When it comes to the world of book publishing, the length of a novel is typically determined by the type of book it is. These averages, rather than any specific rule, represent industry standards in their entirety. Word counts, on the other hand, are extremely important to consider when discussing novelettes, novellas, novels, short stories, and flash fiction because they are the only distinguishing features of these forms of writing.
Novelette
It is a short piece of literary work that ranges in length from 7,500 to 17,500 words. This spectrum is also mentioned in the criteria for the Hugo and Nebula awards.
It can refer to any piece of fictional prose storytelling that is brief in length. It consists of a greater number of words compared to other forms of prose fiction such as short stories, despite having fewer words than novels or novellas. In spite of the fact that novelettes do not have the same number of pages as full-length novels, they typically communicate an all-encompassing narrative. The term “extended short stories” or “mini novellas” is frequently used to refer to this type of writing.
In the past, the focus of novelettes has typically been placed on whimsical and emotional topics. On the other hand, a contemporary novelette is more analogous to a novella in the sense that it can cover a variety of genres, such as historical fiction, science fiction, and drama.
Novellas
It is a piece of written work that is shorter than a full-length novel but longer than a short story or novelette. However, it is not as long as a novel. Novellas share many of the narrative and structural characteristics of novels; however, similar to novelettes, novellas tend to focus on a single point of view, a single-core conflict, and a rapid pace. Novels are typically written in the third person. The total number of words ranges anywhere from 17,500 to 40,000.
Novels
It is a very lengthy tale that is written in a literary style. To entertain while also telling a story is what narrative writing is all about. A narrative is a type of writing that provides an account of a sequence of events, typically including a cast of characters, a setting, and a conclusion. When writing novels, authors sometimes veer off from the primary conflict in order to delve deeper into the setting and present multiple points of view. The total number of words in it is greater than 40,000.
- Historical Fiction: 100,000 words
- 50,000–100,000 words for a romance novel.
- Between 90 000 and 120,000 words for science fiction and fantasy.
- 70,000–90,000 words for a suspense novel.
Short Stories
It is a piece of prose fiction that is focused on a single occurrence or a series of connected events with the intention of evoking a single feeling or impact and is typically read in a single sitting. The word count could be anywhere between 1,000 and 10,000.
Flash Fiction
One definition of the subgenre of fiction known as flash fiction is a story told in very few words. It is possible for a piece of flash fiction to be as brief as a few lines, despite the fact that there is no predetermined word limit (typically less than 1,000 words) that differentiates it from more conventional short stories (while short stories typically run for several pages).