Dividing a Novel into Chapters
Tips on Developing Chapters in a Fiction Manuscript
Novels are divided into chapters to provide breaks for readers and to heighten suspense. What is the best way to divide a book into chapters?
How Many Chapters does the Average Book Have?
The number of chapters an average book has depends upon the projected length of the completed novel and the book’s genre. As an author, you must first decide how long a book you plan to write. If you are not sure, look at other books in the genre of interest, such as mystery, romance, science fiction, and see how long the average book runs in that particular genre or category. If you are not writing for a particular genre, read mainstream books similar to your own to get a general idea of what major publishers consider a suitable length for the entire novel.
It helps to diagram a few published novels similar to your own by jotting down the number of chapters they have and the number of pages and word count of each chapter, just to get an idea of what some of the publishers you may target have been accepting.
What is the Ideal Chapter Length?
An average book runs about 65,000 words or around 260 double-spaced manuscript pages. These can be divided into roughly equal chapters of eighteen chapters of about fourteen pages.
A chapter should be just long enough to develop its purpose. The purpose of a chapter is to set a scene and to create some kind of action that progresses the storyline.
Generally, most chapters do not exceed 17 pages. This rule is not set in stone. Many publishers and agents feel that lengthy chapters may cause a reader to lose interest. If you have a chapter over 17 or 20 pages it is a good idea to take look at it and see if it can be split or condensed. An overly long chapter may mean you have two chapters combined into one or that you are overwriting the scene. A shorter chapter means you may not be drawing out the scene enough.
If you are writing a historical romance, longer chapters may be the norm because you will need to allow time to add descriptive detail. Science Fiction novels and also some mainstream novels also traditionally have longer chapters.
If you are writing a thriller or page-turner you may want to plan shorter chapters. Mary Higgins-Clark, James Patterson, and Harlan Coben often have chapters that are only a few pages in length. These chapters stop at the height of action and keep readers turning pages.
Notice the difference in both book and chapter lengths in the examples below. The pace of Clark and Coben’s books is fast and high on suspense. Rosamund Pilcher and Ann Rivers Siddons write a more leisurely paced book with more descriptive detail and reflection.
We’ll Meet Again Suspense, Mary Higgins Clark 283 pages, 94 chapters, 2-3 pages per chapter
Gone for Good Suspense, Harlan Coben 339 pages, 58 chapters, 3-4 pages
The Shell Seekers Romance Rosamund Pilcher, 530 pages, 14 chapters, 15 plus pages per chapter
Hill Towns Ann Rivers Siddons historical romance 356 pages, 14 chapters, 20 plus pages per chapter
What Should Each Chapter Contain?
The chapter usually centers around a single event or setting. Each chapter should develop a particular scene that advances the story.
Some chapters are broken by changes in points of view. If more than one setting or point of view is used in a chapter, then a spacer is sometimes used to indicate this change. As long as the chapter reads as a cohesive whole, more than one scene can be included. The chapter should always contain events that naturally occur and belong together. There should be no gratuitous chapters. Each one must pull its own weight and contribute to forwarding the action and the ending in some way.
Varying Chapter Length to Maximize Drama and Suspense
The chapter should end right at the crucial moment. It is good to have each chapter finish with a question that will not be answered until a following chapter. For example, if you have a chapter where a driver is about to go over the cliff, then the chapter should end with his hands clenching the wheel, realizing there’s no turning back. The next chapter should begin with him gaining consciousness, checking his minor injuries and feeling lucky to be alive. If all of this were in the same chapter it would give the reader no incentive to read on and find out what happens next. Chapters that split the action and end at a crucial point are called “cliffhangers.” Action and climax chapters are generally shorter than other chapters in the book.
Conforming to Specific Guidelines
Most editors prefer numbered chapters with the number not spelled out. Chapters are usually not titled unless there is some strong reason for doing so.
Many publishers, especially publishers of genre or category fiction, intend to produce novels of a uniform size either because that is what their readers expect, or because the way their books are printed and marketed requires they be of a standard length. An example of some of these publishers are Harlequin, Silhouette, Robert Hale, and Avalon. If you look at their books you will see that there is little variation on page length, chapter size, and word count. This will be established in their guidelines. When targeting this kind of publisher, try to fit in with their needs as much as possible. Since these and other publishers like them do not vary their manuscript length, fifty pages over or under can disqualify your submission for publication.
For additional articles to help you plan and write your novel, check out the following articles:
The 3 Points of View in Writing
