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What's the ratio of Microsoft Word pages to published book pages? Approximately how many words fit on a printed book page? What drives trhe size of a novel other than the story?
I considered faking a new account so I could ask these questions without feeling ignorant, but, hey, at my age, I'm used to it. So if there are any editors out there who can tell me, "Oh, if you have 'X' words, then you have a book of 'n' pages," I would love to know the answer to "x words = n pages."
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Joined: 8/21/2011
Posts: 394
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Hi, GD,
The few agents and publishers I've added to my list of potential contacts for querying who have commented on the novel's length have given word counts - 100,000 or 120,000, for example - never page counts. As for how many pages x number of words would equal, that all depends on the font, point size, leading (space between the lines), margins, overall page size, and so on. With ePublishing, page count is pretty much a moot point.
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Joined: 6/7/2011
Posts: 467
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I've written four novels so far, all of which have word-counts in the 85,000 to 100,000 word range (350 - 400 pages, though Angela is right, no one asks for a page count) except for one, that has 41,000. I've always considered it too short to call a novel, but I don't know what else to call it. It seems too substantial for a novella, and frankly just reads like a short novel to me, rather than a very long short story.
A quick survey of some other short novels shows that it isn't exceptionally short, especially for a YA title. Call of the Wild is less than 30K. Lion Witch and the Wardrobe is 36K. Even among adult novels, there are some in the same ballpark (Great Gatsby is under 50K. The Hours by Michael Cunningham is 54K.) Agents usually expect a novel to be in the 80 to 120 K zone, but generally, a novel is as long as it needs to be. I mean, does The Great Gatsby need more words? Does Moby Dick (206K) need fewer?
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Ack! Right. It's words, not pages that count. And 100-120k sounds good as a rule of thumb, with variations determined by the story.
Thank you Angela and Atthys!
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Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 608
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GD, you asked about novel length but I thought you might also appreciate having a word count for novelettes and novellas. According to WIKI:
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A novelette is a piece of short prose fiction. The distinction between a novelette and other literary forms is usually based upon word count, with a novelette being longer than a short story, but shorter than a novella. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula awards for science fiction define the novelette as having a word count of between 7,500 and 17,499, inclusive.
The novella . . . is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000. Other definitions start as low as 10,000 words and run as high as 70,000 words.
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Wot? I could have Googled this! Funny, how I trust what you say but would not have trusted WIKI alone, without your corroboration. Thanks, Carl 
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Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 608
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I'm glad you asked, GD. It forced me to look up the word counts again, and now I have this discussion bookmarked for handy reference the next time I forget. Which I will. Almost immediately. Heh!
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Joined: 6/7/2011
Posts: 467
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I never could remember whether a novelette was a short novella or a long novella. It's such a goofy word, like leatherette or luncheonette. Anyway, I was surprise to find that I may have more novelish creations under my belt than I thought.
But it does sort of beg the question about whether there are any other criteria other than length that qualify the label novel. I've never heard anyone call Gatsby anything but a full-fledged novel. That 70,000 word cut -off would demote (sort of like Pluto) a lot of other novels as well.
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Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 608
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It is odd, isn't it, Atthys? Almost as if critically-acclaimed novellas could "pull themselves up by their boot-straps", so to speak (i.e., quality of authorial voice, thematic content, crisp plotting, etc.) into that rarified, halcyon realm of "novel". . . .
PS. I loathe the cloyingly-cutesy word "novelette."
Here are my alternate suggestions for a word or phrase describing a work of this problematic length: epic tale, crisply-plotted-&-paced novella, story-that-got-away-from-the-writer. Yours?
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Joined: 8/21/2011
Posts: 394
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How about "I'm-getting-paid-by-the-word-and-it's-not-for-a-novel" or "short story on steroids". . .
Found this online:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 76,944 words
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 85,141 words
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 107,253 words
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 190,637 words
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 257,045 words
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 168,923
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Approximately 198,227
I'm sure, with more digging, I could find some more examples. I remember, though, when I was reading all the Harry Potter books (I waited until they were all published, then read them all), I couldn't stand HP and the Order of the Phoenix. It had so many unnecessary subplots and was, in my opinion, in dire need of a good editing (I think the movie version does a much better job at conveying this particularly story). Well, look at that word count - 250,000+ words!
How long does a novel, novella, novelette (agree - stupid term) need to be? As long as it takes to tell the story (and hopefully not bore your readers in the process).
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Joined: 6/7/2011
Posts: 467
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Novelini? Noveltini? Novelesse? Novelkins? Novelicula?
More likely Mini-Novel. Minovel.
Jeez. Talk about dignity.
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Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 608
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@Angela: interesting info there on the word counts of the Harry Potter novels. I'll take your word for it on the Order of the Phoenix; I haven't read it but I believe you. Indeed I do!
@Atthys: "Noveltini. Novelicula." Heh-heh! Good ones! By that I mean truly awful.
More suggestions for a replacement for the word "novelette": Tiny novel? Foreshortened novella? Verbose yarn? Elongated taradiddle?
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Joined: 4/30/2011
Posts: 662
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Bite sized novel. The novel that fits in your pocket. The novella's baby sister. Eh, now I'm getting silly.
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Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 608
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I think we're stuck with "novelette", LeeAnna!
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Dime Novel?
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Joined: 2/27/2011
Posts: 353
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GD -
Take a look at this blog post I wrote for Book Country about average word counts and novel length for commercial fiction. I may be helpful to you!
http://www.bookcountry.com/Industry/Article.aspx?articleId=100768
Colleen
Community Manager
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90k to 110k for my hard sf. Got it
Thank you, Colleen.
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