The short answer
A novel is typically 70,000 to 100,000 words. 80,000 words is the canonical debut novel target. Genre matters: fantasy and sci-fi run longer, romance and mystery sit a little shorter, literary fiction sits right in the middle. Anything under 50,000 words is generally a novella, not a novel.
Fiction length categories
The standard categories used by award bodies, agents, and the industry. These ranges come from the Hugo and Nebula award definitions plus general publishing conventions.
| Category | Word count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flash fiction | Under 1,000 | Sometimes called sudden fiction or microfiction. |
| Short story | 1,000 – 7,500 | The Hugo/Nebula upper limit is 7,500. |
| Novelette | 7,500 – 17,500 | Mostly used in sci-fi and fantasy markets. |
| Novella | 17,500 – 40,000 | Of Mice and Men, A Christmas Carol, Heart of Darkness. |
| Novel | 40,000 + | Most published novels are 70,000 – 100,000. |
Novel word counts by genre
Genre matters more than people expect. Submitting an 80,000-word epic fantasy is too short. Submitting a 130,000-word romance is too long. These ranges reflect what agents and publishers actually buy.
| Genre | Typical word count | Debut sweet spot |
|---|---|---|
| Literary fiction | 70,000 – 100,000 | 80,000 – 90,000 |
| Commercial / upmarket | 80,000 – 100,000 | 80,000 – 90,000 |
| Romance | 70,000 – 100,000 | 80,000 – 90,000 |
| Mystery / thriller | 70,000 – 90,000 | 75,000 – 85,000 |
| Cozy mystery | 65,000 – 80,000 | 70,000 – 75,000 |
| Science fiction | 90,000 – 120,000 | 90,000 – 100,000 |
| Fantasy | 90,000 – 120,000 | 95,000 – 110,000 |
| Epic fantasy | 120,000 – 200,000+ | 110,000 – 130,000 (debut) |
| Historical fiction | 90,000 – 120,000 | 95,000 – 110,000 |
| Horror | 70,000 – 90,000 | 75,000 – 85,000 |
| Western | 65,000 – 85,000 | 70,000 – 80,000 |
| Memoir | 70,000 – 100,000 | 80,000 – 90,000 |
Word counts by age category
Children's and young adult fiction has its own word count ranges, and they are often stricter than adult genres.
| Age category | Word count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Picture book | 500 – 1,000 | Under 500 is often better. |
| Early reader | 1,000 – 2,500 | Designed for new independent readers. |
| Chapter book | 5,000 – 15,000 | Roughly ages 6 – 9. |
| Middle grade | 20,000 – 50,000 | Ages 8 – 12. Sweet spot is 30,000 – 45,000. |
| Young adult (YA) | 50,000 – 90,000 | Sweet spot is 60,000 – 80,000. |
| YA fantasy / sci-fi | 70,000 – 100,000 | Can stretch to 110,000 for established authors. |
| New adult (NA) | 60,000 – 85,000 | Sits between YA and adult. |
How many words in a chapter?
There is no industry standard chapter length. The best answer is "as long as the scene needs to be." Empirically:
- Most published novels: 2,000 to 5,000 words per chapter on average.
- Commercial thrillers: 1,500 to 3,000 words per chapter, sometimes shorter, for pace.
- Literary fiction: 4,000 to 8,000 words per chapter is common.
- Middle grade: 1,000 to 2,500 words per chapter, kept short for younger readers.
- Fantasy / sci-fi: 4,000 to 7,000 words per chapter, sometimes longer.
Some bestsellers have chapters under 500 words (James Patterson, certain Stephen King). Some have chapters over 15,000 words (Donna Tartt). The "right" chapter length is the one that serves the scene's pace.
How many words is a screenplay?
Screenplays are measured in pages, not words. The convention is one page equals roughly one minute of screen time. A feature screenplay is usually 90 to 120 pages, or about 18,000 to 24,000 words at the typical 200 words per page of formatted screenplay.
| Format | Pages | Approximate words |
|---|---|---|
| TV pilot (half-hour) | 30 – 35 | 6,000 – 7,000 |
| TV pilot (hour) | 55 – 65 | 11,000 – 13,000 |
| Feature film | 90 – 120 | 18,000 – 24,000 |
| Short film | 1 – 40 | 200 – 8,000 |
Word counts of famous novels
Useful reference points. These are approximate and vary slightly between editions.
| Novel | Approximate word count |
|---|---|
| The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) | 47,000 |
| The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway) | 27,000 |
| The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) | 73,000 |
| 1984 (Orwell) | 89,000 |
| To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) | 100,000 |
| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Rowling) | 77,000 |
| The Hobbit (Tolkien) | 95,000 |
| The Hunger Games (Collins) | 100,000 |
| The Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) | 187,000 |
| A Game of Thrones (Martin) | 298,000 |
| The Stand (King, uncut) | 472,000 |
| War and Peace (Tolstoy) | 587,000 |
How long does it take to write that many words?
For the data-backed answer, see how long does it take to write a novel. For planning a daily target around a deadline, use the daily word count goal calculator. For converting word counts to manuscript or book pages, use the words to pages calculator.
Track the words as you write them
Knowing the target is one thing. Watching your word count climb toward it is another. Authorlytica records your daily output, projects an updated finish date, and shows your real pace across the project. Free forever plan, no card.