Genre guide · Fiction
Dystopian Fiction: word count & book length
How long a dystopian fiction book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 80,000–100,000 words.
About dystopian fiction
Stories set in oppressive or collapsed societies that exaggerate present-day fears. Hugely popular in YA; adult dystopian tends toward literary or thriller registers.
Printed length in recommended trim sizes
| Trim | Pages at 11 pt | Spine (white) |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest | 320–398 pages | 0.72–0.9 in |
| 6 x 9 in US Trade | 274–348 pages | 0.62–0.78 in |
Page counts for these lengths
Tips for this category
- Position the book against the specific anxiety it explores — surveillance, climate, control.
About Dystopian Fiction
A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one. Dystopia is widely seen as the opposite of utopia – a concept coined by Thomas More in 1516 to describe an ideal society. Both topias are common topics in fiction. Dystopia is also referred to as cacotopia or anti-utopia. Dystopias are often characterized by fear or distress, tyrannical governments, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society.
From the Wikipedia article “Dystopia”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published dystopian fiction works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Time Machine | H. G. Wells | 1895 | 1,146 |
| Nineteen Eighty-Four | George Orwell | 1949 | 727 |
| Brave New World | Aldous Huxley | 1932 | 722 |
| Мы | Евгений Иванович Замятин | 1924 | 210 |
| When the Sleeper Awakes | H. G. Wells | 1899 | 197 |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood | 1985 | 174 |
| A Clockwork Orange | Anthony Burgess | 1962 | 145 |
| The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins | 2008 | 143 |
| Catching Fire | Suzanne Collins | 2009 | 118 |
| The Giver | Lois Lowry | 1993 | 106 |
Open Library lists 1,021 works under this subject.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a dystopian fiction book be?
What trim size is best for dystopian fiction?
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).