how long should a fiction manuscript be

When entering other competitions, I regularly saw suggested word ranges of 60-100,000 words (50-80 being more the range for YA) for manuscripts, sometimes with higher limits of 120 or 150,000 words for fantasy, especially epic fantasy. . If you've written a 50,000-word fantasy epic, chances are you're too short. Biography: 80,000-200,000 words. 2) It should be just long enough to tell your story. You should see a box labeled "Find and Replace.". One guideline is to allow one synopsis page for every twenty-five pages of manuscriptMost editors and agentsprefer short synopses two to ten pages. It's highly unlikely to find a literary agent who'll represent your 300,000 word novel. For some books, that's 40,000 words; for some it's 150,000. Divide your estimated word count by eight to discover how long each structural segment should be. 3 Essential Parts of a Novel Synopsis. Novel: A manuscript over 40,000 words is considered to be a novel. "I'm thinking of aiming for older children," I told her. However long that took, the editing will take 2 to 3 times as long. Take your word count and divide it by 300. But genre books ( fantasy, sci-fi, or historical fiction) are often longer; around the 125,000 word mark. Sci fi and fantasy tends to go a little longer 90,000-110,000 maybe 125,000. strongly prefer one page. Or at least not a definitive, satisfying one. Let's just make this easy and say you're writing an 80k-word story. (Note: I find Times New Roman easier to read.) No exceptions. Single title 90,000 to 110,000 words. The busier ones like five pages at most. Whether that's 10K words, 30K words, 80K words or 200K words is up to the story you're planning. There is a question about how long a novel should last. In most cases, traditional publishers will require an author to submit a manuscript with no more than a certain number of words, unless special conditions are met. This isn't the first novel you've finished writing. Use the industry standard page size of 8.5"x11" the exact dimensions of a standard piece of paper. Hook-Inciting Event: 0-10,000 words. When you're writing the first paragraph of your new manuscript, it's easy to ignore the formatting. A typical manuscript page (8.511 paper, 1-inch margins, standard 11- or 12-point font, doublespacedlike you would type in Word) is considered to be 250 words. If you haven't written your book, you may also share a table of contents where you summarize the contents of each chapter. Most light novels have a word count of 40,000 to 50,000 and do not exceed 200 pages. Similarly, if your manuscript is very short, look at your character and plot development. In the second box type one space. To determine how long should a chapter be, we examined books from a wide variety of genres. Write a one- or two-page synopsisabout 500-1000 words, single spacedand use that as your default, unless the submission guidelines ask for something longer. First, click Replace. It is considered too long for most publishers to insert comfortably into . Suggested length of synopsis, according to Wood: ten to twenty-five pages (each chapter one to three pages). ), and more. (Times New Roman, Garamond, or Georgia are all good choices. Most agents/editors will not be interested in a synopsis longer than a few pages. Begin chapters on new pages. In broad terms, if you are writing adult non-fiction (which includes romance, mystery, suspense, thriller or horror) you should aim for anything between 80,000 and 100,000 words, although there are novels that well exceed this count. Even with modern printing techniques, it is difficult to print more than two or three volumes of a . If your synopsis runs longer, anything up to two pages (again, single spaced) is usually acceptable. Margins: 1 inch to 1.5 inches all the way around. What is the ideal length (possibly a range) for a nonfiction manuscript? Page Numbers: Pages are numbered continuously, with page one being the first page after the title page. Your manuscript should be formatted as follows: Set the margins for your document at 3 cm (1.18 inches) on all four sides. This is a. But rules are made to be broken, and the most successful publishing phenomenon in history did just that. But what people are usually looking for is a ballpark average range for the kind of book they are writing. How to Write a Synopsis in 3 Easy Steps. Skip a couple of lines and begin the text of the chapter. That's because they understand what sells and what doesn't. A bloated manuscript falls into the latter. Most traditional publishers will place restrictions on an author and require that the manuscript not exceed a specified word count, unless special concessions are made. If so, you might give yourself a goal of writing a 96- to 128-page book in the 6" X 9" format, thus only about 30,000 to 40,000 words. Manuscript Format Basics Font: 12 point Times New Roman or Courier New. Ace Trainer Ritchie. Reply Dec 29, 2015 #7. Anything in this word count won't scare off any agent anywhere. Step 3: Fill in the Details. Here is a simple rule of thumb. I asked agents Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen of Larsen Pomada Literary Agency to add their thoughts to the subject. A hard cover novel might start with 50,000 