Genre guide · Fiction
Romantasy: word count & book length
How long a romantasy book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 90,000–120,000 words.
About romantasy
A fantasy world with a romance plot that is as important as the adventure. The category has driven special editions with sprayed edges, foiled covers and illustrated endpapers.
Printed length in recommended trim sizes
| Trim | Pages at 11 pt | Spine (white) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 x 9 in US Trade | 314–414 pages | 0.71–0.93 in |
| 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest | 358–474 pages | 0.81–1.07 in |
Page counts for these lengths
Tips for this category
- Special editions (sprayed edges, foil) need offset printing or specialist POD — budget early.
- Maps and pronunciation guides belong in the front matter.
About Romantasy
Romantic fantasy, or "romantasy", is a subgenre of the broader genres of fantasy fiction and romance fiction that combines fantasy and romance, bringing to fantasy many of the elements and conventions of the romance genre. One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships: social, political, and romantic. Romantic fantasy has been published by both fantasy lines and romance lines. It can be defined as a fantasy where the plot is dependent on the romance such that it would not make sense if the romantic plot were removed. It has also been defined as stories which are romance-first within a secondary world. As a result of the financial success of authors such as Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros in the 2010s, publishers created imprints to focus on this subgenre.
From the Wikipedia article “Romantic fantasy”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published romantasy works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 상수리나무 아래 Chapters 77-133 (web novel) | 김수지 | 2025 | 4 |
| 상수리나무 아래 Chapters 1-76 (web novel) | 김수지 | 2024 | 3 |
| 상수리나무 아래 Episodes 1-24 (webtoon) | P, 나무 | 2024 | 3 |
| 상수리나무 아래 Episodes 25-45 (webtoon) | P, 서말 | 2025 | 3 |
| 상수리나무 아래 Episodes 46-64 (webtoon) | P, 서말 | 2026 | 2 |
| Songbird | Colleen Helme | 2010 | 2 |
| To Wear A Crown | Marilene Louise Blom | 2022 | 2 |
| Shifter God | Meg Xuemei X | 2021 | 1 |
Open Library lists 8 works under this subject.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a romantasy book be?
What trim size is best for romantasy?
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).