October 2, 2006

Bookcraft 2.0: How Many Words Does It Take to Make a Book?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 1:16 pm

An Average Book . . .

As an introduction to Bookcraft 2.0, I wrote Write a Book? Assemble the One in Your Archives! In the comments, Chris showed serious interest in finding out more about it.

. . . My new venture, SuccessCREEations has been up and running for less than a month and already has 23,000+ words, all fairly focused topically. So perhaps in a few months I’ll have enough there to put something together (provided I keep the pace steady).

Of course it begs the question, how much material does it take to become publish-worthy? If you figure an average of about 250 words per page, then what about 60,000 words or so for an average book? Is that anywhere near right?

My apologies. Chris, for trying to answer a BIG question with a small answer. I should have said, “Yes, Chris. you’re more than near right . . . because you write well, you might even have two books there.”

Let me try to explain it better in this post.

How Many Words Does It Take to Make a Book?

Editors and agents often quote a word count to writers in order to establish basic parameters. “Casting off” pages also once was a common practice in which the word count was used to determine how much paper a book would require.

Now, I think, giving out a word count is a good faith benchmark. Editors and agents want to save writers and themselves unnecessary time and work. Why should everyone be iinvesting in a manuscript that doesn’t have the critical mass it needs to make a full-size book?

Still the practice of quoting word counts bothers me, because critical mass doesn’t mean that the words in question actually say anything that a reader might be interested in. And the truth is the word count really is an average of a very wide range of possibilities..

Here are the word counts for 10 books you might know.

1. Malcolm Gladwell’s Book, Blink is a 70,731-word message.
2. Steve Farber’s Radical Leap tells the story in 33,825 words.
3. Seth Godin uses 30,655 words to describe a Purple Cow.
4. Stephen Covey needed 100,519 words to explain The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
5. It took David Allen 76,858 words to write his way of Getting Things Done.
6. Race Through the Forest, a fable, by Timothy Johnson needed only 18,508 words.
7. Writing White Papers by Michael A. Stelzner required only 38,664 words to do what was necessary.
8. Beyond Code by Rajesh Setty is about 30,000 words.
9. Robert Scobel and Shel Israel spent 78,994 words in Naked Conversations.
10.Queen Klutz by Marti Lawrence recount her humorous stories in 26, 485 words.

As you can see, the word counts vary wildly. But 60,000 is probably as good of a benchmark as any. My hope is you don’t hold it too tightly. . . .

I once asked, “How many words do you need to make a book?”
And a wise man told me, “As many as you need and not one more.”

Pages are a completely different matter. Paper is tangible.

We’ll get to pages as we start making Phil’s book.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to help you find or make a book from your archives, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Tags: blog-writing, building-a-book, Effective-Blog-Writing, focusing-ideas, making-books, using-archives, writing-a-book, Writing-Power-for-Everyone

C'mon. Let's talk!

51 Comments to “Bookcraft 2.0: How Many Words Does It Take to Make a Book?”

October 2nd, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Michael A. Stelzner said
Hi Liz;

I learned that it is the content of the words rather than the quality that make a difference. My book is by no means large in words. AND, I used a lot of pre-written articles I had created before the blog craze as foundation for the book.

Mike
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:57 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Michael,
I’m betting you mean “content rather than QUANTITY,” . . . I find your quality is outstanding!
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:02 pm
Michael A. Stelzner said
Liz - Opps :( Yes, you read my mind. - Mike
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:06 pm
ME Strauss said
cool :)
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Chris Cree said
So the bottom line is authors write books for people not machines. No formula’s here, eh? Sigh… It figures. No matter how high tech we get there are still people in the equation somewhere. ;)
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:34 pm
ME Strauss said
Yeah, but Chris, you write so well, Like I said you probably have two books there. I think you can count on your intuitiion in this case. You’ve made great calls on that blog– everywhere I look.
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Chris Cree said
Ok, so let me ask another pot-stirring question…

How “original” does your content need to be to be “yours”?

It is not at all that I plagiarize other people’s stuff. I understand what plagiarism is and I wouldn’t dream of stealing someone else’s work.

But the reality is my thoughts are heavily influenced by other people’s ideas that I’ve encountered over the years. Really what I do over there is bring together ideas and concepts that other, bigger minds, have had before me and try to present them in a way that makes sense to me (and I hope, by extension, to others as well.)

