Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know of current stats on average word counts according to genre? I know that publishers are not as hot about longer books at the moment, and I am concerned that the info I'm using might be a little old. I'm in the final frenzies this week of finishing my manuscript, so I would like it to measure up well!

Thanks!

If you do a search on the forums here you'll find another question on this from a couple of months ago. I posted a link to a blog that listed genre-appropriate word counts. I can't remember where I got it (I follow quite a few editor/agent blogs) or I'd re-post it.

I hope it's okay to post a link...

Here's Chuck Sambuchino's "Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post" from September 27, 2009

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/bl ... Count.aspx

Okay, it was bothering me that I couldn't remember (sleepy morning for me), so I went to the blog I thought it was on...and it was! Yay! It's from 2007, but she has referenced it fairly recently, so it's still pretty accurate as far as debut expectations.

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2 ... eject.html

cheekychook wrote:I hope it's okay to post a link...

Here's Chuck Sambuchino's "Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post" from September 27, 2009

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/bl ... Count.aspx

That's a good one, too. I like his He's Just Not That Into You reference. I've used the same argument a few times. My one hesitation would be his section on sci-fi/fantasy. 115k will still get a debut rejected for length by some agents and editors. Staying closer to 100k is much safer. I've heard (from an editor) going as low as 85K is fine, but a couple of publishing houses don't want to see a fantasy under 100k. So I'm still a big fan of the 100k target for adult fantasy.

Thanks for the links. Looks like I should beef my current book up a little bit, but not much. I'm still in revisions so there should be a lot of cutting, leaving room to expand the important stuff.

Hmmmm.

That was brilliant.

BUT, what if I am writing a cross-genre book and there is almost 30,000 words difference between the averages?

I guess I should just write the book and throw caution to the wind. It seems to work for me in everything else. Carpe diem, I suppose.

amyashley wrote:BUT, what if I am writing a cross-genre book and there is almost 30,000 words difference between the averages?

I guess I should just write the book and throw caution to the wind. It seems to work for me in everything else. Carpe diem, I suppose.

Perhaps go with the word count of the primary genre. I'm not a big caution-to-the-wind proponent. A novel is a lot of work, especially the first few, when the outcome can seem more dire and rejection more a mortal wound than they seem to be a few books later.