Nnaverage number of words in children's book

Now, i will say that yeah, a chapter thats 10,000 words for any category of childrens book is probably crazy. Word count for famous novels, in ascending order by number of words. Based on this list compiled by nicole humphrey cook. Featured movies all video latest this just in prelinger archives democracy now. In fact, many times a board book will contain no more than 1020 words total. A rough guideline to start with would be 500010,000 words per book.

The page count is 32 or 40 pages with a word count of under 1,500. Guess how many words are in a novel by gabe habash for pwxyz according to amazon s great text stats feature, the median length for all books is about 64,000 words. Targeted for 2 to 8yearold kids, this type of book typically has between 400 800 words. Board books are those tough little things you give to the smallest of readers. Word count for famous novels organized by hawthorn mineart, under books, writing. These books are geared for children between the ages of 3 and 8 years old. For average word counts based on genre, see this handy reference.

Books for 7 to 9yearold readers would probably start at the 15,000 word mark, rarely going higher than 30,000 words. In outlining your book in 3 easy steps, editor shawn coyne says, the average novel today is about 90,000 words. But, he also mentions that the wizard of oz was 40,000 words. The word count to aim for with this type of book is usually between 500 and 600 words. Some 6090k ya books get classified as hilo, but i dont think they were specifically written for the category. The 57 year old reading range straddles a few different categories of books. American libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. Novelty books include popups, puzzles, pulltabs and other interactive features. Picture books for children up to age eight average words though many are shorter. Adults typically read these out loud to kids, so the vocab can be more complex. A million word gap for children who arent read to at home.

While there are no hard and fast rules on the amount of words a book needs, there are. Thats how many fewer words some may hear by kindergarten. On average, how long is a childrens book for children. Board books are meant to be read to children who are early. The old man and the sea was about 25 to 30,000 words, tops.

How to write a childrens book in 12 steps from an editor bookfox. Picture book word count, and other rules that are meant to be. Word count for famous novels organized commonplace book. If you write a picture book more than 1,000 words, youre sunk. Many unpublished childrens books fail to grab the childs attention and parents attention. Each page often has only one line to keep it simple and easy for a young child to follow. Middle grade novels vary a lot, but a safe spot to aim for would be 30,000 words. Childrens book writers must adhere to strict industry standards for word counts.

Im currently on a book tour for my new 32page picture bookthe type. Yeah sure, if pressed, i could come up with some harder numbers, but i dont like to do that because i believe that every book sort of has its own style. In some cases, these books will have no words at all, such as for the very small child who likes to feel the fluffy cotton tail of a bunny or push the squeaker. Everything you need to know about word count and book length for books and novels and memoirs and childrens novels and picture books.