How Long Does It Take to Write a Book?
The honest answer: it depends on how many words you write per day and how long your book is. Here are the real numbers.
The math
For an 80,000-word novel:
- 200 words/day: 400 days (13 months)
- 500 words/day: 160 days (5.3 months)
- 1,000 words/day: 80 days (2.7 months)
- 1,667 words/day: 48 days (NaNoWriMo pace)
- 2,000 words/day: 40 days (1.3 months)
These are first draft numbers. Editing adds time, but the draft is the hardest part.
Famous examples
- Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road in 3 weeks
- Stephen King writes about 2,000 words a day and finishes a draft in about 3 months
- Tolkien took 12 years to write The Lord of the Rings
Speed does not determine quality. Consistency does.
What slows you down
- Editing while drafting
- No clear word count goal
- Inconsistent schedule
- Not tracking progress
How to speed up (without sacrificing quality)
Set a daily writing goal, track it with BookBeast, and write the whole draft before editing. These three things alone can cut your timeline in half.