Novel word count by genre
Typical word counts by genre, each from a named, dated source checked today — not every genre is covered.
| Category | Word count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Short story (SFWA) | 1–7,499 words | SFWA |
| Novelette (SFWA) | 7,500–17,499 words | SFWA |
| Novella (SFWA) | 17,500–39,999 words | SFWA |
| Novel (SFWA) | 40,000 or more words | SFWA |
| Adult science fiction & fantasy (Baen Books) | 100,000–130,000 words | Baen Books |
| Fantasy & science fiction (Reedsy) | 100,000–115,000 words | Reedsy |
| Historical fiction (Jericho Writers) | 75,000–100,000 words | Jericho Writers |
| Historical romance (Harlequin Historical) | 70,000–75,000 words | Harlequin |
| Horror (Reedsy) | 70,000–100,000 words | Reedsy |
| Inspirational romance, trade (Love Inspired Trade) | 85,000–100,000 words | Harlequin |
| Literary fiction (Reedsy) | 80,000–100,000 words | Reedsy |
| Memoir (Reedsy) | 80,000–90,000 words | Reedsy |
| Mystery & thriller (Reedsy) | 80,000–100,000 words | Reedsy |
| Romance (Reedsy) | 80,000–100,000 words | Reedsy |
| Women's fiction (Jericho Writers) | 75,000–110,000 words | Jericho Writers |
| Young adult (Reedsy) | 55,000–80,000 words | Reedsy |
| Middle grade (SCBWI) | 25,000–62,500 words | SCBWI |
| Picture books (SCBWI) | 500–750 words | SCBWI |
Why some genres aren't listed
Every range above comes from ONE named, dated source that states that row's word count itself: an awards body's own length definitions, a publisher's or imprint's submission guidelines, or — where no publisher or agency states a genre-wide number — one named industry page (Jericho Writers, Reedsy's editorial guides, or a writers' organisation such as SCBWI for children's books). Ranges are never averaged or combined across sources, and a row shows the number exactly as its one source states it.
Fantasy and science fiction, and mystery and thriller, are each shown as one combined row rather than split, because the sourced pages state one range for the pair rather than a separate number for each genre.
Chapter books couldn't be sourced: a search today turned up only blog posts and "rule of thumb" figures for that category, not a stated number from any allowed page, so it's left off rather than guessed at.
Romance shows three rows rather than one: Reedsy's general figure, plus two separate Harlequin lines, because Harlequin's own submission guidelines give a different word count for each of its lines, not one number for the whole imprint.
Sources (last verified 2026-09-29):
- SFWA: Complete Nebula Awards Rules: short story, novelette, novella and novel length definitions
- Baen Books: submission guidelines: preferred length for adult science fiction and fantasy novels
- Harlequin: submission guidelines: word count for the Harlequin Historical and Love Inspired Trade lines
- Reedsy: How Many Words in a Novel?: word count for fantasy & science fiction, horror, literary fiction, memoir, mystery & thriller, romance and young adult
- Jericho Writers: How Many Words Are There In A Novel?: word count for historical fiction and women's fiction
- SCBWI Los Angeles (Kite Tales): Ask an Editor — Word Count for Middle Grade and Young Adult: middle grade word count, from SCBWI's own guide "The Book"
- SCBWI Los Angeles (Kite Tales): Ask an Editor — Word Count: picture book word count, from SCBWI's own guide "The Book"
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