Writing volumes for your novel.

[MakBow]

Can anyone tell what a good number of chapters for a volume should be?

Sometimes, it's 30, other times its 10 or 15. I just don't know.

I want to know because the arcs in the novel might be longer than each other, and I sometimes assumed that they were divined by arc, but other times, it's a single arc divided into many volumes, like Re Zero, in which arc 9 was four volumes long.

Like does it depend on the story itself or...?

Level Up – To Break All Limits I Have | Scribble Hub

 

[Eldoria]

Can anyone tell what a good number of chapters for a volume should be?

Well, it really depends on your arc. Every author has a different definition of volume. For me, a volume represents a story arc, not a paper book. A story arc consists of introduction, conflict build up, climax, anticlimax and resolution.

If you're targeting a paper book, you might consider word count or page count rather than chapter count. A fiction book is 75k-100k words.

 

[Envylope]

For me it is finishing a major plot point. I try to wrap up volumes neatly. That way people aren't forced to buy the next one. For example, protagonist kills a major villain. It's a good ending, but it doesn't end their story.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

Story Arcs.
Each complete story arc, or cliff hanger per volume.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Usually an arc or 200-400 pages depending.

 

[CanOfTuna]

I follow light novel volumes, so about 60k words. May even combine some chapters together in the future if I think of publishing

 

[Tetrahedron]

Can anyone tell what a good number of chapters for a volume should be?

Sometimes, it's 30, other times its 10 or 15. I just don't know.

I want to know because the arcs in the novel might be longer than each other, and I sometimes assumed that they were divined by arc, but other times, it's a single arc divided into many volumes, like Re Zero, in which arc 9 was four volumes long.

Like does it depend on the story itself or...?

Level Up – To Break All Limits I Have | Scribble Hub

Please note that this is assuming you can dish out 3000-4000 words per chapter. Japanese light novels can be incredibly stacked, like at the highest word count for one volume (from what I know) is 120.000+ words in total, albeit it's all translated in English.

But yeah, you can cramp 60.000+ words into one volume, though that is if you want it 30 chapters per volume, but even then, it's no longer Light Novel anymore and lean more on the modern Web Novel standard.

 

[MFontana]

Can anyone tell what a good number of chapters for a volume should be?

Sometimes, it's 30, other times its 10 or 15. I just don't know.

I want to know because the arcs in the novel might be longer than each other, and I sometimes assumed that they were divined by arc, but other times, it's a single arc divided into many volumes, like Re Zero, in which arc 9 was four volumes long.

Like does it depend on the story itself or...?

Level Up – To Break All Limits I Have | Scribble Hub

It depends (heavily) on the scope of your volume.
The simplest answer is: "As long as it needs to be".

Your chapter count should be based on your target goal (length), narrative (arc), and your average chapter length.

Shorter chapters = More chapters needed
Longer chapters = Less chapters needed

Longer Narrative = More chapters needed
Shorter Narrative = Less chapters needed

So, for example, my average is ~5500 to ~6500 words per chapter. The Elarian Chronicles (Volume 1) has a target length of ~100,000 words, and needs 21 main narrative beats (Chapters) to achieve its narrative goal, so that volume is going to have 21 chapters. However, if my chapters were shorter, and I wanted to hit the same target length while keeping the narrative depth, I would require 50 chapters (~2000 words each), and would need to change the overall structure of the narrative.

 

[Nekyo]

I work in Light Volume terms so I say about 50k to 70k is a sweet spot for length however I end up shaping the things to condense arcs into the volumes within that and it's been working out for me, though when I get to longer arcs it might need more than one volume.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

If you're targeting a paper book, you might consider word count or page count rather than chapter count. A fiction book is 75k-100k words.

ther number bugged me so I looked it up. Its about universal that the definitiopn of "novel" begins at 80k words. There's a space between novella and 79k which could be thought of as short novel. I try to treat a volume as a paperback, just in case I ever get anywhere.

eldoria: 75, 80... semantics. but how is 100k the upper limit. what is a novel called after 100k. a doorstop? not giving the opracle snark, far from it. You're so definition oriented, I'm curious to hear the oracle's take.

 

[Eldoria]

eldoria: 75, 80... semantics. but how is 100k the upper limit. what is a novel called after 100k. a doorstop? not giving the opracle snark, far from it. You're so definition oriented, I'm curious to hear the oracle's take.

That's just an estimate of the word count for a full-length novel. Light novels may have fewer words than full-length novels.

Finally, if someone wants to publish a book, understanding the publisher's format is essential, as each publisher may have a different format.

 

[MFontana]

Just dropping in to leave this bit here for reference, as the result of some research on my end.

Light Novel: Usually within the range of ~5o,ooo to ~75,ooo words. (IE: Spice & Wolf, Log Horizon, Solo-Leveling, etc etc)
Novella: Typically under 5o,ooo words
Novel: Generally average at ~8o,ooo words, with a significant variance by genre (Fantasy tend to be significantly longer, usually in the range of ~1oo,ooo to ~15o,ooo words per novel - Case and Point: Dune, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion)

 

[ThrillingHuman]

One big conflict from start to finish

 

[TinaMigarlo]

Before I got more technical about writing the last several years, I had sprawl. I would just keep writing... then look and see how many pages I had... oh, good, lord. that's how I ended up with a 8 volume work for something. Individual volumes (arcs?) were not planned as such, hence do not have the structure of a paperback they got chopped up into. I don't know *who* in the hell would enjoy a 80k words "volume" that's just a part of the larger story. some of these arcs/volumes are interesting by themselves. But from a structural point of view? Its a nightmare, nay, a night terror. One action chapter near the endgame, turned out almost novella length.

I had to stop and quit ruining good projects, after that. Looking for 80k words length to a paperback (okay, volume, just how I think of it) and if I hit 100k thats okay. The only *good* thing about those sprawl projects? I wrote so far, three tight novels drawing on all that as backstory, and... they came out paced and coherent.

I just don't know what I can do with all that backlog though. Shame to just let it be the backstory.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

But this one goes to eleven...

 

[empalgepuk]

Mine is around 45k words per volume/arc.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

But this one goes to eleven...

you guitar amplifier? (spinal tap, lol)