How Long Does It Take to Write a Book for First-Time Authors?

It takes the average author 6 months to one year to write a book.

Although, this will depend on the length of the book, the genre, your experience and the time you have to dedicate to the writing process.

Extra factors that could affect the completion of your book include:

• How much research is needed for the book?
• The number of words you write in each session
• Your typing speed
• How much revision and editing is needed at the end
• Any personal or professional obligations you have

To sum up, the time it takes to write a book depends on the individual.

Margaret Mitchell famously took 10 years to finish her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gone with the Wind.

But apparently, she was hiding the fact she was writing the book from everybody and had no intention of publishing it when she began.

It was just something to do to relieve her boredom while recovering from an injured ankle.

If you’re serious about getting your novel to print (of 50,000 words or more) and have a dedicated writing schedule, an average finish time would be 5-12 months.

How Much Should You Be Writing Each Day?

How much you write each day depends on the person and how much time they have available.

But, if you’re a beginner wanting to finish your book in 5-8 months, a good aim is 3-4 writing sessions weekly, finishing at least 500 words each time.

Some dedicated authors might aim for 500 words every single day. And some might even get 1,000 words completed daily.

While more is great and will get you to the finishing line quicker, it’s important not to let yourself get overwhelmed. If you push yourself too much in the beginning, the quality of your writing may suffer.

Start off with a steady 3-4 writing sessions a week, 500 words at a time and when this feels easy, up your word count and session goals.

Based on these guidelines, here’s how long it should take to finish a book of varying word counts:

• 5-8 months for a 50,000-word book
• 8-12 months for a 75,000-word book
• 1-1.5 years for a 100,000-word book
• 5+ years for a 125,000 or more-word book

How to Set a Book Writing Deadline

Setting a deadline for finishing your book is essential.

Without a set finish time, it’s so easy to put the work off and before you know it, years have passed!

Of course, if book writing is just a hobby for you, take as long as you want.

But if you want to get to the sales stage and start making money for your efforts, a deadline is recommended.

How to set a book writing deadline as a new author:

• Establish your writing pace. It’s important to find a writing pace that suits you. Every writer has a varying rate of output and it’s important not to compare yourself too much. Test the waters by writing 500 words on any subject. How long does it take you? Once you know this, you can multiply the time and establish a deadline for a completed book draft.
• Talk to established authors. Talk to other authors who have completed books similar to yours. While you may have different writing speeds, this gives you a general idea of how long it should take.
• Consider personal and professional commitments. Finally, take into account what you have going on in your calendar. Unless you plan to be a hermit until the book is finished, you may have many family, friend and work commitments on the horizon. While finishing the book in a good time is important, allow yourself time to still have a life.

So, when setting your deadline, aim for happy medium between pushing yourself and having time to get important things done.

How Many Pages Should a Book Be?

When writing a book, it’s normal to think in the form of word count. But how do you work out how many pages a word count relates to?

On average, 500 words equals about a page and a half. This of course can vary depending on the visual content and typesetting of your finished book.

There is no right or wrong page count for a book. But, if we use the 500 words equals a page and a half benchmark, finished page counts should work out like this:

Example Page Counts for Fiction Books

• Sci-fi or fantasy book containing 100,000 words has around 300 pages
• Historical fiction book containing 90,000 words has around 270 pages
• Romance novel containing 80,000 words has around 240 pages

Example Page Counts for Non-Fiction Books

• Biography book containing 150,000 words has around 450 pages
• Business book containing 70,000 words has around 210 pages
• Self-help book containing 40,000 words has around 120 pages

Another way to check the average word count of books in your niche is to research competitors on Amazon.

Your book doesn’t have to be exactly the same word count as everyone else. But knowing what’s out there, gives you a benchmark to work towards and gives you an idea what your readers may expect.