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There are common word count guidance for several literary genres. But typically not a humor/personal essay/narrative nonfiction. So how long should a book of personal essays be? It depends. Arrrgh, I hate that answer! However, there are general guidelines and relevant examples to point to that give us a good range.
I wrote a book of personal essays. I didn’t even know to call them essays when I compiled them. The essays originated from 500-800 word articles I wrote for a back page column of VitalbyPOET magazine. I took the original essays, elaborated on each original story and compiled them together in a self-published book.
The ending word count for my book of essays was just north of 48,000 words. But I was concerned. Would this be long enough for a book? What is enough? How many total words should be in a collection of essays?
I compared the physical size of my 48,000 word book to others. Here were my findings:
What is a personal essay anyway?
A personal essay is a short personal narrative that is written in order to persuade, inform, motivate or entertain a reader. An essay can be used to convey an important lesson the author learned through his or her life experiences. Or it can be used to describe the time the author collected 55 gallons of dog poop (true story.) More thoughts on personal essays here.
Personal essays are also sometimes described as:
- Memoir
- Narrative Nonfiction
- Creative Nonfiction
- Autobiographical Essays
- Autobiographical Fiction
- Observational Essays
Regardless of what they are called, I primarily wanted to write short personal (mostly) true stories that entertain and perhaps inspire the reader.
I’ve seen typical word count guidance for several other genres, but typically not a humor/personal essay/narrative nonfiction.
Book Word Count recommendations by genre
Novel:
- Word Count: 50,000 – 100,000 words (though some novels can be significantly longer)
- Novels are full-length epic tales of fiction with multiple characters, plotlines, and in-depth themes.
- It is often preferred to wait until the movie version comes out instead of reading.
Novella:
- Word Count: 20,000 – 40,000 words
- Novellas are longer than short stories but shorter than novels, allowing for more depth and complexity in storytelling while still maintaining a relatively compact length.
- I can’t read the word “Novella” without first mistaking it in my brain as “Nutella”. Here’s a link to Nutella on Amazon in case that also made you hungry
- Seriously, that would be so awesome if I could get an Amazon Associates commission for convincing someone to buy Nutella from this blog post. We could make history together.
Mystery/Thriller:
- Word Count: 70,000 – 90,000 words
- Mystery and thriller novels typically feature suspenseful plots, twists, and high stakes, keeping readers engaged and guessing until the very end.
- Whodunit? You’ll find out around word # 89,126! Unless the author is really a jerk and leaves it at a cliffhanger so you buy their next book. I hate when they do that. And love when they do that.
Romance:
- Word Count: 50,000 – 90,000 words
- Romance novels center around romantic relationships and often include elements of love, passion, and desire, catering to readers’ longing for emotional connection and happily-ever-after endings.
- I don’t really have to explain romance novels do I?
Science Fiction/Fantasy:
- Word Count: 80,000 – 120,000 words
- Science fiction and fantasy novels transport readers to imaginative worlds filled with futuristic technology, magic, and adventure, allowing for expansive world-building and intricate plots.
- When you have to invent a brand new world, creatures, worlds, languages, etc, it takes a lot of words.
- You can’t just tell me the Warbledoos skittled to the Frazledazz in 30,000 words. Warm me up to the idea first.
Young Adult (YA):
- Word Count: 40,000 – 80,000 words
- Young adult novels are written for teenage readers and often explore themes of identity, friendship, and coming-of-age experiences.
- Vampires and princesses who discover magical powers. Sometimes both in the same story.
Memoir:
- Word Count: 50,000 – 100,000 words
- Memoirs recount personal experiences, often focusing on significant events, relationships, and reflections on life. The word count can vary depending on the depth of the author’s story and the scope of their experiences.
- Although Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land” is like 120,000 words.
- Which is a lot of words
Biography:
- Word Count: 70,000 – 100,000 words
- Biographies offer detailed accounts of individuals’ lives, exploring their achievements, struggles, and impact on society. The word count can vary depending on the complexity of the subject’s life and the depth of research involved.
Self-Help/Personal Development:
- Word Count: 40,000 – 70,000 words
- Self-help books offer guidance, advice, and strategies for personal growth and improvement. The word count is typically concise to keep the message clear and accessible to readers seeking practical solutions to their challenges.
- Think “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.
Business/Leadership:
- Word Count: 50,000 – 80,000 words
- Business and leadership books explore strategies, principles, and case studies related to entrepreneurship, management, and organizational success. The word count allows authors to delve into complex business concepts while remaining engaging and actionable for readers.
- These can also qualify as “self-help/personal development” especially if you let your boss know you are reading them.
History:
- Word Count: Varies widely depending on the scope of the subject and depth of research, but often falls within the range of 70,000 – 120,000 words
- History books examine past events, civilizations, and cultural phenomena, offering insights into the human experience across different time periods. The word count can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the historical narrative and the amount of detail included.
- Also prefer to wait for the movie.
Personal essays are a category not often cited in word count “best practices” per genre. So how can we find a good word count range to shoot for in an essay collection?
Find the word counts of popular essay collections.
I found a cool website that estimates word count based on the number of pages in the book. It even has a handy-dandy calculator to estimate how long it would take you to read the book, based on your word per minute reading speed. The site even helps you calculate your reading speed, assuming you don’t just automatically keep a score of your average reading speed.
I typed in some of my favorite books from well-known humor essayists. I hope to be as cool as these people some day. An attempt to search for “Essays Out of Left Field” returned an ominous error:
Maybe my book is so popular, the frequent searches are overwhelming their site?
Jenny Lawson: “Furiously Happy”
92,000 words
David Sedaris: “Me Talk Pretty One Day”
68,000 words
Mindy Kaling: “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?”
60,000 words
Samantha Irby: “We are never meeting in real life”
72,000 words
Sloane Crosley: “I was told there would be cake”
57,500 words
Nora Ephron: “I feel Bad about my neck”
34,250 words
So by my haphazard analysis, word count of book of personal essays is typically between 40,000-90,000 words
My book is on the short end of that estimate (48,000), but still within reasonable range of my “competitors”. I’m not sure I qualify as a “competitor” to these genre leaders, but by word count alone, I’m in the game.