500-Page Novels

[Paul Whybrow]

As debut authors, we're advised to follow the word counts suggested as being acceptable by writing gurus:

How Many Words in a Novel? All the Answers by Genre | Jericho Writers

Word Counts by Fiction Genre and Type With Examples

In writing my crime novels, I've brought the last four in at about 80,000 words, though the first story I wrote ballooned to 179,000 words, entirely due to my ignorance of word counts! I've lopped 40,000 words off it, and as I prepare to join KDP Select I'm marketing it as a double-length story for the same price as the others. Good value!

The main reason that word counts are crucial is the cost of printing, storing and transporting books. Publishers will risk signing a book of 80,000 words, which amounts to 300-325 pages, depending on font size and formatting, but any bigger than that could see diminishing returns. Such concerns don't apply to digital books, but an unknown writer needs to be introduced to readers in a digestible size.

I've read several very long novels in recent years, including Neal Stephenson's Reamde at 1,056 pages and 322,080 words. He's just published a new novel, Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, which at only 896 pages and 276,660 words has had some book critics calling it a short story!

Once a writer has established good sales figures, they're allowed to sprawl. In 2019, I've read several crime novels of 500 + pages: John Connolly's A Book Of Bones was 688 pages and 126,125 words, while Don Winslow's The Border is 736 pages and 253,460 words.

I'm currently enjoying Knife by Jo Nesbø, which features his protagonist cop Harry Hole, a loose cannon with addiction issues. The plot involves his long-term life partner being murdered by a serial killer he captured who's been released from prison after completing his sentence. While he was incarcerated, Harry killed the killer's son, who'd also become a murderer, so bad dad is after revenge.

Nesbø devotes many pages to exploring Harry Hole's thinking. After reading an eight-page chapter in which he ruminates on life, love, faithfulness, the rock music he's listening to and the alcohol he's drinking, I considered how much space I'd permit my detective protagonist to do something similar. It wouldn't be more than half-a-page, as I'm so aware of hitting the 80,000-word count. My hardback copy of Knife is 530 pages long, some 147,465 words, according to the reading length website:

Reading Length | Search engine for books

I'd like to do more of the same. I feel constrained by 80,000 words. In writing a series featuring the same characters, I've attempted to bond the reader with them, which could be better done with more space.

Of course, should I decide to go ahead with self-publishing on KDP Select, I can write books of whatever length I like, without the interference of a literary agent and publisher. Such temptation requires restraint.

Do you feel like you need more space to tell your stories?

 

[Steve C]

I just read this in an article on the BBC website. "there are 500,000 words in the English language, but only 70,000 in French."
Does this mean French novels are shorter than ours or longer because they need more words to describe the same thing?

 

[georginaK]

It’s funny, but I have the opposite problem. My novel is on the shorter side and I feel pressure to make it longer, but don’t want to add words just for the sake of meeting a suggested word count.

 

[Barbara]

I used to be a pantser. Back then my novel then was 120 k. Feeling the freedom of words and the excitement to discover the story, I wrote for a bit, ran out of an idea of what to write next, found an idea of what to write next, continued to write, ran out of what to write, found a new idea, repeat a few times, and suddenly, yikes, 120k, and I still could have added chapters.

Now, I'm sort of a plotter in the sense that I throw together a general outline with the usual highs and lows, building the story arch, blah blah etc. But I don't plan the details. I just make the dough. I then let it bake by pantsing through the framework, changing the storyline if needed. My current novel is 95k. And it feels much tighter; much more controlled.

What is it that Agent Pete always says? More meaning from less words.

On the other hand, I once wrote a 65k novel. That one felt long. Even I got bored reading the finished thing. I tanked at constructing the plot into something exciting. SIGH.

Maybe it's simply a case of keeping the reader hooked with the writing. If the story is well built with loads of hooks, drama, etc and the characters are compelling, then the readers might not notice they're giving their life over to our 500k? Aren't most series one long novel, chopped into episodes / sequels?

Paul, I like the cat pic. Thank you.

 

[Barbara]

It’s funny, but I have the opposite problem. My novel is on the shorter side and I feel pressure to make it longer, but don’t want to add words just for the sake of meeting a suggested word count.

