Book Genre by Age Range and Length

I have written blogs about genre before (see: What is Women's Fiction? and What is Contemporary Fiction?) but this one is going to look at two major factors that can determine a book's genre: Age Range and Length.

What are they?

Now, first up, I need to discredit this post before we even start and say that there are not really any hard and fast 'rules' to all of this. There are a bunch of different factors to consider. I am unable to say that if the target audience is 12 years old, then the genre you are looking for is 'Children's Books', or if the book is 40,000 words in length, it is a novella. It doesn't work like that, exactly (and you're going to see why). But, I can give you an idea of industry averages, and give you a place to start looking at what people say.

So, let's do it! Starting with...

GFNRE BY AGE RANGE

What do I mean by 'Age Range'?

This is the ages of the readers that the book is targeted at, or the 'recommended age' of readers.

Youngest to oldest:

Children's Books

The 'Children's Books' genre can be broken into smaller categories:

• Baby to 2 years old - Baby books / Board books

  • Up to approx. 300 words

• 3 to 5 years old - Toddler books / Picture books

  • Approx. 250 to 1000 words

  • Writer's Digest says that the standard text for Picture Books is 32 pages.

• 6 to 8 years old - Early readers

  • 2,000 to 5,000 words

  • Younger School age / Chapter Books

    • 8,500 to 12,000 words

• 9 to 12 years old - School age / Middle School books

  • 12,000 to 50,000 words

• 12 year olds / Tweens - Upper Middle Grade

  • 40,000 to 55,000 words

    
    

You can see that some of these categories cross over in terms of age ranges. Also, different places use different age ranges, category names, and word counts. I have listed all of my references at the end of the article, so you can find out more if you like. None of them differ hugely, but I'm not about to say that these figures that I have given are the be-all and end-all. If you are an author doing your own reserach for a book deal, or something important like that, check with the publishers themselves about what expectations they have.

Okay, now, I didn't know this before now, but 'Children's books' are not aimed at children above 12 years of age.

After that, they move into...

Young Adult Books

Young Adult books are aimed at children between 13 to 18 years of age.

They are roughly 40,000 to 80,000 words.

New Adult Fiction

New Adult fiction is aimed at people who straddle the Young Adult and Adult categories.

They're still kids, growing up, but they are also adults.

Aimed at people between 18 to 20 years old (although Wikipedia tells me that protagonists in New Adult fiction could be 18-29 years old. I'm thinking that if a book is aimed at a 29 year old, it's classified as Adult Fiction. Although yes, a protagonist could be 29 and the book could still be aimed at an 18-year-old. Please give me an example of this!).

New Adult books are 50,000 words and above.

Adult Fiction

No, this doesn't automatically mean that there is 'adult content' (think: sex, drugs and rock n' roll), heck, most young adult and new adult books are going to touch on these themes too. But adult fiction aims at people who are 'real' adults (lol), over 20 years old. They've done a little growing up.

Keep reading for a more specific idea on word length of adult fiction novels. It kinda depends on the book genre and can be anywhere between 50,000 and 110,000 words.

Mature Fiction

Okay, so there isn't really a category for mature readers with protagonists over 60, but there probably should be. Amazon has a category for 'Later in Life Romance' and there are a few authors who do write for an audience over 60 years of age, like Joanna Nell, who writes books like, The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home (which I loved, but thankfully, am not over 60... yet). Some pages like, Book Riot, and Goodreads have compiled lists of novels for women over 60, so do check them out. Do you think 'Mature Fiction' should be a thing? How would you find fiction books for the over 60-year-olds?

Although not a genre, perhaps I should also add in here that there are large print books available for readers who may struggle to read books with small print. So... yeah...

Moving on to...

GENRE BY BOOK LENGTH

Like age range, there are no hard and fast rules. The other thing to consider here, is that Genre often determines the length, not length determines genre. This means that If someone wishes to write a science fiction novel, they may be aiming for 100,000 words, but if someone else wants to write a romance, then they may only need 70,000 words. 'Novels', as a general category, has a wide length range.

Let's look at word length from smallest to largest:

Micro-Fiction

Micro-fiction can be super short! I entered a micro-fiction competition years ago, that was only 50 words. I had to use 50 words exactly, no more, no less.

Micro-fiction can be between 50-500 words.

Exactly 50 words

Flash Fiction

Around 500 to 1000 words.

Short Story

1500 to 30,000 words.

Novelette

Kindlepreneur uses the category 'Novelette'. They suggested that a short story is 1000 to 10,000 words, a novelette is 7,500 to 20,000 words, and a novella is 17,500 to 40,000 words.

