Forum: Author Hangout

How to Count Total Word Count

Vincent Berg 🚫

Thanks to Ernest, I gave up on 'total' word counts, instead only counting the words in each chapter, so I could keep an eye on how varied the chapter lengths are (which makes calculating the average chapter count much easier). Going a step further, I chose to not count my usual epigraphs, since it's technically not a part of the actual chapter's text.

So, I'm beginning to wonder how to list each book's total word count. I know, for publishing, that the only thing that matters is compiled word count (i.e. what Word, LibreOffice, OpenOffice of Calibre calculates it as), but what should I do when someone asks how long the book is?

Further confusing things, is that my books are notoriously front and back-end heavy, between the copyright notice, acknowledgments (listing the sources for images in the books), my "Other Books by the Author", Preview chapter, Citations (thoroughly researched sources for each epigraph included) and "About the Author" sections. That's a LOT of non-story elements!

The print book is easy, you simply list the total page count, but I'm always stymied how to list the total word count, especially when posting to SOL. Actual words in the story itself? Only the narrative word-count? Total compiled word count (much of which isn't included in postings to SOL)? Or some other designation.

For example, my newest story is 95,500 total word count, but only 88,800 story word count. That's not a lot of difference, but since I don't post the front/back matter to SOL, it doesn't make sense including it.

Anyone have any suggestions, inclinations, preferences, observations or advice?

Replies: sunseeker Keet Switch Blayde richardshagrin

sunseeker 🚫
Updated:

@Vincent Berg

I'd think anything from "Chapter 1 to The End" should be the word count as they are the story, then if someone asks for a word count say "approximately (insert number here)words".

The rest you mention in paragraph 3 aren't part of the story and shouldn't be part of the stories word count, but that is only my opinion.

SunSeeker

Keet 🚫
Updated:

@Vincent Berg

For SOL it should be what sunseeker said: the story word count because that's what the readers are most interested in: how much is there to read.

Replies: Vincent Berg Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Vincent Berg 🚫
Updated:

@Keet

For SOL it should be what sunseeker said: the story word count because that's what the readers are most interested in: how much is there to read.

That's fair enough, but what about epigraphs? Technically, those are not the author's words, but those of someone else's, which only relate indirectly to the story itself to help provide the reader some context.

Of course, in terms of the overall story, you'd likely include it, but then it makes tracking it difficult. Since I count the total story length on a per-chapter basis, I'd then have to append the total chapter title world counts and the total epigraph count, or simply start at the preface and then perform 3,692 'page down' commands until I finally reach the end of the 'story', but not the end of the book.

That said, now that I am tracking each chapter's word count separately, my numbers are much more accurate, because when I typically list total word count, I rarely track each one, simply taking the total from one format and then use it for each submission, regardless of how much the contents vary between the various sites posting the story (some add their own story previews, some I don't include the preview (like the print versions, where it increases the retail cost of the book significantly).

In short, it's a more nebulous target than you'd initially think.

However, if we're talking 88,000 - 95,000, I could just compromise and claim 90,000 and be done with it all! Still, 7,000 words for the front and back-matter is a significant amount. But typically, when a source (such as Bookapy) requests a word count, I rarely have a figure in front of me, and just grab the first one I run across, regardless of context/formatting.

Replies: Keet awnlee jawking sunseeker

Keet 🚫

@Vincent Berg

That's fair enough, but what about epilogues. Technically, those are not the author's words, but those of someone else's, which only relate indirectly to the story itself to help provide the reader some context.

For the reader the epilogue is an essential part of the story since in most cases it clears up loose ends and/or 'rounds out' the story giving it a more complete closure. So it should be included in the word count, which shouldn't be too difficult. For the reader it's just the last chapter.
I would say: include a prologue but not a foreword (or alike), all chapters including interludes etc., and an epilogue but not an afterword, cast lists, epigraphies, etc. Note, this is for SOL. For Bookapy you could just use the count your text editor gives you or use the same as for SOL.
If you keep your chapters in separate files just add up prologue, chapters, and epilogue.

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Vincent Berg

Technically, those are not the author's words

Who did write them if not the author?

AJ

sunseeker 🚫

@Vincent Berg

That's fair enough, but what about epilogues. Technically, those are not the author's words, but those of someone else's, which only relate indirectly to the story itself to help provide the reader some context.

DAMN! I guess I messed that up! The epilogue for my story Arkadia were my own words! :D

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@sunseeker

That's fair enough, but what about epilogues.

Sorry, that must've been a spell-check typo, as it was supposed to say epigraph and NOT epilogue!

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Keet

For SOL it should be what sunseeker said: the story word count because that's what the readers are most interested in: how much is there to read.

For SOL/FS/SFS the author has no control over the displayed word count. The system counts the words and it's all the text posted.

Replies: Keet Vincent Berg

Keet 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

For SOL/FS/SFS the author has no control over the displayed word count. The system counts the words and it's all the text posted.

I know, but I answered Vincent's question about what it should be (from a readers POV).

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

For SOL/FS/SFS the author has no control over the displayed word count. The system counts the words and it's all the text posted.

I realize that, having posted here before, but in this case, I was referring to answering questions from readers about story size, say in a blog post. Bookapy requests the story size as one of the first questions, as do other distribution sites, only I'm not sure how accurate any of those figures actually are.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Vincent Berg

I was referring to answering questions from readers about story size,

But the word count is now displayed with the story on SOL.

Switch Blayde 🚫
Updated:

@Vincent Berg

what should I do when someone asks how long the book is?

When you query a book to a publisher or literary agent, one of the questions you must answer is the number of words (typically rounded). What you submit is your manuscript. Your novel. So it's the number of words in your story. All that other stuff is put in by the publisher. It's not part of the story. It's legal stuff. It's marketing.

richardshagrin 🚫

@Vincent Berg

Wordcount for prolog and epilog is six, each. If you insist on adding ue at the end of each word is is eight, but that makes them 25% longer than necessary.

"[Middle English prolog, from Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Greek prologos : pro-, before; see pro-2 + logos, speech; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]"

"[Middle English epiloge, from Old French epilogue, from Latin epilogus, from Greek epilogos, conclusion of a speech : epi-, epi- + logos, word, speech; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]"

So they are Greek to me. Or if you are Greek, I understand you say They are Chinese to you. Adding them makes your wordcount higher.

Replies: joyR LOAnnie

joyR 🚫

@richardshagrin

Wordcount for prolog and epilog is six, each. If you insist on adding ue at the end of each word is is eight, but that makes them 25% longer than necessary.

Nope.

The word count for prolog and epilog is two. Adding ue at the end of each word does not change the word count at all.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@joyR

The word count for prolog and epilog is two.

"prolog and epilog" is three words. :)

LOAnnie 🚫

@richardshagrin

I think you mean letter or character count

Replies: richardshagrin

richardshagrin 🚫

@LOAnnie

think you mean letter or character count

You are correct. I adjusted my post to show that.

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Forum: Author Hangout

How to Count Total Word Count

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