How long should your book be? A word count guide for travel and adventure writers

The short answer: as long as it needs to be.

While this is a vague answer, understanding word counts can make the difference between readers finishing your book or abandoning it half way through. 

Let’s discuss why your word count matters, look at some examples, and look at ways to reduce your word count when it’s too high.

But first, a quick note on word count versus page count.

Word count versus page count

It’s easy to think about book length in terms of the number of pages. You can pick up any book and see how long it is, but when working with publishers and editors, word count is far more precise. Word counts are definitive. It doesn’t matter how many pages your book has or what size the book is – the number of pages can change but the word count remains the same. 

Why word count matters

When you’re self-publishing, you have complete control over the whole publishing process. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before you send out your 200,000 word adventure memoir to your beta readers or editor.

• The longer the manuscript, the longer it takes to edit, and the higher it costs to edit.
• The longer the manuscript, the higher the printing costs.
• Publishers, agents, and readers have expectations on how long (or short) certain books should be.

High word counts can indicate a problem with the structure. Could the story be tightened up? Are all the scenes and anecdotes relevant to the main story and its theme? Is there too much repetition? 

Examples

Here are approximate word counts of two travel and adventure books that I’ve worked on:

• The Cactus Surgeon, by Hannah Powell: 37,000 words
• Chasing Tigers, by Stu Tripney: 100,000 words

That’s quite the range, but for both books, those word counts work for the story the authors wanted to tell.

Ways to reduce your word count

If you’re still in the early stages of writing, don’t worry about your word count. Just get the story out. When you start revising, that’s when you can start considering word count.

Once you’re a few drafts in, it’s time to consider your story’s overall structure. What is the story you want to tell? What do you want readers to take away from having read your story? Here are questions to ask yourself as you work through your manuscript:

• Does every scene serve the story? Cut scenes that don’t serve the overall narrative.
• Are there scenes that repeat each other? Go with the strongest, cut the rest.
• Are you giving readers too much detail? Trust readers to read between the lines every now and then.
• Is there too much back story? Concentrate on what readers need to know for that scene.

If you’re writing about your time walking Te Araroa, then a long tangent from when you walked the Annapurna Circuit will likely not serve your current story. If you found yourself falling into bogs every other day or getting massive blisters, focus on writing about the most harrowing, frustrating, or funny bog or blister story, then summarise others in a sentence or two.

As you pay attention to each paragraph and sentence, look out for small recasts that can have a big effect over the length of an entire manuscript.

• Cut filter words.
• Replace adverbs with stronger verbs.
• Swap out passive voice sentences for active voice.
• Avoid overloading descriptions.

Summing up

Word count is a guide, not a strict rule. Your primary goal is to tell a compelling, well-paced story that keeps readers turning the page. If you can do that in 50,000 words, great. But if you need 80,000 words, that’s fine too. Remember why you’re telling your story and what journey you want to take readers on.

If you’re struggling with your word count, my manuscript evaluation can help. I can provide detailed feedback to help you refine your story, tighten your prose, and meet your publishing goals. We can work together to make your book the best it can be!