How many words?

How long should a book be? Average word counts are not a target. They're more guidance. It depends on the story and the characters. A short story of a few thousand words may be perfect. A full-on Tolstoy, whose War and Peace became a term for a long piece of work, might be what is needed. It's fine for the story could be something in between.

Consider this picture as a guide. These are merely averages. And who among us is average or writes average books? No one. Each is a marvel of creation.

When I started reading books, I was always impressed by those larger books on the shelves. That someone had sat down and created a new world with so much content with it.

Completing my series, The Restoration Project, took a while. Once the editor and publisher had made their recommendations, it was about half the word count I'd started with. Yet, it was the same story; it was a lot tidier with fewer errors. Another set of eyes will always see something different.