How many words is a novel?
Most adult novels run 70,000–100,000 words, but the right target depends heavily on genre.
Standard novel word counts
Publishers and literary agents think in word counts, not pages. For adult fiction, 70,000–100,000 words is the safe range for a debut. Anything under 50,000 words is usually considered a novella, and manuscripts over 120,000 words are a hard sell for first-time authors because printing costs rise with length.
These are conventions, not laws — plenty of successful books break them. But a debut author querying agents is safest inside the expected range for their genre.
Word counts by genre
Genre expectations differ because reader expectations differ. Epic fantasy readers expect immersive world-building; thriller readers expect pace.
How to track your manuscript
Draft in whatever tool you like, then paste chapters into a word counter to check progress against your target. Counting as you go — chapter by chapter — catches a bloated middle act early, while it's still cheap to fix.
Typical word counts by genre
| Flash fiction | under 1,500 words |
| Short story | 1,500–7,500 words |
| Novella | 17,500–40,000 words |
| Young adult novel | 50,000–80,000 words |
| Adult novel (most genres) | 70,000–100,000 words |
| Epic fantasy / sci-fi | 90,000–120,000+ words |
Is 50,000 words enough for a novel?
50,000 words is the low end — NaNoWriMo calls it a novel, and some literary fiction runs that short, but most publishers consider 50,000 words borderline novella territory. For adult fiction, aim for at least 70,000 words unless your genre runs short.
How many pages is an 80,000-word novel?
Roughly 320 pages in a typical paperback (about 250 words per printed page). Manuscript pages are different: double-spaced 12-point type gives about 250–300 words per page, so the same book is around 300 manuscript pages.