I remember, a long time ago, I was obsessed over how long a story should be. It didn’t matter what I tried or wanted to write, I got stuck into the trap of thinking they had to be a certain length, or they wouldn’t be good for anything.
My short stories really suffered with this. I somehow got 3,000 words as the magic number, and I wrote to that length. It meant some stories were rushed or trimmed down to fit that size, while others were stretched out with fluff. Very few naturally hit that word count, and they all lacked something.
It took a long time to feel comfortable writing the story that it should be, and then seeing what needed to be done with them to make them great.
Now, don’t get me wrong, keeping an eye on word counts can be useful, but they’re not the trap that I made them out to be.
Should you aim for a total word count with your book?
There’s a lot of chatter on book word counts. It comes in waves, peaking for a while as everyone asks questions and seeks answers and then fades into the background until it comes to the forefront again.
The basic answer is, only aim for a word count if you’re hoping to publish traditionally. Publishing houses are much more likely to be swayed by how long your book is than print-on-demand (PoD) services like Amazon or Ingram (to name a few of the many options).
It comes down to the control aspect. Traditional publishing deals go to what they know sells, which covers stories, tropes, genres and more, while indie authors get more freedom over these things. Is an adult fantasy novel that comes to 60,000 words likely to be enough for a publishing house? That’d be a tough ask in most cases, but you may be able to find a self-published book in this size.
That said, if your story doesn’t fit into the word count region expected, trying to force it could be a waste of time. It might devalue the story, either by shortening it too much or by adding in scenes that don’t do anything useful. Filler is one thing, but a waste of time is a one-way ticket to a “did not finish.”
How long is a chapter?
How long is a piece of string?
Much like the word count of a book, the length of a chapter can vary by genre, age range and even format. How a book is written, or how a story is told, will help determine how long each chapter is.
Chapter lengths can and do vary in a single book. If all chapters are the same length, it becomes predictable for the reader. In some cases, you might think this is a good thing, but really, mixing up the size of your chapters keeps readers on the edge, unsure of what will come next – or when. It also shows you understand that small events can be a chapter alone if they’re significant to the story.
Don’t underestimate the power short chapters can have. Longer isn’t always better.
You can also add breaks to chapters, too, which are great for point of view switches, or when time passes, for example. It can help keep the story flowing without added fluff that brings the reader from point A to B. They aren’t always the best option, but if you feel the chapter isn’t done, a break can be a good option.
So, do word counts matter?
Basically…yes and no.
I find word counts useful as a very rough guide, but I’m not going to ruin my story to meet them. In some cases, I might decide to combine parts of chapters together, or split them into smaller pieces but this is more about a good reader experience than how long they are.
I think, even reading a paperback, the rise of online content has helped condition people into reading smaller chunks at a time. Even in a longer reading session, I like shorter chapters over longer ones – unless they have breaks – so that I can stop reading at more points when I need to.
Again, this isn’t what rules my writing, but I do keep it in mind. Even in my sci-fi novel, Reality Check, I would aim for a 3,000-word chapter, but a lot are less than that. It keeps the flow of the story going, and the few that are higher than this also don’t feel super long. I wouldn’t not read a book with long chapters, but I have noticed this trend of shorter, snappier chunks growing.
That said, I’m still waiting for the day I hit 100,000 words in a novel. It’ll happen, and I won’t force it, but when it does, it’ll be an achievement.
Of course, all of the above is my opinion and what I’ve learned. I’m not a traditionally published author, now am I involved with a publisher house, so there may be different opinions. Feel free to share your experiences with me and we’ll grow together.
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