How Long Should Your eBook Be (And Why)?

Sometimes, true strength lies in knowing when to stop. Generally, people understand this principle, but when it comes to writing, it can be challenging to determine where and how to draw the line. Writing is enjoyable, and we all know that. However, for eBooks, it is important to know when to stop in order to avoid exceeding the desired length. 

Now, you might be thinking, “Exactly how long should it be?  

This thought holds back many authors. You may find this truth hard, but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for this. However, you can maintain the ideal size of your eBook by determining some factors. This includes your target audience, genre and subject, and its objective. 

 In this post, we will discuss some essential things that help you decide the optimal length for your eBook. So, let’s get started! 

Key Takeaways 

• There’s no defined (ideally) length for the book. However, it depends on the genre of the book. 

• Focus on quality rather than quantity so readers may not lose interest while reading. 

• General Word Count Guideline: 

• Fiction: 40,000 words 

• Non-fiction: 20,000-50,000 words 

• Children’s book: 100-500 words 

• Adult Novels: 100,000 words 

• A book with comprehensive details and data should be detailed, while the quick guides and manual can be short. 

• Professional ghostwriters can help to maintain a suitable word count. 

• Outline the chapters and topics before writing to the main perfect word length with the flow.  

Decide the Ideal eBook Word Count.  

If you want to write an exception, it is important to think carefully about the topic. When writing a manual guide (for example, how to do something) or a motivational book, you may need pages to describe all the necessary information. However, if your eBook is meant to provide a quick overview or inspire an idea, you might want to keep it shorter. 

Remember that quality is more important than quantity. It’s better to write a short, valuable eBook than a long one full of unwanted stuff that doesn’t offer much to your readers. Most eBooks fall between 20 and 100 pages.  

• For non-fiction, you will find books somewhere between 20,000 and 50,000 words. This range lets you explore the topic in depth enough without overburdening your readers.  

• In the fiction category, novels are usually structured in a short manner. You can take the example of “A Novela’ which is 40,000 words. 

• Young children’s books may be as short as a few hundred words. It’s likely that you’ll be telling the tale via images.  

• The average adult novel is around 100,000 words long. However, some outstanding books are far shorter or longer than usual. For example, The Great Gatsby is about 47,000 words long). 

Does the Length of eBook Impact its Success? 

Here, we need to modify the case of quality over quantity, as too much or too little can upset the readers. If your book is too brief, readers might feel unsatisfied. In contrast, if your content is too lengthy, they might struggle to finish it.  

Determine your goal: provide enough content without overwhelming readers. Whether you are seeking help from top book advertising services or promoting it yourself, ensuring the content is easy to read and engaging is key. 

Understand this with an easy example: Think of your eBook as a dinner plate. You want to serve a balanced meal. Giving too much to your guests will make them stuffed, while too little will leave them hungry. 

How to Determine eBook Length Based on Purpose 

The biggest factor in determining how long it should be is to know what’s the goal of your eBook. You need to write more if you plan to provide a thorough guide or step-by-step tutorial. If an eBook is used as a brief overview or reference on a topic, it may be much shorter. 

For example: 

An extensive business book on a particular topic may range in length from 25,000 to 50,000 words. However, if your goal is to attract new customers or give a brief synopsis of a more complex idea, aim for 10,000–15,000 words.  

The goal of your eBook should always be your first consideration when choosing its length. You’ll save a great deal of time and uncertainty by doing this. 

What Length Do Readers Expect? 

Always remember your readers by stepping in their shoes.  If you find your book interesting while reading, the reader will surely do! 

Different types of readers have different expectations based on the genre or subject of the eBook. A technical eBook might need to be longer to cover all the details, while a quick read for busy professionals should be shorter and to the point. 

Note: Always consider the needs of your audience. Don’t give them a long novel if they want an interesting or captivating short story! 

Things You Should Do for Ideal eBook Length 

Whether you’re promoting your eBook with book marketing firms online or doing it on your own, it’s necessary to make the content easy to understand and engaging. 

1. Having a strategy can help you decide how long your eBook should be. Create a framework with descriptive chapter headers that make sense and order the facts or tale.  

2. Next, provide a synopsis of each chapter’s contents. The “weight” of your completed book and maybe your desired pricing will begin to take shape.  

3. Lastly, consider this: how many times have you read an e-book and thought it was a bit long? Write more words to produce something meaningful rather than delivering value for your audience. 

Can Professional Ghostwriting Services Help You?  

If you don’t know how to manage your written thoughts or don’t get enough time to put it all together, professional ghostwriters can help you. Ghostwriters write pieces that officially credit someone else as the author.  

They have expertise in capturing readers’ interest with an ideal word count without damaging your ideas. In short, they help you to transform your draft into a polished and professional book. 

Conclusion 

To sum up, the optimal eBook length is the number of words required to communicate your story and hold readers’ attention. With this guide, we hope you now have a better understanding of eBook length. If you write valuable content and make a well-defined outline before writing, you can make a perfect book that readers will enjoy! 

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