Average Novel Length
Enter a word count to see whether it is a short story, novelette, novella or novel, and where it sits against two published genre ranges. Pages, reading time and audiobook hours follow.
How to use the Average Novel Length tool
- Under “What do you want to check?”, keep “A word count: which length category is it?” to classify a count, or choose “A genre: what do published ranges look like?” to read the ranges for one genre.
- For a count, type it in “Word count of the manuscript”. The default is 80,000. Count the story or book itself, without front and back matter.
- Under “Genre”, keep “Literary and contemporary fiction” or pick another. Choose “No genre (just classify the count)” to skip the comparison and see every genre’s ranges in one table instead.
- Under “Words per printed page (your assumption)”, choose 250, 300, 350 or 400. The default is 300.
- Read “Length category”, “Distance to the category lines”, “Approximate printed pages”, “Reading time (silent, fiction pace)” and “Audiobook length (ACX pace)”. The comparison table below them shows each source’s range and where your count sits. Open the steps to see every calculation.
- In genre mode the word count field is hidden. The tool reads “Reedsy range for this genre” and “The Self Publishing Site range”, then lists both ends of each range with pages and times.
- To load an example, click “5,000 words”, “30,000 words”, “80,000 words” or “Romance ranges”. “Copy result”, “Copy link” and “Print” share or save what you see, and “Reset” clears it.
What counts as a novel?
There is no single official line. The tool uses the four word-count categories in rule 8 of the Complete Nebula Awards Rules from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), effective from the 2026 award year: short story, fewer than 7,500 words; novelette, 7,500 up to 17,500; novella, 17,500 up to 40,000; novel, 40,000 or more. A count exactly on a line takes the higher category, so 7,500 is a novelette and 40,000 is a novel. These are award eligibility categories, not a legal or trade definition, and the tool has no flash fiction category, so anything under 7,500 shows as “Short story”.
Other sources draw different lines. Reedsy says a standard novel typically falls between 70,000 and 100,000 words, with 40,000 usually treated as the minimum and around 140,000 as a maximum. Jane Friedman’s query-letter guide gives 50,000 as the minimum for most novels and 80,000 as the industry standard for a debut. The tool warns when a count from 40,000 to 49,999 is a novel under the SFWA rule but under that 50,000 minimum.
How do the genre ranges compare?
Reedsy and The Self Publishing Site each publish ranges by genre, and the tool shows both without averaging. They differ: fantasy and science fiction is 100,000 to 115,000 words on Reedsy and 90,000 to 120,000 on The Self Publishing Site. So 130,000 words is 15,000 above one range and 10,000 above the other. Likewise 60,000 words of literary fiction is 20,000 below Reedsy’s 80,000 to 100,000 and 10,000 below the other page’s 70,000 to 100,000. Some genres appear on only one page, and the tool warns when that happens.
How are pages, reading time and audiobook length worked out?
Pages are words divided by the words per page you choose, rounded to a whole page: 80,000 words at 300 per page is 267 pages. That setting is your assumption, because trim size, font and spacing change it. Reading time divides words by 260 words per minute, the silent fiction pace from Brysbaert’s 2019 meta-analysis, so 80,000 words takes 5 h 8 min. Audiobook length divides words by ACX’s 9,300 words per finished hour: 8 h 36 min. All three are estimates.
Worked examples
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| 5,000 words | Short story, about 17 pages at 300 words per page |
| 30,000 words | Novella, about 100 pages at 300 words per page |
| 80,000 words | Novel, about 267 pages at 300 words per page |
| 130,000 words | Novel, about 433 pages at 300 words per page |
| Romance (single title) ranges | Novel |
Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official average novel length?
No. The tool does not compute or claim an average. It shows what each named source says and the date it was read.
How many words is a novella?
Under the SFWA Nebula rule, a novella is at least 17,500 words and fewer than 40,000. It is an award category, so publishers may draw the line differently.
How many pages is 80,000 words?
At 300 words per page, 267 pages. Change “Words per printed page (your assumption)” and the figure changes with it, so treat it as a planning estimate.
Why do the two genre ranges differ?
They come from different pages with different editors and dates. The tool shows both rather than choosing one.
Why does the tool warn about some counts?
It warns under 1,000 words, from 40,000 to 49,999 words, over 500,000 words, and for a genre that only one page lists.
Can I type my own words per page?
No. The select offers 250, 300, 350 and 400 words per page. Pick the one closest to your layout.
Which reading pace does the tool use?
260 words per minute, the silent fiction pace from Brysbaert’s 2019 review of adult English readers. The Reading Time Calculator lets you pick other paces.
Does the tool upload what I type?
No. It runs in your browser, is free, and needs no sign-up.
Related tools
Once you know where a count sits, these tools work from the same word count or from a page count.
- Reading Time Calculator: reading time at a pace you choose.
- Audiobook Length Calculator: finished audiobook hours and a production cost from your own rate.
- KDP Print Cost Calculator: printing cost per copy from a page count.
- KDP Cover Calculator: spine and full-cover size from a page count.
- Words per Minute Calculator: a pace from a word count and time.
- Reading Speed Test: measure your own silent reading speed.