How many words in a novel?
38 measured editions and 16 publisher guidelines. Compare real books, check a publisher’s requirements and cite each figure with its source.
How this page is made
Compare the lengths of selected classic books and the requirements of publisher collections. Counts include prefaces and notes in the stated edition. The books cover several periods and genres; each collection specifies its own expectations.
What this sample shows
French and English editions have separate medians. A median divides this sample in half; it is neither a target nor a recommendation for your manuscript.
French editions (15)Median : 143,497 words
English editions (23)Median : 120,052 words
One coloured dot per edition. Dashed line: median. Both rows use the same word-count scale; vertical offsets only separate the dots.
38 books · 16 guidelines
Word counts by novel
The coloured bar shows the measured count from zero. All book cards share one scale, even when filtered. Counts apply to the editions cited; translations and editorial material can change the length.
25,787 words
Edition word count
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Novella, included in the corpus for comparison.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #43 · checked 13 September 2026
32,763 words
Edition word count
The Time Machine
H. G. Wells · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Novella, included in the corpus for comparison.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #35 · checked 13 September 2026
54,835 words
Edition word count
De la Terre à la Lune
Jules Verne · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #38674 · checked 13 September 2026
60,625 words
Edition word count
The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #36 · checked 13 September 2026
64,610 words
Edition word count
La Dame aux camélias
Alexandre Dumas fils · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #2419 · checked 13 September 2026
67,960 words
Edition word count
Voyage au centre de la Terre
Jules Verne · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #4791 · checked 13 September 2026
69,089 words
Edition word count
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #120 · checked 13 September 2026
72,187 words
Edition word count
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #74 · checked 13 September 2026
72,826 words
Edition word count
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818)
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
1818 edition, with all three volumes in one file.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #41445 · checked 13 September 2026
77,813 words
Edition word count
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #121 · checked 13 September 2026
79,747 words
Edition word count
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #174 · checked 13 September 2026
83,687 words
Edition word count
Persuasion
Jane Austen · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #105 · checked 13 September 2026
102,582 words
Edition word count
Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
Gaston Leroux · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #62215 · checked 13 September 2026
112,892 words
Edition word count
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #14155 · checked 13 September 2026
113,358 words
Edition word count
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #76 · checked 13 September 2026
117,079 words
Edition word count
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #768 · checked 13 September 2026
120,052 words
Edition word count
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #161 · checked 13 September 2026
127,858 words
Edition word count
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #1342 · checked 13 September 2026
132,133 words
Edition word count
L’Œuvre
Émile Zola · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #17517 · checked 13 September 2026
137,429 words
Edition word count
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #98 · checked 13 September 2026
140,766 words
Edition word count
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers
Jules Verne · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #5097 · checked 13 September 2026
143,497 words
Edition word count
Nana
Émile Zola · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #5250 · checked 13 September 2026
149,770 words
Edition word count
Au Bonheur des Dames
Émile Zola · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #16852 · checked 13 September 2026
159,717 words
Edition word count
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #730 · checked 13 September 2026
160,635 words
Edition word count
Mansfield Park
Jane Austen · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #141 · checked 13 September 2026
161,111 words
Edition word count
Emma
Jane Austen · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #158 · checked 13 September 2026
162,259 words
Edition word count
Dracula
Bram Stoker · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #345 · checked 13 September 2026
166,686 words
Edition word count
Germinal
Émile Zola · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #5711 · checked 13 September 2026
174,459 words
Edition word count
Le Rouge et le Noir
Stendhal · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #798 · checked 13 September 2026
175,703 words
Edition word count
Lourdes
Émile Zola · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #24850 · checked 13 September 2026
175,817 words
Edition word count
Notre-Dame de Paris
Victor Hugo · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #19657 · checked 13 September 2026
186,711 words
Edition word count
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #1400 · checked 13 September 2026
188,411 words
Edition word count
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #1260 · checked 13 September 2026
196,860 words
Edition word count
L’Île mystérieuse
Jules Verne · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #14287 · checked 13 September 2026
216,807 words
Edition word count
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
Herman Melville · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Text based on the first American edition of 1851.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #15 · checked 13 September 2026
223,883 words
Edition word count
Les Trois Mousquetaires
Alexandre Dumas et Auguste Maquet · French text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #13951 · checked 13 September 2026
359,049 words
Edition word count
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens · English text
Prefaces and notes included.
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #766 · checked 13 September 2026
566,508 words
Edition word count
Guerre et Paix / War and Peace
Léon Tolstoï (Leo Tolstoy) · English text
English translation · Louise & Aylmer Maude
Source & edition details
Full file body, including front matter and notes; Gutenberg licence wrappers excluded.
Complete English translation by Louise and Aylmer Maude. This count does not measure the Russian original or a French translation.
Measured by Extypis · Project Gutenberg #2600 · checked 13 September 2026
What publishers ask for
A point marks a target; a segment marks a range; an arrow marks a minimum without an announced maximum. Coloured marks share a common scale. Publishers may consider exceptions to a preferred range. This selection includes many romance collections and does not represent every genre. Check the source for current submission availability.
