and pick a number you can describe in one line.
- Set a daily or weekly goal that you can keep when life is busy. A smaller, steady goal beats a heroic one that collapses.
- Block a time and a place. Habits form when the trigger is the same.
- Track your count. A simple spreadsheet or a simple word counter shows progress.
- Do not edit while drafting. Finish the draft, then revise.
- Plan a little. An outline keeps you from running out of road. Try the free plot generator for a structure and the story character generator for your cast.
- Plan to cut. Most first drafts end up shorter after revision.
If you are stuck in the middle, the plot twist generator can give you a nudge. And if you plan to self-publish, the free ebook creator helps you shape the book. Our pages on book writing and story writing explain more about how writers use Writingful at each stage.
How to Write a Novel: A Short Version
If you are starting from zero, the steps are simple even if the work is not:
- Find a story you want to tell and a character who wants something.
- Outline the main turns: the setup, the big change, the crisis, and the ending.
- Write a messy first draft to the end.
- Rest, then revise for structure before sentences.
- Get feedback from a few honest readers.
- Polish, then decide whether to submit to agents or to self-publish.
What These Ranges Cannot Tell You
Word counts are a guide to the market, not a measure of quality. Plenty of famous books fall outside the ranges above, and trends change over time. The figures here come from the named sources and were checked in October 2026, but publishers and agents set their own rules, which can differ from any published range. Always read the submission guidelines of each agent, publisher, or contest. An AI tool can help you plan and brainstorm, but the book still has to be yours.
