How Many Pages Is A Novel At 80,000 Words Typically?

Question

I'm estimating the physical length for self-publishing a fantasy manuscript. How does word count convert to printed book pages for standard trade paperback formatting?

Susie Lopez · Answer

For print, an 80,000 word novel generally ends up around 320 pages or so, assuming normal manuscript formatting. Web novel sites can vary wildly in terms of how many ‘pages’ an 80,000 word novel is (due to font size manipulation and whatever screen layout does), but you can approximate by checking out how many chapters it has, and how long on average each installment is. For example, the complete Her Price, His Obsession (A Billionaire dark Romance) novel runs roughly that length, yet still manages to deliver a complete, satisfying story without excessive padded length – it’s a good example of how long 80k words actually is for a web novel.

Declan · Answer

So for an 80,000 word novel (80K) here's a rough guide to the number of printed pages (PP) it might run to:

Words, chapters, etc. can translate in very different ways depending on whether you are talking about a manuscript or a printed book. For a manuscript, industry standard is to assume 250-300 words per page (double-spaced, 12pt serif font). That would translate to 267-320 pages of manuscript for an 80,000 word novel. A printed book of the same words, however, would run to a very different number of pages depending on the trim size, font and spacing of the printed book. For a very tight printed book (350-400 words per page) an 80,000 word novel would run to about 200-229 pages. So, rough printed-page estimate for 80k words would be 200-320 pages.

Keep in mind that chapter breaks, large amounts of dialogue, illustrations, and even long section headings can make pages that are longer than average. But when comparing manuscripts, it’s best to stick to quoting the word count rather than estimating the number of pages based on the manuscript. However, if you’re one of those people who loves eyeballing the spine of a book on a shelf, 80,000 words will likely translate to a novel of the middle size (250-320 pages or so), and that’s just my personal preference.

Uri · Answer

This word count translates into about 200-320 pages depending on how you count pages (e.g. manuscript page = 250 words = 320 pages; 300 words per page = 267 pages; 400 words per page = 200 pages). So, trim size, font size, line space, and chapter design all affect the number of pages in the end.

To give you a better sense of the book, I typically think of 80k words as being around 200-320 pages, depending on the trim size, and being a very, very readable, can’t-put-it-down type of book. And when I say that to agents and publishers, they usually just ask for the word count.

Lila · Answer

To calculate the page count of an 80k word count book, I divide by the words per page of a typical paperback. This yields approximately 267 pages of a 300 words per page book (such as a trade paperback), and 200-229 pages of a 350-400 words per page book. In terms of manuscript pages, 80k of words roughly equals 320 pages of double-spaced, 12pt font manuscript.

To estimate a book in the print form, I tell my friends to estimate in a range rather than a number. For example, the word count in a book can change greatly depending on the font size, margins, number of chapters, and whether there are any maps or illustrations. Also, note that the number of pages of an e-book varies greatly from one device to another. 80k words feel to me like a 300-page trade paperback, so that’s how I usually estimate.

Yazmin · Answer

To calculate the number of pages in a document, I use the following simple equation: total pages = total words / words per page. If we assume a manuscript is written in double-space, then 80,000 words / 250 words per page = 320 pages. 80,000 words / 300 words per page = 267.33 pages. 80,000 words / 350 words per page = 228.57 pages. 80,000 words / 400 words per page = 200 pages. (The variance in these numbers is due to factors such as font size, leading, margins, and chapter headings/openers.)

When I’m formatting books, I pay attention to the paragraphing and the density of the dialogue as well, because a book with lots of short lines of dialogue will have fewer words per page than a book with lots of long, lyrical paragraphs of words per page. For submissions, however, most industry people want to know the word count of a manuscript rather than the number of pages, since the page count can be influenced by so many different things in the layout of a book, and it’s best to avoid that debate. I aim to make my 80k novels come in at about 200-320 pages or so, printed, to make a decent-looking printed spine without being too overwhelming.

mparksfam · Answer

I opened up about a dozen or so of my midlist contemporary novels of about 80k words each. Here are the page counts: 312, 336, 288, 352, 304, 320. Average is about 318 pages. The longest novel, 352 pages, has very wide chapter spacing and lots of single line dialogues, so it feels lighter than the others. The shortest novel, 288 pages, has very tight margins and a very compact font size. The words all add up to roughly the same length of story, just packaged differently.

J L · Answer

Misleading ‘pages’ for web-serials or fanfiction would be Archive of Our Own listing an 80k word fanfic as ‘200 pages’ (the default setting for their program), yet in a Word document it would read as 320 pages or so in print form. Digital realm equals more confusion on this front. Word count is the only reliable metric here.

Terry Robison · Answer

My rule of thumb for readers is that they read about a page a minute of standard prose. An 80,000 word novel would therefore be a 5 hour read at 300 pages and a 6 hour read at 350 pages. This is how I calculate the time that I am going to spend reading a novel and this is what I care about, the time it takes to read the novel.

Marijo Gonzales · Answer

Store shelves have books on them. 80k word novels are paperback thickness, about a pinky’s width. 120k+ word fantasies are thumb thickness. 50k word novellas are even slimmer. The spine width of a book is the “page count” in the wild. It’s a quick, intuitive measure that we all employ without even realizing we’re doing it.

RON PERRY · Answer

More pages = more paper. So, while publishers inflate page count to try to get more value out of the book, more pages = more trees down. An 80k word novel responsibly designed to a 280 page book has a much smaller eco-footprint than the same words inflated to 380 pages. Why not value clear, concise, efficient design as much as great design?

How Many Pages Is A Novel At 80,000 Words Typically?

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