Lesson 13: Word count for your book

Let’s land on a word count...

Let me start by saying word count is not an end all and can vary, but it can be helpful to know the typical word count per genre and create a writing plan based on that word count goal in order to meet your book writing timeline.

How many words are there to a page?

It depends on the font you are using, of course, but in general, 250-350 words per page. Therefore, a 55,000 word book should be about 150 manuscript pages. A 100,000 word book would be about 350.

How many pages are in a chapter?

This varies best on the overall goal of your book and the style of storytelling. Some books have more chapters with shorter page numbers. Others, have fewer chapters with longer page numbers. Don’t be afraid to make your own rules here.

On average chapters tend to be around 10-15 pages, but some essays or memoir books might have short word counts with many chapters. Refer back to your ideal structure to consider.

Breaking down common book lengths on genre:

poetry book:

150 pages: 15,000 at 100 words a page/ give and take

nonfiction/ memoir:

200-250 pages: 35,000- 70,000 words at 300-350 words a page/ give and take

fiction:

350 pages: 50,000- 80,000 at 300- 350 word a page/ give and take.

Consider for yourself, what page length feels good for your book project and we will create a writing plan from there.

So for instance, if 200 pages feels great or 250. If you are unsure, turn back to your favorite books in the genre you are imagining and see how many pages their book is as inspiration.

Pick you ideal word count, write it down, and let’s move on to how to set that up in writing schedule.