The Great Word Count Freakout (And Why You Can Relax)

By Janice Hardy

Figure out your word count without losing your mind.

You’ve finally finished the novel you’ve been working on for oh-so-long. You poured your heart into it, metaphorically bed on the pages, and finally typed “The End” before doing a little happy dance. Then you checked your word count—and panic set in.

Is it too long? Too short? Will agents laugh? Will readers riot? Should you cut 30,000 words? Add 20,000? Toss the whole thing into a fire and start over?

Take a deep breath. It’s all going to be okay.

Stressing out over your word count happens to pretty much every at some point.

We’ve all been there, and it’s a normal part of the writing life. Some novels expand as our ideas flow and our subplots take over, while others stay too tight on the plot path and think they’re a novella. And then there’s the manuscript that that’s actually two books in one, and we have to figure out how to separate them (shudder).

Take a deep breath, and let’s talk about what word count really means, when you should worry, when you shouldn’t, and how to approach it without losing your mind.

(Here’s more with How to Use Your Word Count to Your Advantage)

First, Some Quick Word Count Ranges

Before we get into why you can relax, let’s clear up the basic ward counts per genre and market. These are general expectations, not hard and fast rules, so if your novel falls outside these ranges, don’t panic.

• Adult novels (most genres): 80,000–100,000 words
• Mystery, category romance: 60,000–90,000 words
• Historical fiction, epic fantasy: Up to 140,000 words
• Science fiction and fantasy: 100,000–120,000 words
• Young adult: 50,000–80,000 words
• Middle grade: 30,000–50,000 words
• Chapter books: 5,000–25,000 words
• Picture books: Under 500 words

Do books break these guidelines and still succeed? Absolutely. But they often succeed in spite of their length, not because of it. The safer bet—especially for newer writers—is to aim somewhere in the expected range.

(Here’s more with 3 “Easy” Steps for Cutting Words from Your Manuscript)

Why Word Count Matters (It’s Not What You Think)

Word count isn’t about perfection. It’s about expectations.

Agents, editors, and readers come to a book with a mental sense of size and scope. A 50,000-word epic fantasy will probably feel too light, as readers are used to much larger books. A 145,000-word cozy mystery will feel like an encyclopedia for readers used to books half that size.

There’s also a practical side to all these guidelines. Longer books cost more to produce (especially now) and ship. And readers aren’t likely to pay $30-$40 for a novel.

However…

With digital publishing, word count has a lot more wiggle room. No printing costs means more flexibility, but even then, readers’ attention spans are getting shorter. Story momentum still matters. A long book needs to earn every page it claims.

(Here’s more with Bulking Up: Fleshing Out a Too-Short Novel)

The Real Secret: It’s Not About the Number

Here’s why you can really relax—it’s not about how many words you have—it’s what those words do.

You can write a 75,000-word book that flops because the pacing is sluggish and the story never kicks in. Or you can craft a 130,000-word tale that’s so gripping readers don’t even notice the length.

If your story grabs readers and never lets them go, word count becomes a footnote.

Know the guidelines, but realize they’re not carved in stone. Your job isn’t to hit a number, it’s to tell a great story.

Still Too Long? Here’s How to Cut Without Crying

If you realize you need to cut 10,000 words or more from your novel, odds are you’ll want to curl up and cry. But don’t worry—it’s not as terrifying as it sounds.

Let’s say your book is 120,000 words, which is about 480 pages (using the old 250-words-per-page estimate). If you cut just ten words per page, that’s 4,800 words gone. Trim twenty words per page? Boom—9,600 gone.

A word here. A sentence there. A line of dialogue you don’t really need. It adds up fast.

Pro tip: Divide the number of words you need to cut by your page count. That’s your target per page. Suddenly, cutting down feels manageable.

You don’t need to hack out entire chapters. Trim the fat, not the flavor.

(Here’s more with Lighten Up! Cutting Down Your Word Count)

When to Freak Out (and When to Chill)

You might need to worry if:

• You’re 50,000 words over the genre norm and querying traditionally
• Your story drags and feels bloated, even to you
• You’re charging $12.99 for an 8,000-word ebook
• Beta readers keep saying, “This could be shorter.”

You don’t have to worry if:

• You’re within 10–20% of the genre average
• Your pacing feels tight and necessary
• Readers say they couldn’t put it down

Word count is a tool to help you shape your novel—not a noose around your neck.

Use it to understand reader expectations, to plan, pace, and polish—but don’t let it rule you. In the end, your job is to create a story that’s compelling, immersive, and memorable. That’s what readers care about most.

So take a breath. Tweak where needed. Trim where it helps. And then get back to the best part—writing a story that shines.

EXERCISE FOR YOU: Determine the typical word count for your chosen genre and market. Then check your manuscript. Does it fall within those guidelines or is it way over or under? If it’s out of whack by more than 20%, brainstorm ways to cut or add words. Or, decide if the book is solid just the way it is and doesn’t need cutting.

What word count do you prefer? Are you a “write long and cut back,” or a “write short and add later” kinda writer?

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Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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