Genre, Word Count, Audience
Audience recommended word count.
Lower Middle Grade 22,000 - 55,000 words
Upper Middle Grade 40,000 - 55,000 words
Young Adult 55,000 - 79,999 words
Most adult fiction is safe around 80,000 words
Fiction type & recommended word count.
Flash Fiction less than 1,500 words
Short Story 1,500 - 7,500
Novelette 7,500 - 17,499 words
Novella 17,500 - 49,999 words
Novels 50,000 - 110,000+ words
Genre recommended word count.
Westerns 50,000 - 80,000 words
Cozy Mysteries 55,000 - 70,000 words
Romance 55,000 - 75,000 words
Mystery and Crime fiction 55,000 - 100,000 words
Chick Lit 60,000 - 75,000 words
Literary Fiction 65,000 - 100,000 words
Urban Fantasy 70,000 - 90,000 words
Women's Fiction 70,000 - 100,000 words
Sci-Fi 75,000 - 100,000 words
Memoir 80,000 - 89,999 words
Historical Fiction 90,000 - 110,000+ words
Fantasy 90,000 - 115,000 words