where are word count statistics for best sellers, specifically The Road my McCarthy?

[Prawn]

I remember discussion of a site where you could get word counts of best sellers. I looked on Amazon and B and N and didn't see it. I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy last night, and it was a fast read. I was wondering what the word count was. Can someone point me to a site? I tried the search function here and of course "WORD COUNT" brought me a bajillion hits.

[miles]

I read somewhere it's about 60,000 words. Problem is, I don't know where I read that.

[Prawn]

I thought it felt more like a Novella. I would be surprised if it was 60 K. It was brilliant work, and its length were part of the spare narrative style, but it sure seemed short.

[reenkam]

58, 702 words

link (http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp?cmd=specific&i=164444&root=AUTHOR&ftextoption=allwords&y=the+road&q=cormac&x=10&w=1&autoscroll=NO&quiztype=ALL&RPMatch=) to word count site

[scribbler1382]

I remember discussion of a site where you could get word counts of best sellers. I looked on Amazon and B and N and didn't see it. I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy last night, and it was a fast read. I was wondering what the word count was. Can someone point me to a site? I tried the search function here and of course "WORD COUNT" brought me a bajillion hits.

Amazon lets you see the stats of some books. If it says "Search Inside" on it, you can hover your mouse over the picture and get a popup menu. Choose Text Stats to see some cool metrics. How accurate they are, is another story. :)

[Prawn]

I couldn't get amazon to work. 59K won the Pulitzer. I bet a new novelist would have trouble getting so short a novel considered for publication.

[mikeland]

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan and Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon are two other examples of really short recent novels by established names. I couldn't find word counts for either on the mentioned website.

I agree with Prawn that a first-time novelist doesn't get away with that. Probably. Anyone got a good example of a really short debut novel?

Maybe Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman, but he was already pretty well known before that was published.

[Prawn]

Let me say that the spare style of the story did not warrant a longer treatment. I was just surprised that it was so short.

[DVGuru]

Anyone got a good example of a really short debut novel?

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is 49,962 words according to Amazon Text Stats.

[Shady Lane]

hmmm...Hannah Moskowitz's The Sublime is 24,000.


Sorry. Couldn't help that.