(I think that if you have a 30,000 word story, you can take your pick of categories from 'Short Story', 'Novelette', and 'Novella'. I don't think it's going to matter too much.)

appr. 26,000 words

Novella

The Write Life says: 30,000 to 50,000 words

Kindlepreneur says: 17,500 to 40,000 words

Whispers to Roars says: 20,000 to 50,000 words

The length of a novella seems to differ a lot depending on where you go to look.

If you're interested, the length of my novella, The Silver Maid, is around 26,000 words.

Appr. 80,000 words

Novel

Anywhere from 50,000 to 110,000 words

By Genre:

Appr. 90,000 words

• Romance - 70,000 to 90,000 words

• Sci Fi - 70,000 to 100,000 words

• Historical - 80,000 to 100,000 words

• Fantasy - 90,000 to 120,000 words

• Thriller - 70,000 to 90,000 words

  
  

  Be aware that there are genre expectations!

  If you want to write a romance novel and try to publish a 110,000 brick, you will probably miss out on a big chunk of audience who will be turned off by the sheer size. You may also find that publishers won't even take a look at your work if it looks too big or too small. Do your research.

Epic

An Epic is anything over 110,000 words.

These books are hefty and generally involve a lot of world-building.

Any questions? Let me know and I will endeavour to find out!

Happy reading,

Marley x

References:

• Journey to Kidlit - The Age Levels for Children's Books You Should Know

• Miriam Laundry Publishing - Children's Book Age Categories

• Amazon - Children's Books: Shop by Age

• From Whispers to Roars Blog - Average Novel Word Count by Genre and Age of Readers

• The Write Life - How Many Words in a Novel?

• Kindlepreneur - How many Words are in a Novel? Word Count by Genre and More

• Writer's Edit - 3 Key Differences Between YA Fiction and Adult Fiction

• Writer's Digest - Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post | How Long Should a Book Be?

• Other links can be found throughout the blog post to take you to places for more information.

Stop Making Yourself the Most Important Thing in the Room

Push through with this one. This blog demonstrates how important it is to focus on the right stuff. The first half is me having a sook with a shitty focus. The second half is learning from it.

PART A

I must admit that I am prone to doomsaying, but only when it comes to myself. Anyone else, and everything else, will be A-okay. Amazing even! But, if I have to go somewhere or do something, then heck, there has to be some disaster that awaits me!

If I had to go and deliver a talk at the local library, then I am sure that nobody would show up.

If I go to a social work function, then I bet that I'd have nobody to talk to.

If I was designated driver and had to pick up some people and drive them somewhere and home again, then I'll probably get lost, or have nowhere to park, or not be able to get into an available park, and then not be able to get them home again.

Do you see a pattern?

Funny thing is, that if you asked me to make someone a cake, I'd give it a crack. It wouldn't be the best cake in the world, but it would probably be passable. Tasty, even. If you asked me to write a poem for you, I would. Happily. If I had to decorate for a party, paint your nails, clean your bathroom, or run a sister circle - I can do that, and I have done that. So, I know that I am not really prone to disaster. Not everything that I touch turns to shit. Actually, nothing I touch turns to shit...

Except myself.

Sing with me: "How could this happen to meeee, I've made my mistaaaakesss!!"

I just doubt my abilities in certain areas, like socialising, navigating, and parking.

BUT, I am great at coordinating, being creative, leading a group, and giving low-stakes things a go... Yeah, I'll bake that cake for you, but I would prefer to do it at my house and drop it off rather than make it while you watch.

So, really, it's a fear of being judged and of what other people will think.

I'm not going to try to park in that parallel park because I might stuff it up and someone might be watching me, then I'll look stupid. I'll go to that work social event with someone from work, so I don't have to arrive by myself or sit by myself.

It's also about the stakes.

I'll write a poem for you, but I won't if I have to let a tarantula crawl across my face if you hate it lol. I'll paint your nails, but I won't if you have some severe skin allergy that could kill you if I got some nail polish on your skin. The stakes are too high, and I don't trust my ability enough.

This is me exposed: Self-doubt with a fear of judgement.

PART B

I wrote the above blog a long time ago and I only just found it in my drafts folder. I'm not sure why I wrote it, it seems to have no point, just me being self-critical. Obviously it is what I was feeling at the time, but now, I don't feel scared, I feel brave. I don't doubt my abilities, I know that I am capable of amazing things. So, what has changed between now and then?

