What is the definition (word count perameters) of a novel?

Question

What do you call a 60,000 word story?

Answer 1

According to the guidelines below, it'd be a novel, whether paperback or hardcover.

Guidelines to Average Manuscript Lengths

by Gloria T. Delamar

Bear in mind that to say you have a manuscript of fifty pages, doesn't adequately convey its length. It depends on how many characters-per-inch (cpi) it was printed at.
If printed at 10 cpi, there will be about 250 words per page, making the manuscript about 12,500 words; if printed at 12 cpi, there will be about 300 words per page, making the manuscript 15,000 words. A heftier manuscript of 250 pages can mean the difference between 62,500 and 75,000 words.

Even some editors ask "how many pages?" which is always surprising. It matters to the general editor for space- allocation, to the printer for typesetting, and to the publisher for costs. If you don't know the cpi of your printed pages, it's simple to put a ruler to some words and count; 10 cpi and 12 cpi are the accepted norms of presentation. Avoid both over-small and over-large print. (Once you know how many words you're averaging per line, you can multiply the number of lines on a few sample pages to get a fairly accurate word-count.)

Of course, if you're using a wordprocessor, you can get a word-count automatically, but make sure you have the program set to count single-letter words (like "a" and "I"); many come set-up to count only two-letter words and up, but usually have a simple fix you can enter. However, when you put the number of words in the upper right corner of the manuscript, round out the number or specify that it's a computer-count, so they don't think you're too, too compulsive.

It's important to know the length of manuscript wanted by the publication or publisher. Manuscripts that fall too far outside the parameters are easily rejected.

It's NOT safe to say, "Oh, well, the editor can always cut it if it's too long." Unless you're major star in the publishing world, editors are more likely to heave a sigh when they note the incorrect length of the submission and heave your manuscript onto the reject-pile.

Books like The Writers' Market and Literary Market Place give guidelines for nonfiction and fiction lengths desired by book publishers and most major magazines. There's considerably more leeway in with books, unless they are to be fitted into a particular "line."

If you're not sure what a particular serial publication uses, you can do the ruler thing on a printed page. Count a few lines to determine the average number of words per line or column-inch, count the number of column-inches, and do your math.

The editors of local magazines and newspapers are more accessible to writers (not because of distance, but because of narrowed circulation area and subsequently fewer freelance submissions); simply phone to ask what their guidelines are. Most major magazines also will send their guidelines for the price of an SASE.

With manuscript lengths, as with most matters in writing, you must do your homework.

Chart
Average #
Words Approx. pages,double-spaced
Short-short story500-2500 2-10
Short story2500-5000 10-20
Novelette7000-25,000 28-100
Novel--paperback35,000-80,000 140-320
Novel--hard cover25,000-150,000 100-600

Answer 2

Novels are usually between 60,000 and 200,000 words. If you are writing a first novel for someone else to publish, stay at the lower end of the word count.

Answer 3

60K is normally considered a novel. Depending on the genre however, that may be too short. Sci-Fi/Fantasy tend to go 80K plus. You would have to check the guidelines of the publishers you are interested in to make sure your novel was long enough.


Gloria Oliver
Unveiling the Fantastic
www.gloriaoliver.com

Answer 4

To me that would be a partial novel.

I usually write novels in the 300,000 word count range. (Sometimes longer.)

Some of my smaller projects don't go as low as 100K--but they're written as 1st-person POV.

But when writers tell me that they've only got between 60-90K, I always say: "You can go higher than that, y'know."

However, that same group is always trying to get commercially published. So...?

No help for me there.

Answer 5

60 K words would probably be a novella. The average novel is around 90 - 140 K based on 250 words per page. Nothing wrong with novellas though - if it says everything you want it to say. Pax - C.

Answer 6

Novels are normally called, well, novels, at around 40,000-60,000 words or above. It depends who you ask. But 60,000 is definitely a novel =]. Providing it's fictional, of course.

Answer 7

thats about 30 pages or so