But then I wouldn’t want to pretend that the ideas I’ve put down are wholly my own. I’m just plain not that smart.
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:43 pm
ME Strauss said
Chris,
Your questions are great ones.
First know this. You can’t own or steal an idea. West Side Story IS Romeo and Juliet. That’s not plagarism.

I think you’ve defined what you do well. You read other’s work internalize it and mix it with your own thoughts. You’ve been “influenced.” It’s nice to give credit when you feel someone has heavily influenced the direction of your thoughts and it also gives credibility to what you’re saying. But if the words are your own, really your own — not paraphrased. The content is original.

Hope that helps
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:18 pm
Chris Cree said
As always your explanation brings it down to the lower shelf to make it easier for some of us to understand.

I guess I’ve been thinking of ideas in terms of patentable items rather than in terms of transcendental principles. Thanks for clearing that up!
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:41 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Chris,
Sorry, if I sounded transcendental. Didn’t mean to overexplain things there . . .

You’re free and clear with any copyright issues as far as I see. Everything sounds quite original to me.
October 2nd, 2006 at 6:27 pm
Bryan Potts said
I am planning on making a book out of all my blogs from age 15 to 55 when I get there :). I’m going to be a celebrity soon - because i’m going to lose 150 pounds and document the whole thing on my blog. Pictures every day. The idea is that my blog will keep me accountable to 300,000,000 people. Think it will work??
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:21 pm
Scorpia said
If absolute originality were required for any book, the shelves at Barnes & Noble would be rather empty.

If you have something good to say, just go ahead and say (or write) it. Give credit where it is due. And that’s all you need to worry about (besides dealing with publishers, editors, and God knows whom ;).
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:50 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Bryan,
Welcome,
I don’t if it will work. But it’s a noble goal worth going for! I say why not? Good on ya!
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:52 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Scorpia!
You’ve got a great point there. I read somewhere once that there are only 20 fiction plots altogether. I know that I’ve read the same thoughts in so many business books. Sometimes you have read the same ideas for them to sink in so, it’s not really such a bad thing . . . I suppose it’s the same in computer games too?
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:53 pm
Steve said
Hey that’s great! I wouldn’t want to be a celebrity though. Not my cup of Joe…. :)

I’ll take the fortune over the fame any day..
Steve
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Steve said
It is also the same in movies. If I liked it once I will more than likely like it again! :D
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:55 pm
ME Strauss said
Steve,
I’m with you. Fame is only attractive from far away, but fortune will buy you a cup of Joe. :)
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Whimspiration said
My mother’s high school english teacher told her that a good story needs to be like a lady’s skirt. “Long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting.”

I’ve used that model in everything I’ve ever written, and every story I’ve ever told. It has never failed me. *smile*
October 2nd, 2006 at 10:01 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Whims!
What a fabulous description! I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one. Thanks for sharing it. It’s perfect. I won’t be forgetting it. :)
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:41 am
Scorpia said
Yeah, that is a cute description. I like it (wish I’d thought of it ;).

Liz, plots in computer games are depressingly the same, at least so far as the role-playing ones are concerned. “Kill critters, grab goodies, frag Foozle” (”Foozle” is my generic term for whomever or whatever is behind all the trouble).

But speaking of length, I have never managed word count. When I first started writing for CGW, and they told me the articles for my column should be about so many words, I had to ask, “how much is that in K?”. I couldn’t think in terms of word count, only file size. That’s still true today.
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:46 am
ME Strauss said
Hi Scorpia,
I can understand why you can’t think in wordcount. I have trouble thinking in bandwidth . . . when it comes to how much my blog uses. :)
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:22 pm
ann michael said
Scorpia that’s too funny! If it weren’t for the word function to count words - I would never be able to think in those terms either!!!

BTW - Liz, I enjoy Malcolm Gladwell’s work a whole lot - but Blink probably could have been done in 1/2 the length. I found it really repetitive. So , I tend to agree with Michael (way up there at the top of the comments - with of course, your subsequent clarification)!
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:32 pm
ME Strauss said
I agree with you about Blink. I had some trouble finishing it. Some of his examples went on and on. I think he’s a guy who took his word count WAY too seriously.
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:49 pm
Big Roy said
“Long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting.”

Great description, it’s something we all deal with everyday when we write. I struggle with every post I make trying to include just the right amount of information.
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:36 pm
Chris @ Martial Development said
To quote Brian Clark (who may have quoted someone else)…

A post (or book) can never be too long. It can only be too boring.
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:38 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Big Roy!
I think I agree . . . getting to “just right” is an artform.
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:40 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Chris,
I’ll have to think on that. I think I agree with what Brian’s saying there, but it sure seems to have a lawyerly twist to it.

