Genre guide · Fiction
Action & Adventure: word count & book length
How long a action & adventure book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 70,000–100,000 words.
70,000–100,000 wordstypical length
5,229works in Open Library
About action & adventure
Journeys, quests and physical danger with an emphasis on momentum and spectacle.
Printed length in recommended trim sizes
| Trim | Pages at 11 pt | Spine (white) |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest | 274–398 pages | 0.62–0.9 in |
| 6 x 9 in US Trade | 242–348 pages | 0.54–0.78 in |
Page counts for these lengths
Tips for this category
- Maps and expedition timelines work well as end matter.
About Action & Adventure
Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction.
From the Wikipedia article “Adventure fiction”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published action & adventure works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll | 1865 | 3,547 |
| Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Mark Twain | 1876 | 2,623 |
| Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Defoe | 1686 | 2,420 |
| Oliver Twist | Charles Dickens | 1822 | 2,211 |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | L. Frank Baum | 1899 | 2,049 |
| Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson | 1880 | 1,992 |
| Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan Swift | 1726 | 1,810 |
| The Call of the Wild | Jack London | 1903 | 1,700 |
| Don Quijote de la Mancha | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | 1600 | 1,595 |
| Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog) | Jerome Klapka Jérôme | 1889 | 1,136 |
Open Library lists 5,229 works under this subject.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a action & adventure book be?
Typically 70,000–100,000 words. Journeys, quests and physical danger with an emphasis on momentum and spectacle..
What trim size is best for action & adventure?
Common choices are 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest, 6 x 9 in US Trade.
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).