Perspective, maybe. Focus, definitely. This is something that I wrote about in my last blog post, What Makes You Happy? I wrote:

"Because if I am always focused on the things I DON'T have and relying on the acquisition of those things to give me happiness, then I am FAILING at happiness."

I feel like when I wrote this blog, I was focused on the things that make me scared, like parking and making small talk. I probably went somewhere and felt stupid, like one of the kids' friend's birthday parties where the other mums are all friends and I probably sat there on my own holding a half-eaten plate of food while looking at my watch. Last time this happened, I laughed about it with my beautiful neighbour afterwards and she said, "Yes! I hate that!" So, it's not just me, this is just a shitty part of parenting lol. Okay, I got off track there a little bit. Instead, I should have been focused on the event, the opportunities, the food, the pretty dress I wore, my kids having fun, the sunny day. The GOOD stuff.

The other issue is, stop making yourself the most important thing in the room (guilty!). What I mean by that is, I am too focused on how I feel and not focused enough on other people. I should be talking to others, listening to them, connecting, and being present. If I am focused on me being scared or feeling uncomfortable, then I am missing out on experiences and opportunities to connect with people.

I need to turn my focus OUTWARD, not inward.

Anyway, after my last blog, I thought I'd share this as evidence of needing the right focus to be as happy as possible. Because Marley with the wrong focus is "Self-doubt with a fear of judgement", too worried about her own feelings to do things that make her feel scared.

and Marley with the right focus, is brave and "capable of amazing things". She seeks out opportunities to connect with people and show love, even when she feels scared.

Love,

Marley x

What Makes You Happy?

Would a few million dollars, a personal chef, and a regular house cleaner make you happy? Would it, really? Do you know what makes you happy? Let's discuss...

Money, fame, power, freedom, success, friendships, forgiveness, health, a new car, a new house, a month-long holiday three times a year, a partner, a child, a waist. The list is endless. Would any of these things make you happy? What about ALL of these things?

What if I told you that happiness is NONE of those things?

Well, not if you don't already have them. Let me explain.

Okay, yeah, I feel like I might be happy for a while living in a mortgageless beachfront property as a wealthy and successful author/artist with thousands of followers and speaking engagements and a pretty black pug girl named Gypsy. That sounds pretty happy to me. But, I'd run the risk of the happiness being short-lived. It would probably wear off.

Why? Because all of those things would become my new normal...

and then I'd want more!

Another book deal, an award, an inground pool, or whatever it is at the time.

Do you know why I know this?

Because if I am always focussed on the things I DON'T have and relying on the acquisition of those things to give me happiness, then I am FAILING at happiness.

I am not professing to have the key to happiness, but I do know that where you FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION, makes a big difference.

If I think that money, a mansion, or an award, will genuinely improve my setpoint of everyday happiness after I have it, then I am setting myself up for disappointment. I am focussing on what I don't have, and there will ALWAYS be things that I don't have.

An absolutely critical component of everyday happiness, is GRATITUDE.

Gratitude refocuses my attention on what I DO have.

Are you picking up what I'm laying down here?

If we are looking at what could make you happy, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE, then you're looking in the wrong place and it isn't going to work.

May I propose a shift in thinking? Instead, think about the things THAT YOU DO HAVE that make you happy. How about:

• A healthy child

• A home

• A job

• Hot running water

• Doggy cuddles

• Essential oils

• A beautiful sunrise

• Stargazing

• A hot cup of coffee

• A warm, snuggly blanket

• A relationship

• A spectacular Marketplace find

• Your favourite book or coffee shop

• The smell of rain

• A good sleep

• A crunchy apple

• Birdsong

The list is endless. I bet, when you think about it, there are HUNDREDS of things that make you happy that are real and present. That are part of your life now, JUST AS IT IS.

I also bet, that if you focus on THAT list of things, then you will be a lot happier than grumbling about your messy house, the followers you don't have, the job that's not yours, and the relationship that fell apart, or the opportunity you missed out on.

I think that is one of the biggest reasons why prayer makes me a happier person (I mean, if you remove the God factor - LOL!). I give thanks. I focus on the things that I am grateful for.

Marley's happiness right now = coffee and a pretty dress

Okay, now I'm not saying here that you shouldn't clean your house, grow your business, or go after that job you want. You absolutely should. You NEED to examine your failures in order to learn and grow, and you should push yourself to be your best.

But,

genuine happiness

can be ours

wherever we are,

if we focus on the right stuff.

Do you agree? Think about it and let me know (find me on Facebook).

Much love,

Marley

x