Create the word count goal for your book
Words count can serve as a great book writing container
I get a lot of questions when folks are starting to write their books, but one of the most common technical ones is how long my book needs to be and how long it will take me to write. Let’s break it down, shall we?
How Many Words Are In A Book:
This is subjective based on the genre and overall goal of the book you are writing, but here is a breakdown of word count + words a day = days to meet the goal.
Poetry: This is an impossible one to put a word count to… You could have a book that is literally one word a page because that is your art form. The sky is the limit here!
Memoir/Nonfiction: These can range anywhere from 30,000 – 80,000 words.
So, let’s say you are shooting for somewhere in the middle with 50,000 words. Then you could write 5000/words a week in three months to hit that 50k word mark, or let’s say you want to write it in six months; then you could write 2000/words a week for a month to hit that marker.
Fiction: This can range anywhere from 50,000 – 150,000 words. So, let’s say you’re shooting for 100,000 words. You will hit that outstanding goal if you shoot for 5000k weekly for six months. :)
How many words are there on a page?Â
It depends on your font, but generally, 250-300 words per page. Therefore, a 55,000—word book should be about 200 manuscript pages. A 100,000-word book would be about 400.
How many pages are in a chapter?Â
Again, this varies best on your book's overall goal and storytelling style. 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 ten- pages.Â
Last thing:
Consider what page length is appropriate for your book project, and we will create a writing plan based on that.
For instance, if 200 pages feel 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 your ideal word count and write it down. In our next article, we will chat about using that word count to set up your writing schedule. :)
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