Genre guide · Fiction
Science Fiction: word count & book length
How long a science fiction book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 90,000–120,000 words.
About science fiction
Fiction driven by speculative science and technology — space travel, AI, future societies and their consequences.
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
- Science fiction readers notice internal consistency; keep a technical bible.
- Glossaries are welcome in hard SF and space opera back matter.
About Science Fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is the genre of speculative fiction that imagines advanced and futuristic changes in technology, scientific knowledge, or biological systems. The elements common to science fiction have increased over time: from space exploration, extraterrestrial life, time travel, and robotics; to parallel universes, dystopian societies, and biological manipulations; and, most recently, to information technology, transhumanism, posthumanism, and environmental challenges. Science fiction often explores human responses to the consequences of these types of projected or imagined scientific advances. The precise definition of science fiction has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers.
From the Wikipedia article “Science fiction”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published science fiction works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll | 1865 | 3,547 |
| Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus | Mary Shelley | 1818 | 2,187 |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | L. Frank Baum | 1899 | 2,049 |
| Dracula | Bram Stoker | 1897 | 1,918 |
| The Time Machine | H. G. Wells | 1895 | 1,146 |
| The Lost World | Arthur Conan Doyle | 1900 | 747 |
| Nineteen Eighty-Four | George Orwell | 1949 | 727 |
| Brave New World | Aldous Huxley | 1932 | 722 |
| The Jewel of Seven Stars | Bram Stoker | 1902 | 653 |
| The Iron Heel | Jack London | 1907 | 597 |
Open Library lists 21,214 works under this subject.
Awards for this genre
Frequently asked questions
How long should a science fiction book be?
What trim size is best for science fiction?
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).