Middle grade books word count

Many, yes, but there are exceptions due to the layout and font size of a particular book. The critical differences between middle grade and ya books wmg. As a general rule of thumb, a novel falls somewhere between word count ranges of 50,000 words and 100,000 words. Upper middle grade 65,000 words max for fantasyscifi, adventure and historical. However, due to the variety of subgenre ya has, it can exceed 80,000 words. For more information on word counts for childrens book, check out this post. When writing a longer book that is aimed at 12yearolds and could maybe be considered tween, using the term upper middle grade is advisable. Chapter books would be on the lower end, while upper middle grade would be fine in the upper range. When completed, your middlegrade masterpiece needs to be somewhere between 20,000 and 60,000 words. If there is an average, 60,000 words to 80,000 words are probably the sweet spot. Can be publisher specific, ranging from 3,000 to absolute max 5,000. I have found the website dogobooks to be the most useful place to check the word count of popular books for kids.

Apr 23, 2018 there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to word counts, and different sources are going to tell you different things. Still in doubt about a desirable word count for your novel. The actual word count for harry potter and the sorcerers stone is 78,792 and my utility calculates 77,876. Oct 03, 2017 on a scale of one bad to ten excellent, chapter books rate their agents overall as an 8. Yes, the more successful your books, the longer they will get to be without anyone batting an eyelash see. Heres a general guideline i sometimes use for fiction board books for babies and toddlers to picture books for upper elementary and middlegrade learners. For the book hatchet, the actual word count is 41,672 and i give you. Discover the best 8223722010 middle grade books ages 912 in best sellers. Jun 26, 2018 i have found the website dogobooks to be the most useful place to check the word count of popular books for kids. Dec, 2014 middle grade book length december, 2014 the dormant math teacher in me is needing to click at a calculator for a minute. Hours per day x average words per hour x days total word count. Middle grade is generally 912 years and since kids tend to read up, id say marketing your book as mg is the way to go. These books fall in very similar word count ranges to young adult books. The word count range for each age level is only a guideline.

The word count range for middle grade is 20,000 to 60,000. A book like harry potter and the sorcerers stone, with 78,792 words, is higher than recommended, but with any genre, there are exceptions. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. There is no definitive word count guide for nonfiction books due to the many subgenres. Word count for famous novels, in ascending order by number of words. Word count varied from 5,000 words to 40,000 words, with an average mean of 17,200 and a median word count of 8,500. But overall, heres my own rough stab at word counts by genre. With fun, lighthearted, simple middle grade youll want to stay around the 20k30k word count range. Ages 9 11, in the united states, middle grade begins in the sixth grade age 1112, and goes right through to eighth grade age 14. How to write a middle grade novel childrens book editor. Jun 05, 2017 so childrens book manuscript chapter length is a big question that ive received many times about all sorts of childrens books that have chapters. Chapter books would be on the lower end, while upper middle grade would be fine in the. Collecting comp titles will prove useful to you throughout your novels journeyespecially later, when trying to market your book.

The average mean word count was about 53,000 words. Oct 28, 2015 lets start with middle grade since thats what i write. Word count picture book, middle grade, ya lisa lewis tyre. In this article we will explore how to write middle grade fiction and why this childrens book format is flourishing today. However, we do not suggest writing a novel of 500,000 words unless you as established as stephen king is. Jun 27, 2019 how many words should a middle grade novel be. Sharp objects has a word count of 80,565 and my utility calculates it at 80,7. Middle grade book length december, 2014 the dormant math teacher in me is needing to click at a calculator for a minute. Picture book word count, and other rules that are meant to. Best sellers in 8223722010 middle grade books ages 912. Most mainstream ya novels stick to that word count. Writing middle grade a look at the numbers hannah holt. I just completed a middle grade novel and am looking for an agent.

I havent read all of these yet, but i plan to use this list to choose books from book fairs and book club order forms that come home from school. On a scale of one bad to ten excellent, chapter books rate their agents overall as an 8. The word count at big five publishers had a slightly narrower range. If a main character in a mg novel is an adult or an animal or something else other than a child, this can only work if that main character has a youthful and young sensibility, world view, and perspective in which a mg reader generally between the ages of 812, sometimes younger will be able to identify and to which a mg reader will be able to relate. Everything you need to know about novel word counts nathan. The hunger games has a word count of 99,750 and my utility calculates it at 98,916.

Mg is chiefly read by late elementarymiddle school students. This is because children have shorter attention spans than adults, and if they see that a book is very big they might not even want to read it. Sep 20, 2019 as you can see, word count for science fiction books vary widely. Sure, some days youll write more words per hour than others. The actual word count for the hunger games is 99,750 and my utility calculates 94,743 words. The authors had sold between 10 copies and 2 million copies of their chapter books. Longer word counts allowed for fantasy, scifi, historical. Chapter book this varies widely, depending on grade and reader level, usually starting at 4,000 words and 15,000 words max. Middle grade is for middle school ages, 10, young adult is high school, 1418, and adult is everything after, 19 and up. Picture book word count, and other rules that are meant to be. Chapter books will come in at the lower end of the spectrum, while middlegrade books meant for older readers may even slightly exceed 55,000 words. Few adults will proudly or openly admit to reading ya fiction or middlegrade books. Middle grade fiction will generally be shorter than ya fiction, but again, there are exceptions.