words and go up to 110,000. There is solid logic to that. Novelette (7,500 - 20,000 words): Often a novelette-length work is difficult to sell to a publisher. The average fantasy epic is bound to be approximately twice that long, and many are three or four times longer. In the first box, type two spaces. How many chapters should a novel have? Category romance 55,000 words. By the fifth book in the series, the word count had grown to 257,000 words. Novelette 7,500 - 20,000 words Also known as the once-popular zine. But lets go into the definition in more detail. I've been a fan of the site . The arithmetic is straightforward. How long should a scientific manuscript be? The answer will be the approximate page count of a printed book. This is still respectable, if your content feels new and your writing is impressive. Consult listings in the current edition of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market for information on both fiction and nonfiction word counts for various publishers. Word count is more important 70-75k words translates into a 300-350 page book. But don't belabor the point; it should take a sentence, e.g., "This is the first in a planned series.". Short Story 1,000 - 7,500 words This is what we consider the classic short story found in fiction journals and anthology collections. Most of the time, a first novel should not be shorter than 200 manuscript pages and not longer than 500 manuscript pages. The book's pacing is off. Adult or Young Adult A standard adult or young adult novel should be less than 100,000 words. Arial is quite common, but maybe better avoided as sans serif text is just harder to read at length .) "Why that particular length?" This is ideal for a first time attempt as publishers buy books based on how much space they take up on a bookseller's shelves. The romance genre has word count standards of its own. How-to / Self-Help: 40,000-50,000 words. These guidelines vary depending on the genre you're writing in, and the age range of your target audience. A 50,000-word manuscript is 200 pages. (If I say any more or less our Production department may find out and then I'll be in trouble!)". Always keep in mind the attention level of an . It really depends on how much of the heavy lifting you did on the story preparation before hand, whether you have been editing as you go along, and . Put your name, title of your book and contact information at the top of the page. Is is common for the word count of books in a series to grow in length after the debut novel. However, very few novels these days are as short as that. Early Reader 1,500 words is the max. The majority of books are between 60,000 and 100,000 words long. Why Your Manuscript Format Matters We all know of outliers within each genre that have been published well under, or well over, these word counts. Even if you're planning to self-publish, it's a good idea to stay within these guidelines. How to Format Your Page After all, when your eyes are the only ones observing your work, worrying about things like proper page layout, mirror margins, section breaks, and whether or not your hyphens are in the right place . Below your writing name, the number of words in the manuscript, rounded to the nearest thousand. Most 'genre' zines will features works at this length. Use 12-point Times New Roman (Courier and Arial fonts may also be acceptable as they are non-proportional) in black type only. NOVEL: A manuscript over 40,000 words is considered to be a novel. I received a reply from an agent who mentioned the length of my nonfiction manuscript (180,000 words) as one reason why he would pass on it, but he did say that it had "possibilities." Someone on the forum (I think it was Victoria) stated that agents might immediately take a pass on a manuscript that is 180,000 words long. Most traditional publishers will place restrictions on an author and require that the manuscript not exceed a specified word count, unless special concessions are made. The published version of your ten to fifteen-page chapter will be about 85% of those pages, depending on trim size. Commercial Fiction (including women's fiction, crime fiction, fantasy etc) 90-120,000 words . Generally speaking, a manuscript for a novel should be between 50,000 and 75,000 words. Commercial and literary novels are generally 80,000 to 110,000 words. After 4-word titles, 6-word or 10-word titles . That said, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to length, so it's important that you make sure that your novel is well-written and flows smoothly from beginning to end. Now, speaking broadly, you can have as few as 71,000 words and as many as 109,000 words. A traditional publisher's manuscript for a nonfiction book should be between 50,000 and $75,000 words long. The rule of thumb for novel writing is 80,000 to 100,000 words. As mentioned, general fiction for adults should come in at 100,000 words. Western light novels are also different. Therefore, a 280,000 word manuscript becomes a 900 page doorstop. You've worked on this manuscript with the help of a critique partner or editor. Other genres, taken together, are about the same length as YA overall (there aren't enough data points to break down genres like thriller, sci-fi, and historical