How many words in a nonfiction book, and how long a chapter should be

Word counts by book type

The table below uses only figures that a publisher, an agent or Scribe Media has published. They do not agree, and the reason matters: an agent's numbers describe what the publishers they pitch tend to expect, while Scribe's numbers describe what has sold in its own data.

Two things stand out. First, self-help is the type where sources disagree most: one agent says 40,000 to 55,000, another puts it with memoir at 80,000 to 100,000. Second, memoir sits at the long end in every source that lists it. Gardner's post grants that there are exceptions, but advises first-time authors not to be one if they want to improve their chances with publishers.

Two Scribe authors show the spread. Neil Thanedar's story lists 42,000, "Words in the finished book" (his story), for a book arguing for an idea. Adam Castillo's lists 84,663, "Words of First-Person Leadership From Inside the Storm" (his story), for a book that collects 12 speeches with the story around them. Each is one book, not a target.

Which should you follow? If you will pitch agents or a traditional publisher, follow their published ranges and the guidelines of the specific publisher, because a manuscript far outside them is one more reason to say no. If you are publishing another way, the reader's attention is the limit. Scribe's article says plainly that shorter is usually better and that a book should be as short and focused as possible without leaving anything out.

How words turn into pages

Plan in words, not pages. A page count depends on trim size, font, margins and spacing, and Gatekeeper Press's guide to how many pages a book will be notes that the exact count is only known once layout is finished. Its figures assume an 11.5 point body font and standard margins: 240 to 260 words a page for a 5 x 8 inch book, 300 to 330 for 5.5 x 8.5, and 360 to 390 for 6 x 9. Scribe Media's article uses a simpler rule of thumb of about 200 words a printed page.

The same manuscript can come out at very different page counts, which is why "how many pages should my book be" is the wrong question to plan around. Pick a word range, write to it, and let the designer decide the pages.

How long a chapter should be

The Scribe Method's chapter on book chapters and Scribe's article on chapter length give the same conventions:

• Average: a nonfiction book of about 50,000 words with 12 chapters, so about 4,000 words a chapter. A convention, not a goal.
• Range: chapters can be 500 words or 10,000.
• Under 1,000 words: ask whether it is a whole idea or part of another chapter.
• Over 5,000 words: see whether it holds more than one idea. Sometimes it cannot be split, and that is fine.
• Over 10,000 words: it should probably be two or more chapters, or it may really be a part.
• Equal lengths: not needed. The chapter-length article's example runs 5,000, 1,200, 3,000 and 1,000 words in a row and calls that completely fine.

The reason behind the numbers is the more useful rule. A chapter in a nonfiction book is one idea, one step or one argument, so its length is the number of words it takes to present that idea fully without over-explaining it. The article puts it as short enough to hold the reader's interest and long enough to give them what they need. When in doubt, it says, err short.

Long chapters can still read well. The same article points to sections and formatting: headings, lists and white space make a long chapter easier to take in, as long as the reader can see the breaks.

Short books, and when they work

Scribe Media's book length article reports what its sales data shows by length: under 100 pages do not sell very well (it gives lower perceived value as the reason), 100 to 199 pages sell best, 200 to 299 almost as well, and over 300 the least. The same article reports a study of every #1 book on the New York Times nonfiction list: the average length was 467 pages in 2011 and 273 pages in 2017, and the shortest #1 since the list began in 2000 was Harry Frankfurt's 80-page On Bullshit.

Short books work when the promise is narrow and the reader wants it delivered without detours. Gui Costin's two books are an example: his story on scribemedia.com lists 65 Pages, "Each, Thin, Full Punch". The story describes the books running through everything his firm does: every event is a book signing, and he sends signed copies to anyone who asks. A thin book suits that job. It is one author's example, not a promise about short books.

Short books work less well in two places. A traditional publisher may have a minimum (Pelican's is 40,000 words for adult nonfiction), and a book whose promise is broad cannot be delivered in 60 pages without leaving the reader halfway. If your outline has more chapters than your word count can carry, either narrow the promise or plan a longer book.

Plan your chapter lengths from the outline

Once you have an outline (see how to outline a nonfiction book), you can give each chapter a word budget. The method below is our own, built on the conventions above:

1. Choose a total. Pick a range from the table for your type of book and your publishing path, then pick one number inside it.
2. Weigh each chapter. Read each chapter's thesis. A single argument or a story-led chapter is light. A chapter that teaches a method with several steps, scripts or examples is heavy. Most chapters are in between.
3. Split the total. Give light chapters less and heavy ones more, so the budgets add up to the total.
4. Run the checks. Anything under 1,000 words: merge it or make it a section. Anything over 5,000: ask whether it is one idea. Anything over 10,000: split it.
5. Write to the thesis, not the number. The budget tells you when a chapter is running long or thin. It is not a quota to fill.

Here is that method applied to the first-time manager book used as an example in our outline guide:

The checks flag chapters 2, 3 and 5, each over 5,000 words. For each one, ask whether it holds one idea. Chapter 3 might: a single method with scripts. Chapter 2 might really be two chapters (the first week, and the rest of the month). That is the kind of decision that is cheap in an outline and expensive in a draft. Our printable outline worksheet has room to note a budget beside each chapter.

What most people get wrong

• Using novel word counts. Fiction runs to different lengths: Gardner's list gives adult novels 75,000 to 100,000 words. Use nonfiction figures, and the guidelines of the publisher you are actually targeting.
• Padding to reach a number. The Scribe Method's chapter on the first draft says a book should be as short as possible while still covering everything important. Readers notice filler.
• Planning in pages. The same words can make 128 pages or 250, depending on design. Plan and track in words.
• Forcing equal chapters. Chapters should be as long as their idea. Varied lengths are normal.
• Assuming longer looks more expert. Scribe's sales data points the other way, and the reader's time is the real cost of your book.
• Counting before outlining. A word target without an outline is a guess. Outline first, then set the budget.

Scribe Media, which makes this site, sells Scribe Compass ($5,000, scribemedia.com/pricing), in which a book coach works with you on a table of contents and a chapter-by-chapter roadmap. The method above is one you can do on your own.