Word count is not, strictly speaking, the precise number of words in a page, but an approximation that estimates the total size of the manuscript. A 400 page manuscript full of single word paragraphs is exactly the same, from a publisher's word count perspective, as a 400 page manuscript made up of a single paragraph, even though the latter will probably have 10 15 times as many words.
You may
Cheap Cavaliers Jerseys assume 250 words per page when using 12 point Courier, double spaced. And you will double space your manuscript: search
Cheap Rockets Jerseys the web to find out how to format your manuscript properly for submission to a publisher.
Novels vary widely in length. Once you've hit 50K, you've got a novel, as opposed to something else. But most adult novels hover closer to the 100K mark. See this entry from Miss Snark for instance. Page count will vary even among books with the same word count, so don't worry about that yet.
Also, as for how to space and other formatting issues you can do it however you like while you're writing. But before submitting to agents or publishers (if indeed that is your intention), make sure to do a bunch of research. (Miss Snark is a pretty good resource, plus there's even "Getting Published for Dummies" and such). There aren't too many iron clad rules for formatting a submission they vary, and there are only a couple deal breakers but double spacing is a must.
posted by lampoil at 10:05 AM on February 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
I don't have my copy of Imponderables
on me, and I can't seem to find any information
Cheap Replica Jerseys on it on the internet, but I believe books are often printed with certain common page counts. At the very least, they are always published in a number divisable by four; because you can't just add a single sided
Cheap Elite Holt Youth Jerseys page to a book, you must add a sheet that has two sides and is folded in half.
Imponderables gave the example of a line of romance novels that all were the same length to save printing costs.
This isn't incredibly important as you're writing the book; extraneous matter like dedication pages, blank pages, dedication, false and real title pages, typeface, and overall book design can all be played with. But it is a factor in how many pages make up a novel.
posted by Juliet Banana at 10:07 AM on February 9, 2007
(Over a few hundred pages, you can generate enough slack to add or subtract four just by playing with kerning and hyphenation. No need to redesign the pages, even. This sort of fiddling is much easier nowadays, since the whole process can be done automatically
michael kors factory outlet by a computer. In the, er, good old days when everything was done by hand, I imagine those extra blank or redundant pages were much more
Cheap Copy Jerseys important.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:49 AM on February 9, 2007
Just as a data point, I grabbed a copy of The Scarlet Letter from Project Guetenberg. With
Cheap Stephen Curry Jerseys all the licensing text
Cheap Hawks Jerseys removed, it clocked in at 82904 words, or about 332 pages at 250 words per page.
posted by icosahedral at 11:20 AM on February 9, 2007
The figure I remember hearing for optimal length of a first published novel is between 80,000 and 120,000 words.
posted by Prospero at 11:59 AM on February 9, 2007
Based on the poster's nickname, I think the correct answer is something like: eleven hundred pages that make you say "Fuck you, Wallace" before turning back to page one to start the goddamn thing over again.
(More carefully this time.)
posted by rokusan at 12:35 PM on February 9, 2007
And you will double space your manuscript: search the web to find out how to format your manuscript properly for submission to a publisher.
As an editor, I strongly second this. I hate getting manuscripts (and we only deal with solicited ones nothing unsolicited) that are single spaced, come in weird typefaces, bizarre pt. sizes, and/or have tiny quarter inch margins. Our specs are Times New Roman, 12 pt. ONLY. Double spaced. Normal (1 inch) margins, flush left (no right justified).
In other words, it's your responsibility to find out what a publisher wants, and then do it.
posted by scody at 1:06 PM on February 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Depends on the genre. Some mysteries can run as low as 50k words; thrillers generally run between 80 120k words; some sci fi and fantasy can run even higher.
Earlier advice is good: check with the publisher, but also get to know the market. Look at the books in that genre and you'll start to see a trend in word length.
Absolutely true that manuscripts need to be double spaced. That's an industry standard. You can figure about 250 words per typewritten manuscript page. How that comes out in book form depends on formating, font, chapter breaks, etc.