How many pages is 50,000 words? Common word counts
Page counts for common word counts, using the same conventions as the converter.
| Words | Manuscript pages | Single-spaced | Paperback (5.5 x 8.5) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 min |
| 2,500 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 10 min |
| 5,000 | 20 | 10 | 18 | 20 min |
| 10,000 | 40 | 20 | 35 | 40 min |
| 20,000 | 80 | 40 | 69 | 1 h 20 min |
| 30,000 | 120 | 60 | 104 | 2 h |
| 40,000 | 160 | 80 | 138 | 2 h 40 min |
| 50,000 | 200 | 100 | 173 | 3 h 20 min |
| 60,000 | 240 | 120 | 207 | 4 h |
| 70,000 | 280 | 140 | 242 | 4 h 40 min |
| 80,000 | 320 | 160 | 276 | 5 h 20 min |
| 90,000 | 360 | 180 | 311 | 6 h |
| 100,000 | 400 | 200 | 345 | 6 h 40 min |
| 120,000 | 480 | 240 | 414 | 8 h |
| 150,000 | 600 | 300 | 518 | 10 h |
How many words is a 300-page book?
Going the other way: words in a book of a given length.
| Pages | As manuscript pages | As a 5.5 x 8.5 paperback | As a 6 x 9 paperback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 pages | 25,000 words | about 29,000 words | about 33,000 words |
| 200 pages | 50,000 words | about 58,000 words | about 66,000 words |
| 250 pages | 62,500 words | about 72,500 words | about 82,500 words |
| 300 pages | 75,000 words | about 87,000 words | about 99,000 words |
| 350 pages | 87,500 words | about 101,500 words | about 115,500 words |
| 400 pages | 100,000 words | about 116,000 words | about 132,000 words |
| 500 pages | 125,000 words | about 145,000 words | about 165,000 words |
Novel word count by genre
Typical word counts that literary agents cite for a debut novel (and, for memoir, a debut memoir). Established authors and some imprints go outside these ranges; a story that is much longer or shorter than usual for its genre is harder, not impossible, to sell.
| Genre | Typical length | Manuscript pages |
|---|---|---|
| Literary fiction | 80,000 to 100,000 words | 320 to 400 |
| Commercial or upmarket fiction | 80,000 to 100,000 words | 320 to 400 |
| Thriller, mystery, crime | 70,000 to 90,000 words | 280 to 360 |
| Romance (single title) | 70,000 to 90,000 words | 280 to 360 |
| Fantasy | 90,000 to 120,000 words | 360 to 480 |
| Science fiction | 90,000 to 120,000 words | 360 to 480 |
| Horror | 80,000 to 100,000 words | 320 to 400 |
| Historical fiction | 80,000 to 110,000 words | 320 to 440 |
| Young adult, contemporary | 50,000 to 80,000 words | 200 to 320 |
| Young adult, fantasy or science fiction | 70,000 to 100,000 words | 280 to 400 |
| Middle grade | 30,000 to 55,000 words | 120 to 220 |
| Memoir | 70,000 to 90,000 words | 280 to 360 |
Short story, novelette, novella or novel?
- Flash fiction: under about 1,000 words.
- Short story: under 7,500 words.
- Novelette: 7,500 to 17,500 words.
- Novella: 17,500 to 40,000 words.
- Novel: 40,000 words or more.
The short story, novelette, novella and novel boundaries are the ones the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association uses for the Nebula Awards; flash fiction is a common magazine term. Many markets and contests use similar limits, so check the guidelines of the one you are submitting to.
How these numbers are worked out
- Manuscript pages: 250 words a page, the publishing convention for double-spaced 12-point text with one-inch margins.
- Single-spaced pages: 500 words a page, for 12-point Times New Roman on a Letter page.
- Paperback pages: about 250 words a page at 5 x 8 inches, 290 at 5.5 x 8.5 and 330 at 6 x 9, for typical fiction typesetting. Front matter, chapter openings and blank pages usually add another 5 to 10 percent.
- Reading time: 250 words a minute. A 2019 review of reading studies by Marc Brysbaert put silent reading at about 238 words a minute for non-fiction and 260 for fiction.
- Audiobook length: 9,300 words per finished hour, the estimate ACX gives narrators.
Why agents ask for words, not pages
A page holds a different number of words in every font and layout, but a word count does not change. That is why a manuscript states its approximate word count on the first page. When you are ready to submit, the manuscript formatter puts the count, your contact details and the running header in the right places. Planning the draft? The words per day calculator turns your target length into a daily goal.
Watch the count grow in QuillSpace
QuillSpace is a book writing app for Windows and Mac that helps novelists and long-form writers organize a whole manuscript, write in focus, and keep their files on their own computer. Set your target length as the book's word goal and QuillSpace shows how far along you are every time you open it.
Free to start. Windows and Mac are separate apps, purchased separately.