I prefer the old standby, “I wrote you a long letter because I didn’t have time to write you a short one.”
October 4th, 2006 at 12:01 am
shel israel said
Thanks for your mention of Naked Conversations. Interestingly, we had planned a much longer book. The publisher asked us to cut it down to 80,000 words, the amount they estimated that the average business person could read on a nonstop flight from New York City to Los Angeles. In retrospect, the book would have been horribly overwritten if we had droned on for another 20,000-40,000 words as Robert Scoble and I had planned.
October 4th, 2006 at 6:30 am
ME Strauss said
Hi Shel,
Thank you for sharing that bit of information. It helps us all get perspective. What great measure for a business book!

I read Naked Conversations in the comfort of my own home. To me it was the right lenghth and one chapter longer would have been too long. I was approaching information saturation level. Now I’m ready for a new one though, Shel.
October 4th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
ann michael said
Liz - I just saw this on Seth Godin’s blog and it reminded me of Scorpia’s comment on thinking in “K” not word count:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/10/andy_warhol_out.html

Pretty funny!
October 4th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
ME Strauss said
I just went over and read it. Too funny! I guess Seth and Scorpia would have had to give Andy Warhol a talking to today. :)
October 4th, 2006 at 9:07 pm
Scorpia said
Ann, heh. I don’t use (and didn’t back then) a fancy word processor. Notepad, or sometimes Wordpad, is (are?) it. So I really do need to know how much that word count is in K ;)
October 4th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
ME Strauss said
Wouldn’t we first have to figure out how many words Andy Warhol could say in 15 minutes? :)
October 4th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
Marti said
Thank you for including me in such esteemed company!

20 fiction plots, huh? That made me laugh…my husband and I have told our children there are only nine stories - LOL! When we “force” them to watch classic movies (which, the older they get, the more they appreciate) they’ll say, “Story number 7″ (or appropriate number). It’s all in the telling.

Thank you for a terrific post!
October 4th, 2006 at 9:27 pm
ME Strauss said
Hi Marti.
You’ve got their number — from every direction. I think it was a Writer’s Digest Book that named 20. Let’s see boy meets girl . . . :)
October 4th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Marti said
…boy loses girl….

LOL
October 4th, 2006 at 9:30 pm
ME Strauss said
boy takes up with moose instead. :)
October 4th, 2006 at 9:31 pm
Marti said
ROTF
October 4th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
ME Strauss said
Plot #2 Woman struck down in fit of laughter . . .
October 4th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Marti said
We have to giggle, we never sleep lol
October 4th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
ME Strauss said
Plot #3 Women who don’t sleep accused of being witches. . ..
October 4th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Marti said
“Is that a box of matches in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
October 4th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
ME Strauss said
One witch starts hearing voices, races into battle against the wimpy king. An army follows the church gets mad. The matches come in handy when they burn her at the stake. They call her Joan or Arc. Plot #3.5 — She doesn’t really count, because she’s not fiction, except the voices, we don’t know about them, now do we??????
October 4th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Marti said
{glances around nervously, places index finger across lips, then whispers, “That’s our little secret”}
October 4th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
ME Strauss said
It’s okay, I heard ‘em too. :)
October 4th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Marti said
‘night, sugar…4 AM comes far too soon…
:)
October 4th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
ME Strauss said
Woman Sleeps plot 5

Sweet dreams.
October 6th, 2006 at 9:52 am
Successful Blog - Bookcraft 2.0: Why No Bound Book Has 666 Pages and Get Your Free Blank Bookmap said
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June 20th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Bookcraft 2.0: 7 Reasons eBooks Are Losing Readers - Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas . . . You’re only a stranger once. said
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July 1st, 2007 at 7:59 pm
katiesullivan.com » Blog Archive » Something’s Wrong said
[…] to let it go for a day. I’m 73% done, using a goal of 70,731 words. I got that number from here. I assume most people write until the story is told by the story I’m trying to tell could go on […]
February 29th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Designing The News » Newspapers, books, and rather large word counts said
[…] what I’ve found out, the average book length is about 80,000 words, at 250 words to a page, that’s about 320 […]

October 2, 2006

Bookcraft 2.0: How Many Words Does It Take to Make a Book?

An Average Book . . .

How Many Words Does It Take to Make a Book?

C'mon. Let's talk!

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