But you only have to count harry potterthemed weddings or alice in wonderland tattoos to. Middle grade is from 20,000 55,000, depending on the subject matter and age range, and the word count of these books has been trending up in recent years. May 15, 2019 are you ready to write a middle grade novel. We will learn which age groups to target, what narrative styles work best and why, and what kind of word count you need in order to craft a strong middle grade book. Search for word count totals in books word counters. The word count for mg is around 20,000 40,000, whereas its 50,000 75,000 for ya as jessica faust notes here, these numbers are a little fuzzy, so take this with a grain of salt.

When i started writing three years ago, the mg word count i kept hearing was no more than 30,000 words. Its commonplace in ya novels and completely absent in picture books and easy readers. I am aiming it toward younger readers say 3rd, 4th grade. So that usually includes everything from chapter books, to middle grade, to young adult novels. Ive included a few of my favorite classic middle grade books, but also some new, highly acclaimed, and popular books for middle schoolers, kids, and tweens. Middle grade word count is typically 20,000 to 55,000. Five lessons i learned writing my first middle grade novel. Obviously, the examples under each category are above and below what is generally accepted. Ya is often read by middle grade aged tweens and early teens.

Ill do it for you, no need to bring out your calculator too. Middle grade or mg 45,000 words max for contemporary, mystery, humor. Yes, i know jo rowlings upped the ante with her succession of harry potter books, and if your plot and characters have the same appeal as harry, you too might get away with a larger word count. Upper middle grade novels can have a higher word count, and will be read by children aged 10 to years old. Hero is usually 10, and in middle school grades 48. Should i try to reach a certain number before i submit my novel. With that in mind, ive tried to put together the definitive post on word count for fiction novels, young adult, middle grade, childrens books and. Hatchet with 41,672 words and holes with 46,554 words are ideal.

To receive notifications when the rest of the series is posted as well as my other blog posts, submit your email address in the side bar. Whether your book is considered chapter book or upper middle grade will depend on the age of your characters, and the subject matter. When it comes to word count, middle grade fiction ranges anywhere from 20k to 5060k. How long does it take to write a middle grade novel. Chapter books will come in at the lower end of the spectrum, while middle grade books meant for older readers may even slightly exceed 55,000 words. Future installments will include information and statistics on word count, point of view, tense, and debut vs. For average word counts based on genre, see this handy reference. Up to 6070k is probably safe though there are even longer exceptions.

Yes, if you are hugely successful with your first book, your publisher will want lots more books from you. A good example of that is the twilight series the first book alone has more than 100,000 words. Most middle grade novels are between 40,000 and 69,000 words long. Middlegrade novels are generally 20,000 to 55,000 words. This is part one in my middle grade fiction series. Aug 07, 2018 few adults will proudly or openly admit to reading ya fiction or middlegrade books. I had when i first started writing middle grade was about word count. Middle grade novels are generally 20,000 to 55,000 words. Upper middle grade can hit in the 50k word count range possibly longer, if its something really special. Young adult fiction allows for a lot of flexibility in word count. Based on this list compiled by nicole humphrey cook. The expectations for the use profanity in childrens fiction are pretty clear.

The key differences between middle grade vs young adult. Make a list of 15 recently published comparative titles. Even being seen to be looking through the shelves of the mg section of a bookstore is slightly embarrassing if you dont have a kid with you. First of all i want to say thank you casey for this wonderful site.

Lets start with middle grade since thats what i write. If it does need to be this long, it is not a middle grade, or it should be divided into 20 books, not 6. May 15, 2011 if it does need to be this long, it is not a middle grade, or it should be divided into 20 books, not 6. Writing chapter books a look at the numbers hannah holt. Fleshing out an imagined historical world lends itself to a higher word count, so historical fiction tends to be closer to 100,000 words. Apr 08, 2019 rather than sticking too rigidly to word count, its best to strive for a manuscript in which the function and the format work together. For debut books in this field the average word count tends to be 35k and it has therefore become the marker many industry professionals look for in queries from new writers. Yet middle grade books have always been aimed at the younger age group, in effect touching on the interests and curiosity of those about to enter middle school or junior high.

So childrens book manuscript chapter length is a big question that ive received many times about all sorts of childrens books that have chapters. Other considerations include the age of the protagonist, themes, reading level, word count, and cover design. Middle grade fiction is generally 30,00050,000 words though fantasy can run longer to allow for adequate worldbuilding. Nov, 2009 chapter book this varies widely, depending on grade and reader level, usually starting at 4,000 words and 15,000 words max. There are also some subgenres that have slightly different conventions. Childrens chapter books word count age 69 word count. Rather than sticking too rigidly to word count, its best to strive for a manuscript in which the function and the format work together. When completed, your middle grade masterpiece needs to be somewhere between 20,000 and 60,000 words.