50,000 words
Collection target
Harlequin · Romance / M&B Love Always
Contemporary romance · English-language submissions
Imprint target.
Source & verification
Imprint target.
Source: Harlequin · checked 13 September 2026
70,000 words
Collection target
Harlequin · Heartwarming
Sweet romance · English-language submissions
Imprint target.
Source & verification
Imprint target.
Source: Harlequin · checked 13 September 2026
≥ 75,000 words
Minimum
Harlequin · Afterglow
Romance across subgenres · English-language submissions
Stated minimum; no ceiling given.
Source & verification
Stated minimum; no ceiling given.
Source: Harlequin · checked 13 September 2026
70,000–75,000 words
Published range
Harlequin · Historical
Historical romance · English-language submissions
Imprint range.
Source & verification
Imprint range.
Source: Harlequin · checked 13 September 2026
70,000 words
Collection target
Harlequin · Romantic Suspense
Romantic suspense · English-language submissions
Imprint target.
Source & verification
Imprint target.
Source: Harlequin · checked 13 September 2026
85,000–100,000 words
Published range
Harlequin · Love Inspired Trade
Christian fiction, including thrillers · English-language submissions
Imprint range.
Source & verification
Imprint range.
Source: Harlequin · checked 13 September 2026
80,000–100,000 words
Published range
Entangled Publishing · Mischief Books
Young adult with romance, excluding contemporary romance · English-language submissions
This range excludes contemporary romance, for which the publisher prefers fewer than 90,000 words.
Source & verification
This range excludes contemporary romance, for which the publisher prefers fewer than 90,000 words.
Source: Entangled Publishing · checked 13 September 2026
90,000–120,000 words
Published range
Entangled Publishing · Mayhem Books
Older YA with romance, excluding contemporary romance · English-language submissions
This range excludes contemporary romance, for which the publisher prefers fewer than 90,000 words.
Source & verification
This range excludes contemporary romance, for which the publisher prefers fewer than 90,000 words.
Source: Entangled Publishing · checked 13 September 2026
70,000–110,000 words
Published range
Entangled Publishing · Sideways
Thrillers and women's fiction · English-language submissions
Little or no romance.
Source & verification
Little or no romance.
Source: Entangled Publishing · checked 13 September 2026
70,000–120,000 words
Published range
Entangled Publishing · Amara
Adult romance · English-language submissions
Imprint range.
Source & verification
Imprint range.
Source: Entangled Publishing · checked 13 September 2026
100,000–130,000 words
Preferred range
Baen Books · Romans / Novels
Science fiction and fantasy · English-language submissions
Preferred length, not an absolute limit: exceptions are considered.
Source & verification
Preferred length, not an absolute limit: exceptions are considered.
Source: Baen Books · checked 13 September 2026
70,000–120,000 words
Published range
Flame Tree Publishing · Flame Tree Press
Science fiction, fantasy and horror · English-language submissions
Novel range, separate from short-story calls.
Source & verification
Novel range, separate from short-story calls.
Source: Flame Tree Publishing · checked 13 September 2026
≥ 90,000 words
Minimum
Éditions Pyrélion · Romans
Speculative fiction · French-language submissions
Stated minimum; no ceiling given.
Source & verification
Stated minimum; no ceiling given.
Source: Éditions Pyrélion · checked 13 September 2026
35,000–120,000 words
Published range
Éditions du Saule · Romans
Speculative fiction, crime, romance and children's fiction · French-language submissions
Shared range for the publisher's genres.
Source & verification
Shared range for the publisher's genres.
Source: Éditions du Saule · checked 13 September 2026
≥ 40,000 words
Minimum
Éditions du Chat Noir · Chat Blanc
Contemporary young adult · French-language submissions
General novel minimum; no ceiling given.
Source & verification
General novel minimum; no ceiling given.
Source: Éditions du Chat Noir · checked 13 September 2026
≥ 40,000 words
Minimum
Éditions du Chat Noir · Griffe Sombre
Dark supernatural fiction, horror and gothic · French-language submissions
General novel minimum; no ceiling given.
Source & verification
General novel minimum; no ceiling given.
Source: Éditions du Chat Noir · checked 13 September 2026
Method, limits and reuse
We counted the text between Project Gutenberg’s START and END markers. Prefaces, contents, notes and any transcription credits inside those markers remain included. The surrounding distribution notice and licence are excluded. The corpus consists of complete editions selected individually in French or English, including two short novels.
A word is a sequence of Unicode letters. An internal apostrophe joins a word (don’t counts as one); a hyphen separates words (well-known counts as two). Numbers do not count. Different tokenizers and editions will produce different results. We do not convert publisher page or character limits into words.
The download contains all counts, source URLs, verification dates, counting version and file SHA-256 hashes. It contains no full book texts. To cite a count, name the work, Gutenberg edition number, Extypis and the measurement date. For a publisher guideline, cite the publisher directly and keep its qualification (target, minimum or preferred range).
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