To find out how long should a chapter be, we examined books from a wide variety of genres and eras. From these numbers, we can establish some guidelines: the average word count of a chapter typically falls somewhere between 1,500 and 5,000 words, with 3,000–4,000 being the most common sweet spot.
Contents
Is 1000 words OK for a chapter?
Most agree that under 1,000 words would be rather short and that over 5,000 might be rather too long. As a general guideline, chapters should be between 3,000 to 5,000 words.
Is 7000 words too long for a chapter?
There is no set length for a chapter. That can be one page (200–300 words) or ten pages (2000–3000 words) or even 100 pages (8000–9000 words).
Is 700 words enough for a chapter?
E.g: Chapter 1: 700, Chapter 2: 800, Chapter 3: 1000, Chapter 4: 1200, Chapter 5: 1200, Chapter 6: 1500. Don’t make it too obvious that your increasing the word limit. Not that it’s a bad thing, but readers shouldn’t be noticing the word count if your book is really good. In conclusion, yes 700 words is enough.
How many pages should a chapter have?
Some authors like longer chapters. Some like shorter ones. It’s up to you. However, there is an industry average, and it seems to be about 8 to 10 pages, give or take a little.
Is 2800 words enough for a chapter?
Consider your average chapter length for that story.You don’t have to, but staying within 500-1000 words of the other chapters tends to result in a reader-friendly, smooth experience [so if you’re averaging 1800, 2800 is the point where your readers will really start to notice that this chapter is really long].
How long is too long chapter?
Very Long Chapters, 4,000 To 5,000 Words
If you’re writing chapters that regularly exceed the 4,000 word mark, you are, in effect, announcing to your reader that your story has a more than normal amount of heft and swagger.
Can a chapter be 2 pages?
You can make chapters as long or as short as you want them to be. But readers enjoy chapters around 2300 to 3000 words. I personally find short chapters annoying if it’s the vast majority of the book. I believe the Maximum Ride series had shorter chapters or one to two pages.
Is 8000 words too much for a chapter?
There are no rules when it comes to chapter length. The important thing is to concentrate on making your chapters fit your story, not on making your story fit your chapters. Many novelists these days prefer chapters that are between 1,500 words—or six book pages— and 8,000 words, or 32 book pages.
Is 5000 words enough for a novel?
If you’re writing your first novel, the general rule of thumb for novel writing is a word count in the 80,000 to 100,000 range. While anything over 40,000 words can fall into the novel category, 50,000 is considered the minimum novel length. Anything over 110,000 words is considered too long for a fiction novel.
Is 500 words good for a chapter?
Anything between 500 to 2000 words is usually a decent size chapter. I guess what’s especially important is quality, pacing and update consistency. If you regularly post bite-sized chapters with good pacing and the content is meaningful to the plot, readers can still appreciate the story.
How many chapters is the average novel?
Most novels have between 10 to 12 chapters, but that’s not set in stone. You can have two chapters or 200 — it all depends on how comfortable you are with experimenting. Consider your dear reader.
How long is a prologue?
The length of a prologue depends on the nature of the story, but it’s best to keep it trim. One to five pages should suffice.
What is a good chapter size?
between 1,500 and 5,000 words
From these numbers, we can establish some guidelines: the average word count of a chapter typically falls somewhere between 1,500 and 5,000 words, with 3,000–4,000 being the most common sweet spot.
Can a chapter be 1 page?
The number of pages is as many as are needed. As Bryan shows, a chapter can be as short as a word, or a sentence.The chapter ends when you need to “shift gears”, a break to something else, when you can’t write any more useful things for the reader to have in THIS narrative, and you wish to start another.
How long is average novel?
A story that is over 40,000 words is generally considered a novel. However, it will be on the short side, as the average length of a novel hovers around 50,000-70,000 words. That said, if your book is around 40,000 words, you’re in good company.
How many chapters are in a 80000 word novel?
For example, if you’re writing for genres that have a word count range of 80,000-89,999 words (i.e. Mainstream, Thriller, Horror, Romance, Suspense, Mystery, and Literary) and you want to adhere to the 3,000–5,000 word count range per chapter, then that would probably entail about 16 to 30 chapters.
How many chapters is 90000 words?
As a general rule, novels between 70,000 and 90,000 words will probably have anywhere between 15 and 25 chapters. But in the end, the number of chapters in your book should be secondary to your story.
Can a book have 60 chapters?
Many books have 40, 50 or sometimes 60 chapters, all varying in length. And it’s the variety of length that counts. They don’t have to coform to any pre-conceived ideas. Every writer is different, so every chapter they write will be different in length.
How many words is the average novel?
Average Word Count For A Novel
The average word count for adult fiction is between 70,000 to 120,000 words. For children’s fiction, the general rule is the younger the audience the shorter the book, and for YA novels the average is 50,000-70,000 words.
How many chapters should a self help book have?
How many chapters do you need? A typical number is 12 to 18 but you might have 8 or even 25. It really depends on the topics of your chapters and how much your text is broken up.