TL;DR
Published sources put a typical adult novel at roughly 70,000 to 100,000 words, up to 120,000 or more for fantasy and epics, and lower for young adult and middle grade. Ranges differ between sources, and recent medians are often lower than the ranges, so check books like yours.
The average adult novel runs between roughly 70,000 and 100,000 words, according to Reedsy, and 70,000 to 120,000 according to Jericho Writers, which guesses the true average is near 90,000. Genre moves the range: romance and thrillers sit in the middle, fantasy and science fiction run longer, and young adult and middle grade run shorter.
Word counts by length category
Before genre, there is the question of what counts as a novel at all. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) sets out categories for its Nebula Awards:
| Category | Word count (SFWA, Nebula Awards rules) |
|---|---|
| Short story | Fewer than 7,500 |
| Novelette | 7,500 to fewer than 17,500 |
| Novella | 17,500 to fewer than 40,000 |
| Novel | 40,000 or more |
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Arrow keys work when the table is focused.
These are award rules, not publishing rules, and Reedsy notes that other organisations set their own thresholds. Its example is NaNoWriMo, the November challenge run by a nonprofit until it closed in 2025, which set the goal at 50,000 words. Many well-known books fall below 40,000 words, Reedsy points out, including The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at 38,421 and Animal Farm at 29,966. So 40,000 is the lowest line any source draws, and agents and publishers usually expect far more.
Average word count by genre
Two long-running guides give ranges. Reedsy's comes from its editors. Jericho Writers' is written by a published novelist who lists word counts for the books he cites, taken from published figures or estimated with online tools to within about 10 percent. Their numbers overlap, but not exactly.
| Genre | Reedsy (editors) | Jericho Writers |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy and science fiction | 100,000 to 115,000 | Fantasy can run up to 180,000 or over 200,000 if it justifies the length; science fiction varies, from about 60,000 to over 150,000 |
| Mystery and thriller | 80,000 to 100,000 | Crime: 75,000 as a lower limit, up to 120,000 without trouble, 135,000 at the top |
| Literary fiction | 80,000 to 100,000, as short as 60,000 | Up to 120,000; a good short novel might be 60,000 |
| Romance | 80,000 to 100,000 | Genre romance 50,000 to 60,000; broader romance 75,000 to 100,000 |
| Horror | 70,000 to 100,000 | Not given |
| Historical fiction | Not given | 75,000 to 100,000; epic 150,000 to 180,000 or more |
| Young adult | 55,000 to 80,000 | 50,000 to 70,000 |
| Middle grade | 20,000 to 55,000 | Depends on the age group; count comparable books |
| Memoir | 80,000 to 90,000 | 70,000 to 100,000 |
| Nonfiction (general) | 50,000 to 80,000 | Popular nonfiction 70,000 to 120,000 |
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Arrow keys work when the table is focused.
Reedsy's picture books are around 400 to 800 words, board books around 300 and early readers around 2,000. Jericho does not give figures for them.
Where the sources disagree
- Fantasy and science fiction. Reedsy's 100,000 to 115,000 is a typical range. Jericho describes a much wider ceiling and stresses that the book must earn it.
- Romance. Jericho separates the short, series-style genre romance (50,000 to 60,000) from longer romantic stories. Reedsy gives one range, and says some sub-genres vary.
- Nonfiction. Reedsy's upper end is 80,000, and Jericho's is 120,000 for popular nonfiction.
Disagreement is a signal that these numbers describe habits, not laws. Reedsy says outright that they are not strict rules, and Jericho says there is no right or wrong, only that you tell readers accurately what kind of book it is.
What Reedsy's marketplace data shows
Reedsy also reports the median word counts of manuscripts on its own marketplace, comparing 2023 with 2024. Some of its figures: fantasy 85,300 to 87,100, mystery and thriller 75,200 to 78,500, romance 75,000 in both years, literary fiction 60,000 to 66,300, young adult 70,000 to 73,900. Its comment is that although medians fluctuated, all genres remained within their average ranges or shorter.
Two cautions. This is one platform's sample, so it may not match the wider market. And the medians sit below the ranges for several genres, which suggests that the ranges are a ceiling many books do not reach.
