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How many words is a fantasy novel?
Fantasy and science fiction novels usually run 90,000 to 120,000 words for a debut, about 300 to 480 printed pages. Epic fantasy by established authors is often much longer.
Work it out
pages, single-spaced, Arial 12 pt, about 500 words a page
- Handwritten pages
- 400
- Reading time
- 7 hr
- Speaking time
- 11 hr 6 min–12 hr 49 min
- Typing time
- 41 hr 40 min
- Paragraphs
- 500–1,000
- Sentences
- 5,000–6,667
- Characters with spaces
- about 600,000
Write it in the word counter with a goal of at least 100,000 words.
Open the word counterFantasy novel in pages and minutes
| Length | Single-spaced | Double-spaced | Reading time | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90,000 words | 180 | 360 | 6 hr 18 min | 10 hr–11 hr 32 min |
| 120,000 words | 240 | 480 | 8 hr 24 min | 13 hr 20 min–15 hr 23 min |
Estimates for US Letter or A4 with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins and ordinary paragraphs; reading at 238 words a minute, speaking at 130 to 150.
Why fantasy runs long
Worldbuilding takes words: maps, histories, magic systems and larger casts. Publishers accept longer manuscripts in the genre than in, say, crime, but a debut still has limits, because a long book costs more to edit, print and ship.
Well-known examples show the range: The Fellowship of the Ring is about 187,000 words, and the novels of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire run from about 300,000 to more than 400,000 words each.
Tips for a debut
- Aim for 100,000 to 120,000. Many agents treat much more than that as a sign the book needs cutting.
- Track by chapter. The word counter handles a full manuscript pasted in at once.
Questions and answers
How many words is a fantasy novel?
Debuts usually 90,000 to 120,000; epic fantasy by established authors often 150,000 or more.
Is 150,000 words too long for a fantasy debut?
Often, yes. Some books sell at that length, but many agents will ask for cuts.
How many pages is 100,000 words?
About 330 to 400 printed pages, or 400 double-spaced manuscript pages.