“How long should my book be?” is one of the first questions every new novelist asks, and one of the most useful. A target word count turns a vague dream into a project with a finish line, and it tells you early whether your idea is a short story, a novella or a full novel.
Here is how long a novel usually is, broken down by genre, with the maths for pages and chapters and a sensible target for a first book.
Quick answer
A novel is any work of fiction over 40,000 words, but most adult novels published today run 70,000 to 100,000 words. Thrillers, mysteries and literary fiction often land around 80,000 to 90,000; fantasy and science fiction run longer; young adult and romance often shorter. For a first novel, 70,000 to 90,000 words is a safe, finishable target.
Short story, novella or novel?
The clearest public definitions come from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, which sets these word-count categories for its Nebula Awards. Most of the publishing world uses something close to them.
| Category | Word count | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| Short story | fewer than 7,500 | a single situation or turning point |
| Novelette | 7,500 to 17,499 | a short story with room for a subplot |
| Novella | 17,500 to 39,999 | one main storyline, few characters |
| Novel | 40,000 or more | multiple threads, a full arc |
Novel word counts by genre
Genre shapes length. Epic fantasy needs room to build a world; a tight thriller needs to keep moving. These are the ranges agents and editors commonly cite for adult and young-reader fiction. They are guidelines, not rules, so check what recent books in your exact niche look like.
| Genre | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Literary fiction | 70,000 to 100,000 | wide range; voice matters more than length |
| Commercial / upmarket fiction | 80,000 to 100,000 | the mainstream sweet spot |
| Mystery | 70,000 to 90,000 | cosy mysteries can run shorter |
| Thriller / suspense | 80,000 to 100,000 | pace beats page count |
| Romance | 50,000 to 100,000 | category romance is often 50,000 to 75,000 |
| Science fiction | 90,000 to 120,000 | world-building adds length |
| Fantasy | 90,000 to 120,000 | epic fantasy often runs longer |
| Horror | 70,000 to 90,000 | tension is easier to sustain when tight |
| Young adult (YA) | 50,000 to 90,000 | YA fantasy sits at the top of the range |
| Middle grade | 30,000 to 55,000 | readers aged about 8 to 12 |
| Memoir | 60,000 to 90,000 | personal or family memoirs can be any length |
How many pages is a novel?
Pages depend on trim size, font and spacing, so word count is the number publishers use. As a rough guide, a printed paperback holds about 250 to 300 words per page. That means:
- a 50,000-word novel is roughly 170 to 200 pages;
- an 80,000-word novel is roughly 270 to 320 pages;
- a 100,000-word novel is roughly 330 to 400 pages.
In standard manuscript format (double-spaced, 12-point font), a page holds fewer words, so the same book will look much longer on your screen than it will in print.
How long are famous novels?
Commonly cited word counts show how wide the range really is:
- The Great Gatsby: about 47,000 words
- Fahrenheit 451: about 46,000 words
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: about 77,000 words
- The Hunger Games: about 100,000 words
- A Game of Thrones: close to 300,000 words
Write the book your story needs, then check it against your genre’s range, not the other way round.
How long should your first novel be?
If you are writing your first novel, aim for the middle of your genre’s range rather than the edges. Here is why, in order of importance:
- You are more likely to finish. A 75,000-word target is about five months at 500 words a day. A 150,000-word epic is closer to ten.
- Debuts that run far over the range are a harder sell. Agents often hesitate at first novels that are much longer than comparable titles, because longer books cost more to edit and print.
- Revision usually changes the length anyway. Some writers cut 10 to 20 percent in revision; others add scenes. Start in the middle and you have room either way.
If you plan to self-publish, you have more freedom, but reader expectations for your genre still apply.
Plan to the right length
Pick a length, get an outline sized to match. In Bookh you choose short story, novella, novel or series, and the chapter outline it builds is scaled to that length, with a live word count as you draft.
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How long should a chapter be?
There is no standard chapter length. Most novel chapters fall between about 1,500 and 5,000 words, and 2,000 to 4,000 is a common middle ground. Thrillers often use short chapters to keep readers turning pages; literary novels may use fewer, longer ones. End a chapter when the scene or sequence reaches a natural turn, ideally on a question the reader wants answered.
For a step-by-step plan from idea to finished draft, read our guide on how to write a book for the first time.
Novel length FAQ
How many words is a novel?
Anything over 40,000 words counts as a novel under the definition used by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, but most adult novels published today run between 70,000 and 100,000 words.
How many pages is an 80,000-word novel?
At roughly 250 to 300 words per printed page, an 80,000-word novel comes to about 270 to 320 pages, depending on trim size, font and layout.
Is 50,000 words long enough for a novel?
Yes, technically. 50,000 words is a short novel, which suits some genres such as category romance, middle grade or a slim literary novel. For most adult genres, publishers expect more.
What is the difference between a novella and a novel?
Length and scope. A novella runs about 17,500 to 40,000 words and usually follows one main storyline; a novel is 40,000 words or more and has room for subplots and a larger cast.
How long should a chapter be?
Most novel chapters fall between about 1,500 and 5,000 words, with 2,000 to 4,000 a common middle ground. Write chapters to the length the scene needs.
Cover photo: Heffloaf / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
