Know Your Numbers Before You Write

Jacquelyn Lee
2 days ago
5 min read

Word Counts by Genre and Why They Matter More Than You Think

I have written enough to know that skipping the research costs you more time than it saves. It is a numbers game. We are talking about your word count numbers, the cost numbers, and the reader numbers that determine whether your book lands where it needs to. Most writers want to jump straight into the writing, and I get it. The idea is exciting, or the story is alluring. But the numbers side of it matters just as much as the idea itself, and most writers find that out the hard way.

Word count is one of those things that sounds like a technicality until you realize how much it affects your book. It shapes how you plan, how you pitch, how much it costs to produce, and how agents, publishers, and then readers receive it. Whether you write nonfiction or fiction, understanding the range for your genre is one of the first things you can do to set yourself up for success.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS BEFORE YOU WRITE

Before I start something new, I research both historical and current market standards for word counts in that genre. It helps me understand expectations and make sure my manuscript lines up with what publishers and readers are used to seeing.

It also helps to understand the full range of what you can write. Not everything has to be a full-length novel. Short stories come in under 7,500 words. From there you move into novelettes (7,500 to 17,500 words), then novellas (17,500 to 40,000 words), and then novels at 40,000 words and above. If the idea of writing 70,000 or 80,000 words feels overwhelming right now, starting with shorter works is a completely valid way to build your craft and your confidence before committing to something larger. It is also a great way to test a story idea before you invest months or years into it.

Here is a quick reference based on current industry standards:

GENRE	SUGGESTED WORD COUNT
Short Story	Under 7,500 words
Novelette	7,500 – 17,500 words
Novella	17,500 – 40,000 words
Children's	20,000 – 55,000 words
Nonfiction / Self-Help	50,000 – 80,000 words
Young Adult	55,000 – 80,000 words
Christian / Inspirational	55,000 – 90,000 words
Horror	70,000 – 100,000 words
Rom-Com	75,000 – 100,000 words
Memoir	80,000 – 90,000 words
Romance	80,000 – 100,000 words
Mystery	80,000 – 100,000 words
Thriller / Suspense	80,000 – 100,000 words
Action / Adventure	80,000 – 100,000 words
Literary Fiction	80,000 – 100,000 words
Fantasy & Sci-Fi	100,000 – 115,000 words

WHAT WORD COUNT MEANS FOR YOUR CAREER

These ranges exist for real reasons. Knowing where you fall within them matters, and it matters differently depending on where you are in your writing journey.

As a debut writer, staying within the safe zone for your genre is one of the smartest moves you can make. Literary agents look at word count early in the review process, and if your manuscript comes in too high or too low, you may never get the read you are hoping for.

Quality matters, and so does quantity. Either way, edits will be needed, and a manuscript that is already out of range gives an agent one more reason to pass before they even begin. It is often about cost and market expectations just as much as the writing itself. A longer book costs more to produce, and publishers weigh that financial risk carefully, especially with a debut.

This is also one of the reasons many writers choose to self-publish. When you are your own publisher, you get to make your own decisions about length. That creative freedom is real and it is part of the appeal. But even as an indie author, understanding word count expectations for your genre helps you make decisions that work in your favor rather than ones that work against you without you realizing it.

A tenured author with an established readership has more flexibility. Their audience already exists. Publishers and readers are more willing to follow them into longer or unconventional territory because the trust is already there. Debut writers are still building that trust, and word count is one of the ways the industry sizes up whether a manuscript is ready.

Think about your reader too. Based on your audience or reader level and age, a word count that is too high can feel intimidating. Word counts on the low end can feel like the story is not engaging enough. Your audience and your genre go hand in hand, and both should factor into the number you are working toward.

It is also worth knowing which direction you tend to write in, because both overwriting and underwriting come with their own challenges:

OVERWRITERS: If your manuscript is running well above the range for your genre, that is a signal to look closely at what is necessary. Scenes or descriptions that do not move the story forward are the first place to look. For more on cleaning up your prose, check out the Breaking the Ramble blog. That extra material also costs money to produce and can slow your reader down.
UNDERWRITERS: Coming in significantly below range has its own issues. It can point to a plot that is too simplified or not enough description and development. If the word count feels thin, go back and ask whether you have done enough with your characters and your scenes.

START WITH YOUR NUMBERS

Before you outline your nonfiction or plot your fiction novel, know your audience, your genre, and your target word count range. Writers who skip this step often find themselves revising not just their prose, but their entire structure, months into a project.

To help you put this into practice, I have put together three downloadable resources to go with this blog. Head over to jacquelynleewrites.wordpress.com/resources to grab them:

GENRE WORD COUNT REFERENCE CARD: A quick-reference guide you can keep open while you plan your manuscript.
MANUSCRIPT PLANNING WORKSHEET: A planning tool that helps you identify your audience, set your genre target, break it into a daily writing goal, and track your progress.
DEBUT VS. TENURED CHECKLIST: A self-assessment to help you figure out where you stand before you query or publish.