What's the Deal with Word Count?

As an editor and publishing expert, I get a lot of questions from authors about word count. More often than not, the concern is about page count—whether they’ve written enough, if four or six Microsoft Word pages are “enough” for a book, and how long their book “should” be.

My answer? Forget the numbers for now. Focus on telling the story and delivering value. The real meat of your content is what matters. As your editor, I’ll worry about things like formatting and page count—especially when it comes to getting a readable spine on your book (which, by the way, ideally starts at around 100 pages for a clear title and author name). But beyond that, obsessing over length is the wrong focus.

The Myth of the 90,000-Word Minimum

One of the biggest misconceptions in publishing is that books need to hit a minimum word count to be “real” books. This notion mostly comes from traditional publishers—think HarperCollins, Random House, and the like. These big publishers have historically sold books in physical bookstores, and their pricing strategies depend on perceived value. They need books to be a certain size to justify the high price tag (have you seen how much hardcovers cost these days?!).

This is why traditional publishers often require a 90,000-word minimum for fiction and long-form nonfiction. They’ve got data showing that customers expect a certain book size in exchange for a $30+ price tag. So, authors who go the traditional route are often forced to stretch their content, resulting in books full of fluff and filler.

Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Here’s the problem: A bloated book doesn’t mean a better book. If you’ve ever picked up a book that rambled, repeated the same points in different ways, or lost your interest halfway through, you’ve seen this problem firsthand.

The value of a book isn’t in its length—it’s in what it delivers to the reader. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, what matters is the experience and the impact. If the book teaches you something, makes you feel something, or shifts your perspective, it’s done its job—whether it’s 20,000 words or 90,000 words.

A Better Approach to Book Length

Instead of padding your book with unnecessary words, there are better ways to ensure it has substance without sacrificing quality:

• Journaling Sections: If your book lends itself to reflection, include spaces for readers to write their thoughts. This is especially great for self-help and leadership books.

• Visuals & Diagrams: A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Illustrations, graphs, or even storytelling images can add value while breaking up dense text.

• Interactive Elements: My first book included leadership scenarios at the end of each chapter, allowing readers to engage with the content rather than just passively consuming it.

• Well-Designed Layouts: Thoughtful formatting, white space, and strategic use of bullet points or callouts can make a book feel more substantial without unnecessary word count padding.

The Bottom Line: Value Over Volume

At Smart Publishing, we tell our authors: Don’t worry about the length. Just focus on getting the most valuable, impactful content onto the page (or into your audio recordings if you’re dictating your book). We’ll handle making sure it looks and feels like a complete, professional book.

And the good news? With the rise of online book sales, book buyers are making decisions based on content and relevance—not how “big” a book looks on a shelf. Gone are the days of picking up a book and judging its worth based on heft alone.

So let’s ditch the word count obsession. Write the book that needs to be written, not the book you think needs to be a certain length.

And to my friends in traditional publishing: Please, please stop forcing authors to hit arbitrary word counts. We’ve all put down books that felt like they were stretched out for the sake of it. Readers deserve better.

If you found this helpful, stay tuned for more insights on book publishing, including topics like intellectual property, defamation, and an inside look at author success stories. Until next time, keep writing your story!