Does Word Count Matter?: Selling Your Story in the Modern Reading World

There's been some debate about whether a book belongs in a certain genre based on its word count. I believe books don't necessarily have to subscribe to certain criteria to be deemed readable or entertaining. What matters is the writing style, plot, characters, and story arcs that propel the book forward.

Keep traditional word counts in mind

When writing a book, it's good to do some research. Online searches will tell you that if you write a young adult novel, for example, it should fall within specific word counts to appeal to your target audience. Same with romance books, fantasy books, and autobiographies. Remember that book publishing is a business. There have to be guidelines in order to sell to the masses. But as the writer (and especially if you self-publish), you are the master of your own ship and you can steer your reader into a book binge even if your novel doesn't fit the typical mold. Still, it's a good idea to have a range of words in mind and ask yourself if your book's page count will intimidate readers or keep them turning the page.

You can steer your reader into a book binge even if your novel doesn't fit the typical mold.

According to publishing industry resource Reedsy, word counts vary depending on the genre. Here is their recommendation for the most popular genres today:

Romance Novel - 80k to 100k words

Young Adult Novel - 55k to 80k words

Fantasy Novel - 100k to 115k

Memoir & Biography - 80k to 90k

Mystery - 80k to 100k

But what about non-novel-length stories? Short stories and novellas are experiencing a resurgence, especially among indie authors. Their word counts vary too, but in general:

Short story - under 10k words

Novella - 11k to 50k words

Novel - 51k words and above

Write, write, write then trim

No matter where your story sits on the book spectrum, remember that the first step is writing the book itself. Get the words on paper and trim in the editing stage(s). Ask yourself if every word is needed for the story to come to life. If not, cut it. Reread. Sit with the bare bones and reshape where necessary. You want an entertaining read, not one that will fall flat or worse, land in a DNF pile.

Present your best, always

By the time you're ready to publish your novel, you want it to be absolutely perfect. That means getting the narrative flow, the characterization, the plot, the setting, and especially the wording exactly right so that it can shine in a person's mind and sing on the shelves.

Hire beta readers to weed out plot holes, ask an editor to do an editorial assessment or copyediting (or more), and read your story out loud to ensure it will grow successfully in a reader's mind.

In short, word count does matter, especially if your storytelling isn't strong enough. Weed out the most problematic adverbs, adjectives, repeated phrases, crutch words, fillers, and over-detailed actions and make your book its best version. No matter what.