how long does a book have to be?
- Posted by Cynthea filed in chapter books, easy readers, middle grade and YA novels, picture books, writing basics | 26 Comments »
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Knowing the typical word counts of different types of children’s books will help you understand what goal you need to hit. These are only guidelines. If your word count comes in too high or low, you could raise eyebrows with publishers. Some might not even consider your work.
- Picture books – you’ll hear many people say the shorter the better. A good goal is 500 words or less. Definitely strive for under a 1000. Today’s editors and agents are looking for more story with less text.
- Emergent readers – Emergent readers might have as few as 32 words.
- Easy readers - word count will vary depending on the level. But the longer the book, the higher the level. Your best bet is to look up word counts of existing books written for the level you are writing. A level 1 reader might have 200 words. A typical level 3 or 4 reader might have any where from 800 to 1200 words.
- Chapter books - once you move to chapter books, word counts could range anywhere from the high-5000s to 25,000.
- Middle grade novels -here’s where you’re going to see a big spread, too but a good minimum goal is around 30-35,000 words. The upper end would be around 45,000. But it’s not that uncommon to see novels that exceed this.
- Teen novels -your minimum target will be slightly higher, starting from 40,000 and up.
There are figures based on my own research and numbers given to me by editors and agents. If you want to run your own analysis, Renaissance Learning is the best place for this kind of research. You may also hear people swear by different ranges. But in the end, try to come in at something “normal.” And don’t get hung up on word count if you just can’t get your work any shorter or longer. Sometimes your story won’t “fit” perfectly in the box it’s supposed to be in. And if that’s the case…I’ll tell what you can do.
Now go back to step three – write.
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Hi Cynthea. I had a comment about the length of picture books. I subscribe to the Children’s Book Insider (from Write4kids.com) and they say the average length is around 1000 words. You mentioned about 500–much lower than I would have thought. I know you said they’re guidelines, but is 800-1000 (mine is around 900) too much now? (By the way, I like your site! Thank you for all your “tips!”)
The average length of picture books coming out today is NOT 1000. It’s going to be much closer to 500. It used to be around 1000, but as parents become more pressed for time, the market is now delivering books these parents can read to their kids without passing out. Picture books published near 1000 words or more are quickly becoming the exception to the rule.
Really the appropriate length of the text has everything to do with your story and how it’s written. Every word does count and careful consideration must be taken to ensure the pacing of the story and the illustratability is supported in a way that fits a picture book format. (See the article Revision 9-1-1 for Fiction Picture Books). Today’s contemporary picture books often come in at 500 words or less. But that is a guideline and not something to get worried about if your text “requires” more. The key word being “requires.” I’d say a word count over 1000 words will certainly raise some eyebrows for many editors. And 500 words or less will certainly get the attention of many editors, provided the story is appropriate and well-written for the PB market.
Best sources for critique groups for young children’s picture books? Love so love your site, your tenacity, your giving. Bless you and that beautiful Snoop Boy. Cathy Stroud
Critique Circle is one option at http://www.critiquecircle.com.
Or if you prefer something more personal, put out a call on the Blue Board.
Another place to get hooked up with picture book writers in your area is your local SCBWI chapter.
Hope that helps!
Cynthea, do you have any wisdom on picture story book length? Is anyone publishing in this genre anymore? Supposedly it’s a picture book for a slightly older audience–a little more words, a little less illustration. A classic example is “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (although that one is fully illustrated). Love the site! Thank you!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has about 1200 words in it. That’s not that far out of range for a publishable manuscript if the story warrants the length.
If your manuscript is geared toward the upper range of the 4-8 bracket and it’s longer than the typical contemporary picture book, the range of publishers who will take a chance will become quite narrow. Unfortunately, a lot of it has to do with the house and the editor acquiring the manuscript. And there’s not a trade publisher I can think of off-hand who specializes in what you speak of. That doesn’t mean they’re not out there. I just don’t know of any.
One broader market you may want to consider is the magazine market (if the text is older and the length is longer). Some stories just fit better for the magazine market (Highlights, Cricket, etc.,) than they do for the picture book market.
Hope that helps. Cynthea
Hey, this is great info. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
You’re welcome. Much success with your writing!
Cynthea and Snoop!
Hi Cynthea,
I’m onto my 22nd story and going through a lot of caffeine in the process. I came across a competition for short story writing. I would like to enter it. Is it advisable or would possible publishers frown on the fact it has already been seen?
Also, what age is a 3 to 4th grade child? We have a different age categorisation over here. Would it be 6 to 8 year olds?
Hi Fiona,
Kindergarten starts at age 5 here. So 3rd to 4th grade would be 8 to 9 years old. Competitions are fine so long as they don’t require you give over rights if you don’t want that to happen. Even if it’s one time rights, that can hurt your chances for later publication of that particular story. So keep that in mind.
Hi. I’m new to the site. I want to know what is the average length of a transition (illustration) chapter book? This is before actual chapter books.
The length varies significantly. But for the younger chapter book, if I had to take a guess – anywhere from a couple of thousand words to 5,000 words.
Thank you so much for the insight on the number of words for a chapter book. My book has around 7,400 words, and I didn’t know if it would be a picture or chapter book. Thanks to you, I now know it is a chapter book.
You’re welcome. Keep in mind – word count is not the only determinant of genre/format. You must also consider content, complexity of plot, and age of the MC as well.
After reading Cynthea’s book “How To Write for Children & Teens”, I was under the impression that a picture book should be no more. I got told this at a conference in September.
Is this correct?
I am a middle schooled author of twelve. You’re layout is so acute, even I can understand it! Thank you for these wonderful tips. They help very much.
Yes, it is very good, but I am still unsure as to how detailed I should be when submitting a synopsis.
Any tips?
Hi Fiona,
Check out the synopsis article on this website.
For Picture Books, a standard synopsis really isn’t necessary, Instead, read the article on creating aquery letter and how to summarize your picture book in an enticing way.
For longer works, you need to be detailed enough so that the reader understands where the story takes place, who the main characters are, the major sub-characters. You should also identify the primary plot and the secondary plots. Theme should be somewhat obvious from the synopsis, however if it’s not clear, it should be worked into the synopsis. See the article on Synopsis writing for more info. Thanks!
Cynthea
Thanks! This is really good information.
You’re welcome!
Hi, I really like your website, I have recently found it and have been following it a lot.
I am curious about which age group of girls are interested in princess stories, I have stories aimed at 7-9 year girls and it is a chapter book( 8500) words.
Can you guide me if the word count is alright for that age group and for their tastes.
Thanks
Hi Sonya, you’ll find princess stories in picture books all the way through teen novels. So it really depends on the age of the main character of the book and if that character is operating within a plot that is suitable for a specific format (Picture Book, Chapter Book, Middle Grade, YA and so on…) Based on the info you gave me, it’s totally possible to have a chapter book princess story aimed at 7-9 year-old girls that is 8500 words long. Particularly if the main character’s age is 9 or 10.
Hi Cynthea, I’ve just discovered your website and it’s great!
I would love some advice from you regarding the whole word count/age placement issue.
I’ve just written a rhyming story which I’ve aimed at 5-7 year olds (I hope).
I would love it to be fully illustrated, but could cope with partially. My worry is that it is 1,900 words, and I can’t lose more than 100 of them, and even that would be painful.
My worry is that this wont fit in any of the boxes it would need to for publishing. Can you advise (or reassure!) me at all on this?
Thank you!
Debbie
Cynthia,
How many printed pages long is a middle grade novel with 45,000 words (roughly).
How many words fit on a single page of a printed novel?
Thanks,
Ken
Thanks for the great comments!