Why word count matters
Reedsy lists three reasons: reader expectations, narrative flow and production costs. Longer books are more expensive to produce, particularly because of paper, so publishers pay attention. Reedsy quotes freelance editor Jessica Hatch: "In the New York agencies I worked for, it was rare to see a 120,000-word manuscript avoid the slush pile." It also quotes editor Jackie Bates, who finds that when someone has written a very short or overly long novel, they often don't quite have a grip on their story. Those are individual editors' views, not statistics, but they match what the guides recommend: stay within the range for your genre, and have a reason if you leave it.
The rules change with the route. Jericho notes that self-publishing authors are not bound by print costs, and gives the example of beach-read romances of about 30,000 words, in a series of eight or so books. Its golden rules are to tell readers accurately what kind of book it is and to price it to the length.
Books that show the range
Reedsy and Jericho both list real books with their lengths. From Reedsy: Ender's Game at 100,609 words, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at 106,821 and The Golden Compass at 112,815 in fantasy and science fiction; The Perks of Being a Wallflower at 60,438, Eleanor & Park at 78,179 and The Hunger Games at 99,750 in young adult; and The One and Only Ivan at 26,263 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at 30,644 in middle grade. From Jericho: 1984 at about 90,000, The Girl on the Train at about 95,000 and Bridget Jones's Diary at about 75,000, each rounded to the nearest 5,000.
Exceptions
Reedsy lists books that are far longer than their genre's range, such as A Storm of Swords at 424,000 words, and says that such books were published after their authors had already become famous and built a large fanbase. It adds that epics are not reserved for the famous, citing Outlander at about 305,000, but advises caution over 100,000 words if you are starting out. The author of Jericho's guide says he sold a first novel of 190,000 words, and also says that very long books need an epic quality and excellent storytelling.
So you can go long. The question is whether the story justifies each page.
How to choose your target
- Pick three to five recent books like yours. The same genre, audience and publisher type.
- Find their lengths. Publishers sometimes list word counts, and tools or estimates fill the gaps. Jericho says its own estimates should be within about 10 percent of the true length, and rounds to the nearest 5,000.
- Set a target range, not a number. If the books run 80,000 to 95,000, aim near the middle.
- Plan your draft around scenes. At 1,500 words a scene, 90,000 words is about 60 scenes. How to write a novel shows how to plan in scenes.
- Revise toward the range. First drafts often run long. Jane Friedman's site carries Amy L. Bernstein's account of cutting roughly 8,000 words from a 96,000-word draft, while still writing new scenes. Her summary: "It's all about what you write, not how much you write."
For fantasy in particular, how to write a fantasy novel covers how a long world book earns its length.
Tracking your count while you write
Counting is the easy part. What matters is whether the words are in the right places. Keep a count per scene and per chapter, so you can see where the draft is heavy. Musael's manuscript editor has writing goals and a focus mode, and the plan board shows the status of every scene, so a target does not need a spreadsheet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average word count of a novel?
Reedsy gives 70,000 to 100,000 words for a standard novel, and Jericho Writers gives 70,000 to 120,000, guessing that the true average is near 90,000. Genre changes the range.
What is the minimum word count for a novel?
By the SFWA's Nebula Awards rules, 40,000 words. Reedsy notes other organisations differ: NaNoWriMo, the November challenge run by a nonprofit until it closed in 2025, set its goal at 50,000 words. Publishers usually expect longer for adult fiction.
How many words should a first novel be?
Check recent debuts in your genre. For many adult genres, 70,000 to 100,000 is a safe zone, and Reedsy cautions that going far over 100,000 as a new author needs care.
Is a 50,000 word novel too short?
It meets the SFWA minimum and fits some categories, such as middle grade or short genre romance, per the sources above. For most adult genres, publishers expect more.
Does word count matter for self-publishing?
Less than for traditional publishing, as Jericho says, but you still need to describe the book accurately and price it to its length.
Where Musael fits
A target length is a promise to yourself that the book will reach its last page. In Musael the plan board and the manuscript are one structure, so you can see acts, chapters and scenes together and tell where your draft is heavy before you reach the end. The AI editor on Ink and Press can analyse pacing across the manuscript and point to where it sags, and it never writes for you.
Sources
- SFWA, Nebula Awards rules: nebulas.sfwa.org
- Reedsy, "How Many Words in a Novel? (Updated for 2026)": blog.reedsy.com
- Jericho Writers, "How Many Words in a Novel?": jerichowriters.com
- Amy L. Bernstein, "The Case for Shrinking Your Novel", Jane Friedman: janefriedman.com