Genre guide · Fiction

Plays & Drama: word count & book length

How long a plays & drama book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 15,000–25,000 words.

15,000–25,000 wordstypical length
63,309works in Open Library

About plays & drama

Scripts written for performance. A full-length play script is often 90–120 manuscript pages; published editions follow their own layout conventions for character names and stage directions.

Printed length in recommended trim sizes

TrimPages at 11 ptSpine (white)
5.5 x 8.5 in Digest66–104 pages0.15–0.23 in
6 x 9 in US Trade58–92 pages0.13–0.21 in

Page counts for these lengths

Tips for this category

  • Include a cast list, setting and production history in the front matter.

About Plays & Drama

A play is any instance of theatre primarily characterized by scripted speech: namely, dialogue between characters, monologues, or both. In other words, performers of a play read or memorize their speaking lines from a text, called a script. The script can also be called a play, and its words are intended less to be independently read and more to be performed aloud by actors in front of an audience. The writer and author of any play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging from London's West End and New York City's Broadway – the highest echelons of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world – to regional theatre, community theatre, and academic productions at universities and schools. A stage play is specifically crafted for performance on stage, distinct from works meant for broadcast or cinematic adaptation.

From the Wikipedia article “Play (theatre)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Most-published plays & drama works in Open Library

TitleAuthorFirst publishedEditions
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen18134,042
A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens18433,196
Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë18462,888
HamletWilliam Shakespeare16032,377
Oliver TwistCharles Dickens18222,211
A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens18002,059
The Wonderful Wizard of OzL. Frank Baum18992,049
DraculaBram Stoker18971,918
Little WomenLouisa May Alcott18481,888
MacbethWilliam Shakespeare15081,867

Open Library lists 63,309 works under this subject.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a plays & drama book be?
Typically 15,000–25,000 words. Scripts written for performance.
What trim size is best for plays & drama?
Common choices are 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest, 6 x 9 in US Trade.

Sources & data