The Length of a Book

Does how long or short a book is matter? At one time I wouldn't have thought so. As I have heard many authors say, I would have agreed that the length of a book should be determined by the content. Some stories or subjects take longer to tell than others. And, although there is certainly truth in that, the number of pages in a book seems to matter to readers.

I've noticed over the years, the size of novels have tended to get smaller. However, a novel needs to be long enough to develop the characters and plot. It's been my experience, if a book is much under a hundred pages, it tends to be too shallow to leave me satisfied. I've found that most readers agree. It's better not to publish one until it's fleshed out and ready. I've read several novellas lately that would have been wonderful if they'd been developed into a novel, but, as they were, they fell way short of expectations.

However, a novel that goes on and on can also lose the reader's interest. These novels tend to be too descriptive, have too many characters, or be repetitive and belabor points. Reviewers may list them as "boring" or readers may give up on the book before they get to the end. Society has changed since the days of the classics, and people are even more aware of how they spend their time. We have more choices than ever before, and a book needs to be succinct and to the point. If something doesn't move the story forward, it probably shouldn't be there.

There are, of course, exceptions to all this, but I've found these things true in general. I've been giving the matter much attention, both from a reader's and a writer's standpoint. The most successful length with readers seems to be between 200 and 295 pages. The more a book goes over 300 pages, the more special they need to be to have readers give them five stars. Most people will think twice about buying a book over 400 pages anymore. Do you have a preference as to the number of pages in a book?

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