What are typical novel lengths?

Question

I am a budding author, and I just wanted to know about what the target word count is for books intended for various age groups. Does anyone know? Or know of a helpful site?

Answer 1

I honestly don't believe how long a novel is will affect its popularity. In class, my English teachers always refer to any book as a novel. I mean a book that's less than 100 pages is considered a novel...But then books with nearly 600 pages is also considered a novel. I think if you're writing for teens, stay about a little over 200 pages, maybe, because if it's too long, people who dislike reading will not even bother picking the book up. But for me, [I love romance novels], so I don't care how long or short the novel is as long as it has a love component in it.

-ELaine

Answer 2

Most novels today are between 80,000 and 120,000 words. It might be interesting to know that movie to book novels are 60,000 words. Additionally, any story that is published in a single book form (that is, doesn't contain more than one story) is generally called a novel, even when some might call it a novella (try to figure out the difference -- no one else can).

There are lots of short novels:
1. The Great Gatsby
2. Tuesdays with Morrie
3. Wind, Sand, and Stars by Antoine de St. Exupery (also wrote The Little Prince)

Answer 3

Novels can be a variety of lenghts. Some novels, such as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, are less than 200 pages, and then some novels, such as Les Miserables, are over 1,000. The length of a book has nothing to do with if a book is a novel or not. A novel refers to a popular work of fiction.

Answer 4

50,000 words and below is considered a novella
above 50,000 - usually 80,000 to 100,000 is the average novel length, especially from beginning novelists