Maybe look at your plot. See where you can deepen the crisis / problem; throw some new difficulties and hinderances at your MC then let her/him get themselves out of the mess.

 

[Tim James]

It’s funny, but I have the opposite problem. My novel is on the shorter side and I feel pressure to make it longer, but don’t want to add words just for the sake of meeting a suggested word count.

I have a similar problem sometimes, when the main story just wont write any longer. What I think about doing is weaving in another sub-plot, or expanding one that is lurking in the background unexplored.
But I don't go back and add stuff just to make it longer. Padding will always be noticed, if not by the editor then by the reader.

It is therefore better when writing the first draft to include everything , all the plot twists, characters, settings and sub-plots you can think up.
Then when the first draft runs to 120k+ it is much easier to cut than to add.

 

[HayleyG]

It’s funny, but I have the opposite problem. My novel is on the shorter side and I feel pressure to make it longer, but don’t want to add words just for the sake of meeting a suggested word count.

Me too. I tend towards concise, which isn't a bad thing, although I do have a feeling that one day I want to write an Epic Length Novel.

On that note, I just re-read Stephen King's The Stand, which is 1,300 pages. No idea of word count. And this is the expanded edition. In the foreword he explains that the original edition had to be cut because printing it was too expensive.

It is a bit on the long side.

 

[georginaK]

Me too. I tend towards concise, which isn't a bad thing, although I do have a feeling that one day I want to write an Epic Length Novel.

On that note, I just re-read Stephen King's The Stand, which is 1,300 pages. No idea of word count. And this is the expanded edition. In the foreword he explains that the original edition had to be cut because printing it was too expensive.

It is a bit on the long side.

And shorter works seem to be quite popular lately, especially if they’re lyrical and atmospheric (I guess people’s attention spans are shrinking!) One of my personal favorites is The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, but a more recent one I’ve enjoyed is Hot Milk by Deborah Levy.

 

[georginaK]

I also went with close 3rd person POV for my two main characters, so I feel a bit limited by that sometimes (not necessarily in a bad way though).

 

[Tim James]

I just read this in an article on the BBC website. "there are 500,000 words in the English language, but only 70,000 in French."
Does this mean French novels are shorter than ours or longer because they need more words to describe the same thing?

I think they are about the same length but just use the same words more often and therefore with less nuance (or borrow English words to "liven it up" maybe).
It would be interesting to compare the word count of the same book translated into different languages.
Also there may well be 500,000 "English" words (most of them pilfered from other languages anyway) but most novels do not use anywhere near that many.

 

[Andrew Okey]

It would be interesting to compare the word count of the same book translated into different languages.


For example, the German-language edition of War and Peace runs to just 17 pages...

 

[Tim James]

And shorter works seem to be quite popular lately, ...

Interestingly older classic are often quite short. The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye are both quite thin books.

 

[georginaK]

Interestingly older classic are often quite short. The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye are both quite thin books.

Yes—so many! Heart of Darkness, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451...

 

[KateESal]

And shorter works seem to be quite popular lately, especially if they’re lyrical and atmospheric (I guess people’s attention spans are shrinking!) One of my personal favorites is The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, but a more recent one I’ve enjoyed is Hot Milk by Deborah Levy.

I was just reading in the current edition of Mslexia magazine about how novellas are coming back into vogue, so you might be well-advised to stick with the short-but-sweet format...

 

[georginaK]

Exactly!

 

[Jackson Banks]

I am pretty comfortable in the 80-88k range. I could never write sci-fi/fantasy just too much for me.

 

[Tim James]

I am pretty comfortable in the 80-88k range. I could never write sci-fi/fantasy just too much for me.

Oddly Sci-fi used to be relatively short too in the olden days. Many of the Sci-Fi classics were quite thin books.
Most of Philip K Dick's books, (he of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep AKA Bladerunner) are quite thin and many of them are collections of short stories.
2001 A space Odyssey, written by Arthur C Clarke, was originally a short story called The Sentinel.
H G Wells, arguably the grandfather of Sci-Fi, churned out a lot of small novel sized Sci-Fi, only a couple made it past 300 pages.
I guess Sci-Fi readers are more expectant of a fully detailed alien or future world with a host of characters and intricately involved plots these days.