Middle Grade Fiction word count.

Here's the site you're looking for:

http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp#quicksearch

Click to expand...

Type in the title, then click on it and the second page link gives you the word count. As a teacher, I can vouch for their leveling system. It's pretty accurate and kids who read within their level (a placement test is available) do really well.

Most MG novels are in the 20,000 to 40,000 range. However, there is a wide range. I researched publishers for my MG books and a few were looking for books as short as 15,000 words and a few others were looking for over 40,000 words.

I think 25,000 words will be fine for your novel as long as you are able to tell your story well within that length and not rush any parts of it.

I also read somewhere that for first books, publishers are more willing to accept shorter pieces than longer pieces because they are eaiser to sell.

Mine tend to come in the 30-35 K range...but yes, check a few books like yours on Relearn for the best idea.

When I had an agent, my MG was originally at 23k. He was fine with that. After revisions, it came to 32k. So I'd say, anywhere from 20k to 40k is fine. But there's no hard and fast rule.

And heck mine is over 80k. It all depends really. But you should be fine with 25K.

See? Doesn't really matter in the end. It's the story that counts.

(Oh, forgot to add: Toothpaste--love that user name!)

Nim's Island was 22k.

One of mine is 60k. The other will end up being (after I do some revisions) about 50k

Mine clocks in at 44,000 - but I'm also not published

JudScotKev:

Thanks for that website. I found it really helpful. I looked up a few books that are similar to the kind of book I'm writing and found them to have a word count of around 30,000.

I had set a goal of 50,000 but currently my story is around 24,000 and I'm almost done. I think my story is going to end up being around 30,000 too.

I've finished a younger MG for the 9-12 crowd, and it's more boys centric. and the word count is just over 25K.
It's a light scifi and I'm pitching it to agents now.
I already got a note from one agency, stating that they have more success selling of MG novels at the 40-50k mark.

But the story is all all could tell, at this time. Now if revisions are suggested in the future, I imagine I'll have an easier time adding word count, or extra story arc. Not like my last upper MG, which was 80K words and I chopped it down to 68K. That was tough.

I have nothing important to say, but wow this thread is old.

LOL... Yeah, pretty sure we have some threads on word count that are less than 6 years old. Here's a link to Jennifer Laughran's extremely comprehensive word count dracula blogpost, in case anyone hasn't already seen & bookmarked it.

Mine is at 31,500 words for lower middle-grade. It's a light fantasy.