How Long Should My Book Manuscript Be?
As a book editor, I often receive manuscripts that are much longer than the industry standard. I understand this, since authors often write a full draft and then want feedback on what to trim. Yet it’s also worth discussing what’s an ideal length, and offering tips to help you trim on your own. Shaving your manuscript before an editor reads it will save you time and money.
If you’re traditionally publishing, you’ll receive a “word count” target upon contracting. If you’re self-publishing, you get to choose. Either way, concise writing reaps benefits.
Below are the typical word-count ranges based on current industry trends, and influenced by my own experience.
A sweet spot for business and self-help books is typically between 45,000 and 65,000 words. I’ve seen effective business books of around 35,000 words, especially if exercises are included to add value for the reader, but it would be hard to get a publisher’s attention at that length. And I’ve seen them as long as 100,000 words, but anything over around 85,000 tends to get cumbersome.
Other non-fiction can vary greatly. Research your genre, but the guidelines for business and self-help (above) are a good starting place. If you’re writing about history or policy, it’s understandable to stretch the length a bit.
Memoirs often hit a sweet spot between 50,000 to 75,000. That said, they can range from 40,000 to 100,000 (and sometimes higher).
Novels also average between 50,000 and 75,000. But they can be shorter or longer—with some hitting 140,000 words. Fantasy and sci-fi tend to be the longest, followed by crime.
“But I Have So Much to Pack into My Memoir!”
Unless your memoir is a legacy piece for family, if you exceed industry guidelines, you risk that only the most diehard family historian will find your story intriguing. A memoir isn’t an autobiography—meaning it doesn’t cover your entire life. Nor does it include every detail or character. It’s also expected that you’ll fictionalize some parts. After all, you likely didn’t carry a tape recorder as a preschooler to capture dialogue for your future memoir; but that doesn’t mean you can’t fabricate some direct conversations.
More on Nonfiction
If your nonfiction book is unraveling an esoteric, niche topic, you might exceed the typical recommended length to provide enough detail. But, your idea/model will be clearer if it’s accessible—without too much “extra.”
Whatever your length, genre, or topic, there is one cardinal rule: You must keep your reader engaged. Too much repetition or detail might distract or bore them—or cause them to lose trust in your organizational skills. If readers abandon your book before they’ve had a chance to become transformed by your message, that would be tragic!
There are other reasons why “size matters.” If you’re entering contests like BookLife, they have specific word-range requirements. And if you’re self-publishing, your royalties for online sellers like Amazon are calculated using a formula that involves the length of your book (more pages equate to a higher cost of printing). This means you’ll earn slightly more if your book is shorter. (But don’t make it too short, because a reader expects a certain value!)
In my next post, I’ll share tips on “How to Trim a Manuscript That Is Too Long.”
