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How long should a novel be?

Most debut adult novels run 80,000–89,999 words. Science fiction and fantasy run longer, at 100,000–115,000, and young adult shorter, at 55,000–79,999. Pick a genre and enter a word count, or drop in your manuscript, to see where yours falls.

Check your word count

Science fiction: 85,000 words is under the usual debut range of 100,000–115,000 by 15,000 words (15%). It is outside the wider 90,000–124,000 the same source accepts, too. By the Nebula rules, it is a novel.

Word count by genre

Usual length for a debut, in words
Genre Usual range Still accepted Bestseller average Source
Literary fiction 80,000–89,999 71,000–109,000 98,000 Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Commercial fiction 80,000–89,999 71,000–109,000 — Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Mystery and thriller 80,000–89,999 71,000–109,000 91,000 Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Cozy mystery 70,000–85,000 — — Olivia Blacke, compiling agent guidance
Single-title romance 80,000–89,999 71,000–109,000 91,000 Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Category romance 50,000–75,000 — — Harlequin
Horror 80,000–89,999 71,000–109,000 102,000 Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Science fiction 100,000–115,000 90,000–124,000 98,000 Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Fantasy 100,000–115,000 90,000–124,000 109,000 Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Young adult 55,000–79,999 47,000–79,999 — Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest
Middle grade 25,000–62,500 — — SCBWI Los Angeles, Kite Tales, citing SCBWI's The Book
Chapter book 10,000–15,000 — — Mary Kole Editorial
Picture book up to 600 — — Mary Kole Editorial
Memoir 80,000–89,999 70,000–99,999 — Chuck Sambuchino, Writer's Digest

Sources checked 2026-09-26 to 2026-09-27. Bestseller averages are Kindlepreneur's count of Amazon's top 100 in each genre, where it has one. Published books run longer than debuts, because established authors get the room. Baen asks for 100,000–130,000 words of science fiction or fantasy.

Novel, novella, or short story?

The Nebula Award rules give the definitions most people cite. See novel, novella, novelette, and short story for books on either side of each line.

Forms by length
Form Words
short story Under 7,500
novelette 7,500 to under 17,500
novella 17,500 to under 40,000
novel 40,000 or more

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