What’s the Ideal Word Count for a Nonfiction Book?
Word count is an important consideration (and a source of confusion) for nonfiction book authors. Get it right and everyone will be thrilled. Get it wrong and you’ll have two big problems.
If you have too many words, you’ll scare off publishers and readers, jack up printing and shipping costs, and end up with a pricier (and potentially unfocused) book that turns off readers.
If you have too few words, your book risks feeling skimpy or unsatisfying. People might perceive the book as thin on information. A short book won’t stand out on a bookstore or library shelf. Short books don’t pop on shelves, and under about 96 pages you might not even be able to print the title on the spine.
A book with the ideal word count falls within the typical range for its genre or category. A book that’s just right has as many words as it needs to get the job done. It feels substantial enough in the reader’s hands and delivers real value, like a perfectly sized sandwich!
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“What is the ideal or typical word count for a nonfiction book manuscript?”
Nonfiction books in the same category vary more in word count than fiction books in the same category. And it’s difficult to reliably estimate word count from a physical book because trim size, font, images, white space, and design differ widely from publisher to publisher and book to book.
One thing we do know is that nonfiction books have been shrinking. A study done in 2017 showed that the average length of a nonfiction bestseller had dropped 42 percent in the previous seven years.
That trend continues as readers’ attention spans and free time shortens and production and shipping costs rise.
Use this data and graph to see the average word count range for your nonfiction book manuscript.
“How many words should my nonfiction book manuscript be?”
For most nonfiction books, 50,000 to 80,000 words is your best bet. That’s match readers’ and publishers’ expectations.
Nonfiction book word count, by genre:
Biography word count: 80,000 to 110,000 words. Established authors often write longer biographies. Whatever similar books are doing or whatever your publisher requests is often the ideal answer.
Memoir word count: 60,000 to 90,000 words. You can write more than one memoir; a memoir can cover a certain aspect or certain phase of your life.
Business and Money book word count: 40,000 to 80,000 words.
History book word count: 60,000 to 100,000 words (ideally 70,000 to 85,000 words).
A local history book should be shorter—30,000 to 40,000 words—and should contain many historical photos; most books from The History Press, for example, follow this format.
A historical fiction book word count may be 80,000 to 115,000 words.
Self-help and how-to book word count: 20,000 to 70,000 words, ideally 40,000 to 70,000 words. This includes dating and relationship books, parenting books, and health and wellness books.
Self-published books and ebooks with a narrow focus may be on the shorter end of the range: 20,000 to 50,000 words. Here’s my self-help book outline template.
Big Idea book word count (in the style of Malcolm Gladwell’s bestsellers): 60,000 to 80,000 words. Gladwell’s Blink is about 70,000 words.
Estimate a book’s word count by sampling a typical text page: count words per line, multiply by lines per page, then multiply by the total number of pages (exclude blank pages). Traditionally published books have historically been printed in signatures, so final page counts usually come in multiples of 8, 16, or 32.
You can also search for the book on the online retailer Kobo. Word counts are included for all ebooks and audiobooks listed on that retailer’s website. For example, Selling the Dream by Jane Marie (Atria Books, 2024) is 70,000 words.
We’re focused on nonfiction here, but if you’re interested in word counts for fiction books, this link may be helpful.
Consider your genre, your audience, and the expectations of comparable books.
“How many words should be in a chapter?”
I’ve written a longer article on average chapter length for nonfiction books.
The short answer is The ideal chapter length for nonfiction is 2,500–5,000 words.
The average chapter length is 4,000 words, but this varies by genre, and there are no firm “rules” to follow.
Chapters should be focused, purposeful, and tailored to your genre and audience.
Scroll down to find out what to do if your book manuscript is too short or too long.
“My book manuscript word count is too low. What do I do?”
Self-publish—but price the book appropriately. A 30,000-word self-published ebook should be no more than $4.99. If your book offers value, both in terms of content and price, word count won’t matter as much.
Consider making this book one of a series of short books.
Add more words; use more descriptive language in more pivotal scenes. Ask yourself if your book spends enough time capturing emotions you felt or that will resonate with the reader, add in stories, and make sure your conclusion is several pages or more.
Expand on one major thing in each chapter. Or slow down the more significant moments in the book. Get more descriptive in a way that conveys or elicits an emotional response.
If it’s a self-help book, add a chapter, or add exercises and further resources. Optimize the structure of your self help book—with this self-help book outline template.
Work with an experienced nonfiction editor or book coach.
“My book manuscript word count is too high. What do I do?”
Narrow the book’s focus. Make sure the book is not trying to do too much and that it is written with one ideal reader profile in mind. The book may simply be making too many arguments simultaneously.
Get a manuscript assessment for advice or hire a copy editor to parse the text for repetition, wordiness, and other issues.
Split the book in two or spin off a part of it that can be an article.
Cut details and repurpose that material for blog posts or bonus content.
Self-publish—and offer an audiobook edition. Audible subscribers are often eager to use their Audible credits on longer books.
Read my article entitled “Shorten Your Manuscript with These 12 Tips.”
Do you need a nonfiction editor?
I work with US authors, especially in these genres: Self-Help and Personal Development; Dating and Relationships; Health and Wellness; US History, Biography, Sports, Politics, and Cultural Studies.
Here’s some more advice on word count:
Keep chapters roughly the same length—within 10% of the average chapter.
For research-heavy books, limit footnotes to about 15–20% of the total word count.
Follow these tips and guidelines and you’ll improve your chances of a warm reception by publishers and readers.
If you have a great concept, a vast following on social media, are self-publishing, or are an established author, word count matters a little less. There will always be a demand for well-written, useful nonfiction books.
In sum,
For most nonfiction books, 50,000 to 80,000 words matches readers’ and publishers’ expectations and falls within the typical norm.
A narrowly focused self-help book can be as little as 20,000 words.
A book of over 100,000 words is too long for most readers and publishers.
Aim for the length that delivers value—no padding, no gaps.
Follow these guidelines and you’ll increase the chances publishers and readers respond well. If you have a standout concept, a large social following, are self-publishing, or are an established author, word count matters less; great, useful nonfiction always finds an audience.
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