Nathan Bransford - The Forums

I see different advice for the word count of a middle-grade novel. Length potentially 30,000-35,000 words max (maybe less). I have read that 2500 words per chapter is good. I have been running at 3000-3500 words? Too, too much? Or doable?

That word count sounds a little low to me for MG - unless it's an easy reader. More like 50,000 - 80,000 is what I have found typical for (upper) middle-grade novels, though I suppose a story takes as long or as short as it takes to tell. Also, I don't think there is much recommendation on chapter sizes, but 3,000 to 3,500 would work if that's what you are ending up with. Hate to promote another forum here, but if MG is your thing you should check out Verla Kay's forum for children's writers. Every question you can think up will have been answered somewhere on the forum. Just do a search. Good luck.

I don't think there is any firm rules as to number of words per chapter. I have read some books with one paragraph or even a sentence in a chapter - ad others that seem to go one forever page after page.
I think it's all up to the content and the impact wanted.

I was told the chapter lengths aren't important...just try to keep them all around the same length.

If your average chapter is ten pages, keep them all around ten. Of course average means some may be 8 pages and some may be 12 pages.

But I don't think there are any hard rules about this.