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Famous books word count2/14/2023 ![]() ![]() The short answer is: long enough to tell the story but short enough to consistently hold the reader’s interest. If you’re writing your first novel or any book, you’re probably asking these questions. ![]() ![]() ![]() But no agent would get to know that because they’d see “Memoir: 270,000 words” and hit delete before reading any further.įor that matter, how long should any book be? How many words are in a typical novel? What’s the ideal book word count? The platform could be as broad as Oprah’s. The life story could be as compelling as Lincoln’s. The prose could be as fleet-footed as Fitzgerald’s. Even if she self-publishes, the cost per copy would be high, and few readers would slog through such a tome - particularly for someone who’s not famous.Īnd no agents or publishers would even look past that number. Soonafter I heard someone mention the words in a novel, I held my breathe and let the moment pass.Īs nicely but as directly as she could, she explained to the memoirist that a 270,000-word memoir was excessive. We gave each other knowing glances, and because I didn’t want to break this poor memoirist’s literary heart, I nodded at Shayla to take the lead. I heard these words during a breakout session I led at a local writers conference.Īn editor friend of mine, Shayla Eaton with Curiouser Editing, was sitting in on the breakout. ![]()
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