A Brief Guide to Genre Word Count

A brief guide to genre word count

Below is a list of average or expected word length for adult fiction novels of various genre. If your story sits between more than one genre, average their word lengths out and use that for your general aim:

  • Crime/Horror: 70,000 – 90,000 words.
  • Drama: 80,000 – 100,000 words.
  • Historical: ~100,000 words.
  • Literary: 80,000 – 100,000 words.
  • Romance: 50,000 – 100,000 words.
  • Satire and Humour: 40,000 – 60,000 words.
  • Speculative (Fantasy, Science Fiction, etc.): 90,000 – 120,000 words.

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