Genre guide · Children & YA
Young Adult (YA): word count & book length
How long a young adult (ya) book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 60,000–90,000 words.
About young adult (ya)
Fiction for readers roughly 12–18 with teenage protagonists. Contemporary YA tends shorter; YA fantasy and science fiction can reach 100,000 words.
Printed length in recommended trim sizes
| Trim | Pages at 11 pt | Spine (white) |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest | 236–358 pages | 0.53–0.81 in |
| 6 x 9 in US Trade | 208–314 pages | 0.47–0.71 in |
| 5.25 x 8 in | 264–402 pages | 0.59–0.91 in |
Page counts for these lengths
Tips for this category
- Teen readers are very cover-driven; invest in a genre-appropriate designer.
About Young Adult (YA)
Young adult literature (YA) is literature written for readers aged 12 to 18. It may include themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. The earliest known use of term young adult occurred in 1942. Librarians developed the category of young adult literature to help bridge the gap between children's literature and adult literature. According to a study conducted in 2023, 55% of young adult literature consumers were over 18 years of age. 78% of adult consumers purchased with the intent to read themselves. Of these adult buyers, 51% were between ages 30 and 44. This highlights the fact that readers of young adult literature are often adults.
From the Wikipedia article “Young adult literature”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published young adult (ya) works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Scarlet Letter | Nathaniel Hawthorne | 1800 | 2,425 |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | L. Frank Baum | 1899 | 2,049 |
| The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald | 1920 | 1,180 |
| King Solomon's Mines | H. Rider Haggard | 1876 | 1,105 |
| This Side of Paradise | F. Scott Fitzgerald | 1920 | 631 |
| The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 1937 | 482 |
| Vingt mille lieues sous les mers | Jules Verne | 1870 | 384 |
| The Fellowship of the Ring | J.R.R. Tolkien | 1954 | 319 |
| A Little Princess | Frances Hodgson Burnett | 1905 | 305 |
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Roald Dahl | 1964 | 245 |
Open Library lists 4,945 works under this subject.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a young adult (ya) book be?
What trim size is best for young adult (ya)?
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).