fiction individually). Short Story (1,000 - 7,500 words): The 'regular' short story, usually found in periodicals or anthology collections. Step 1: Create a Short Overview. Center the chapter title, even if it's only Chapter One, about one-third of the way down the page. Example: Dax MacGregor / My Story / 152. Manuscript Format: Title Page. . A synopsis is a 500-800 word summary of your book that forms part of your agent submission pack. Align to the left-hand side only; the right-hand side should remain jagged. All of these are average book word count ranges and should not be taken as the definitive word count you must reach in your book. Generally a 50,000-word novel would be the minimum word count. Generally speaking, traditional publishers expect completed nonfiction book manuscripts to be between 50,000 to 70,000 words. If the pace of your book is off, then your manuscript is more likely to get rejected. The maximum standard word count for an adult novel is about 110,000 words (some would say 130,000 words). How to Format Your Manuscript. So a 25,000-word manuscript is about 100 pages. Based on this dataset of novels, we can establish some guidelines for chapter length: the average word count of a chapter generally ranges between 1,500 words to 5,000 words, with 3,000-4,000 words being the most common sweet spot. Anything over 110,000 words is probably too long, whether or not you are aiming for an epic, or saga, manuscript. Format the main content of your manuscript per these guidelines: Page Header: At the top right of every page, except the title page, display: Your last name / The book title / Page Number. Between 80,000 and 89,999 words is a good range you should be aiming for. If your manuscript is on the long side though, make sure it's as tight and pacey as it can possibly be as you'll often find there is room to make cuts. For example, Hart - Manuscript - 1. "Don't write your slow parts too slow, or your fast parts too fast," says the book reviewer. Because of this, several publishers, especially those who focus on e-books, are prepared to consider a flexible approach to the length of your novel. That doesn't mean you can submit a manuscript twice the length a publisher recommends. Larger manuscripts cost more to proof and edit and are more expensive to print, creating a bigger risk. Don't format your manuscript on a black- or cream-colored page. Technically there's no maximum length for a novel, but there are guidelines you can follow to determine whether your story is the appropriate length, or too long. The average nonfiction book, if such a thing exists, runs about 50,000 words; longer books run about 75,000 words. The most accurate answer is that your book should be as long as it needs to be to fully develop and support its central argument. Well, average novel length is more like 80K-120K words but to answer your question, your story should be as many words as you need in order to tell it in the best way possible. Young adult fiction: 55,000 - 79,999 words; Picture books: 500-600 words (32 page count) Westerns: 50,000 to 80,000 words; Memoirs: 80,000-89,999 words; In fact, check out the Reader's Digest website for writing tips, manuscript editing tips, and some great interviews with authors and literary professionals. So, a 55,000-word manuscript is about 220 typeset pages, and a 100,000-word manuscript is about 400 typeset pages. If your manuscript is under consideration at another agency, then mention it if/when the next agent requests to see your manuscript. That means your manuscript must be at least 35-40,000 words long. George R R Martin) might come in closer to 300,000 words, but established authors can get away with a lot more than debuts. Every character, any big turning point or climactic scene, and all plot twists should get a mention. So, while your 100,000-word (or 30,000-word) romance might work for another publisher or the indie digital market, we wouldn't be able to consider it for . This is a 100% safe range for literary, mainstream, women's, romance, mystery, suspense, thriller and horror. 50,000 is the minimum novel length, which means anything over 40,000 words can not be considered a novel. The title page should have: Your contact details in the top left-hand corner. Most novels are between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Paperback novels are generally slightly shorter-spanning between 35,000 to 80,000 words. The average length of a novel is between 15 and 25 chapters, depending on the . Young Middle Grade or MG 15,000 to 25,000 words. We go into details for more specifics for formatting a manuscript down below click here to jump down there. The first Harry Potter book had 76,944 words. Below the title, your writing name, i.e. That means each section of your story should be approximately 10k words: 1. One major commercial publisher considers the ideal length of book to be 95,000 words for this reason. How long should my book be? Too many authors try to stretch their novels into 200,000-word epics, only to bore their readers to tears. The high end starts getting long, but unlike with mainstream fiction, agents probably won't run for the hills. Use a nice ordinary font. This tells the word processor, "Wherever you see two spaces together, change