How long does a good book need to be?

Question

Do you think a novel needs to be 100 pages, 200? 300? 500?...1000? What is your preference for a fiction novel? And do you prefer a few long chapters or several short chapters?

Answer 1

It doesn't matter how long it is, just how good it is. I've read awesome books that are 90 pages and I've read just as good books that are 1200 pages. It's not the length that makes them good, it's what's written on the pages. If the story is unique, intelligent, interesting and most of all complete, then length should be the furthest thing from your mind.

Answer 2

The number of pages doesn't matter. Some of my favorite novels have been really short ("Candide" is only about 125 pages, and is amazing; "Of Mice and Men" is likewise short; "Moby-Dick" is a work of art and it's over 600 pages.)

I don't care what length the chapters are, either, as long as it makes sense for the novel. For example, I've read books that have had some chapters be only a paragraph long; other chapters in the same book might be 30 pages. Chapters are there for some effect; you need, as a reader, to pause and regroup a little. It's a change of scene, maybe. Like in movies, som scenes are longer than others. Again, "Moby-Dick" is a good example of how this works.

It's not in the numbers for me. It's whether or not the book works as a whole.

Answer 3

It depends on the quality of the book, not the quanity, that determines if it's good or not. However, I think 100 pages is too short to really enjoy and ge tinto a book. 200, if it's good, can settle with you. 300-500 I'm preferable for because those are the thick, gritty stories that are like a good steak dinner you can chow down on. However, at 600 pages, it feels like you're taking on a Tripple Whopper with fries and with 1,000 pages, a quadruptle whopper with two fries and a shake. I tried Stephen King's revised version of The Stand and I couldn't ge tinto it, the whole thing was about as long as the dang Bible! So, I prefer 300-500 pages. I don't care about long chapters, although I don't want them real long or your attentions going to go slack and the shoprt chapters like James Patterson uses are not too shabby. It's mainly how the author tells the story in both cases.

Answer 4

I'd say it depends on how good the story is. I've read 800-page books that I loved, and same length that I hated, while I hated some short books too. It's all about whether or not the reader wants to read the story you have to tell, and whether you have a lot, or very little to write. I mean, a long book without a good story is, to me, just as annoying as a short book that seems rushed and not developed.

As for chapters, it depends on the pace the author wants to give his novel. Like Dan Brown writes in these super short chapters to keep the reader on his toes, while others will just tell the story in bigger chunks because fast-pace is not needed.

Answer 5

Begin, tell a story, and stop.

If a novel does that, it's not going to matter to the reader how short or how long it is. Short chapters I find to be more helpful; look at chapter divisions as major breaks in thought and/or perspective. Consider each chapter as a day, the end of the chapter as bedtime, and the beginning of a chapter as the next day (regardless of the novel's internal chronology). It helps to think of time and composition the way your expected readers do.

Answer 6

I can't read anything below 400 pages sometimes. The older classics maybe, but anything newer wouldn't set and grab my attention. My preferences are usually large epic novels (600 to 1000 pages).

Long chapters are good, but sometimes I can deal with short chapters.

Answer 7

King Fortis the Brave is just under 200 pages while some of the Harry Potter books more than triple that, yet they are all great. Quality depends on the story, not the page count.

Answer 8

you should use exactly enough pages to tell the story well dont drag a story on if it is done and dont rush a story to make it short, I prefer long books more then 1000 pages but If a story was done and began to be boring or if It was well told and then dragged on that would just suck, the giver is a very short book and I loved it, but battelfeild earth was just as good if not better .

Answer 9

if the story is good and keeps you turning the pages its not a problem really but i think that around 300 sort of is goo. i've read a book that was 800 pages and i loved the ending. but i think thats because all i can remember! lol

Answer 10

well over 500pgs coming upto a thousand the best books are usually the big 1's take dan browns books, steven king, etc they are all over 500 pgs at least so if ur writing a book 500 pgs minimum! xxxktxxx