that to one space.". Answer (1 of 4): How long did it take you to write the 120,000 word manuscript? Again, look at the journal's Guide for Authors, but an ideal length for a manuscript is 25 to 40 pages, double spaced, including essential data only. There's a shortcut to fixing this in Microsoft Word. YA contemporary averages 69,000 words, whereas fantasy averages 83,000. Additionally, make sure that you take the time to develop your characters . Step 2: Develop an Outline. Historical fiction also often goes a bit longer, nearer to 90,000-100,000 "What's the age range?" she asked me when I broached the subject. Look up the publishers you would like to approach with your finished manuscript. Most novels are between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Chapter Book This varies widely, depending on grade and reader level, usually starting at 4,000 words and 15,000 words max. However, generally a 50,000-word novel would be the minimum word count. This makes them similar to novellas but completely different from short stories or normal story chapters. However, most literary agents. Naturally, customers who read e-books are much less focused on the physical size of a book. And a 28,000 word manuscript is more like a booklet or novella of 90 pages. You should include two to three chapters in your book proposal. For a nice looking manuscript, you want to present it in something like the following way: Make sure to use double or 1.5 line spacing. A single novel can be lengthier, but if it exceeds 110,000 words, publishers may consider shortening it, unless it is a certain type of bookbooks exceeding 110K words are typically termed "epics.". 25 to 40 pages Length of the manuscript. These chapters can be from any section of your manuscript, not necessary the beginning. Flash Fiction or Short Short 100 - 1,000 words These popular stories are quick and easy to write and can often be found in glossy magazines. Others try to get the entire story over with in 50,000 . Please don't tell us "my book is 150 pages long.". Length varies depending on the age of the audience you're writing for and your genre. Include the title of the story: both in the pitch and synopsis and in the actual file name: "Rainbow Ridge synopsis.doc," not "synopsis.doc" or "mybook.doc.". The name of the novel in the middle of the page. "That would be ages eight to twelve, then. Fiction titles are often shorter than nonfiction titles. See also 7 Best Literature Novel For Ss3 How long is the average first novel? And one of the tiniest building blocks are scenes. For fiction, they suggest middle-grade works be anywhere from 40 to 150 manuscript pages and YA from 175 to 200 pages. Always use present tense and third person for both the pitch and the synopsis. The average novel is between 80,000-100,000 words. How many words should a fiction novel be? Hopefully, this goes without saying, but the page should be white. The requirements allow for a range of about 2,000-3,000 words in either direction. In Microsoft Word, this option is found under File > Page Setup. The commonly cited range, then, seems to be based specifically on contemporary YA. In terms of page count, using 12 point serif font double spaced, it works out to around ten to fifteen manuscript pages. The best query letter length is 1-2 pages, single-spaced, Time New Roman font, 12-point. Historical fiction novels are generally between 85,000 to 100,000 words, though some are longer. Subgenres of historical fiction novels include: alternate history, historical fantasy, historical romance, sagas, sword and sandal, historical whodunit, sub-genres pertaining to era (as in Renaissance, medieval, Civil War, WWII, etc. How Long Should My First Non Fiction Book Be? 5 Tips for Effectively Writing Synopses. Stay around 100 words per chapter. The most common length for a chapter in a novel is about 3,000 to 5,000 words. Scenes, individual story units smaller than chapters and somewhat self-contained, are . If you have a series in mind, this is a good time to mention it. Everything in the essay, including long quotes and the Works Cited list, should be double spaced. Beginner's Guide To Formatting & Breaking Scenes In Your Fiction Novel. What size font and spacing should a novel be? If you don't like the idea of finding, hiring and paying an agent 10 or 20% of your book sales, hide your distaste. Step 1: Page Size. The best thing you can do is engage in some market research. The basic method for formatting a manuscript is to use 8.5 by 11-inch paper (A4 paper size), a simple serif font sized between 10-12 with 1-inch margins on all sides. Step 4 is measure your manuscript in word count, not pages. You can clearly see how much stronger this manuscript is than previous efforts and why. Adult fiction. You've worked your way through a structured revision process such as Janice Hardy's 31-day revision workshop. the name you want the novel to be published under. Writing a novel starts by writing out a scene. A novel contains many building blocks. A novel's average manuscript is between 250 and 400 pages. The length of a novel should depend on two things, and two things only: 1) It should be long enough to qualify as a novel; and.

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