How many words should be on a page in like size 12 Times New Roman (not double spaced). My friend said it should be around 300, but I always end up getting around 500, so I dunno....
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It will depend entirely on the formatting.
For instance, if it's a page of dialogue you'll lose quite a bit of space to indenting. My last 4 full pages of text were 622, 597, 653 and 618 words. That's in 12pt Times New Roman with a fair bit of dialogue.
Hope that helps a little
For instance, if it's a page of dialogue you'll lose quite a bit of space to indenting. My last 4 full pages of text were 622, 597, 653 and 618 words. That's in 12pt Times New Roman with a fair bit of dialogue.
Hope that helps a little
300 is closer to what you get with double spacing. As Adzmondeus says, it depends on how much dialogue you have.
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There isn't a should be about it. As long as you don't have, say, three words on a page for no apparent reason, then 500 on the next, then 42 on the next again for no reason, then it's OK.
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The number of words on a page is irrelevant. It depends completely on formatting. In a manuscript formatted for submission to an agent or editor who demands Courier New 12pt double spaced with one-inch margins, there will be around 230, more or less depending on the amount of short-line dialog. In a printed book, it depends on the page size and font used. Don't worry about word-per-page counts. Only the total word count counts.
Word count for publishers
Matera's absolutely right. Although fewer people use Courier now (Times New Roman having apparently overtaken it as the font of preference) publishers still tend to use the old rule-of-thumb of '250 words a page'. It doesn't in the slightest bit matter how many words you actually have on a page, but if you submit 200,000 words your publisher is still going to balk and think '800 pages!!!'
That's the only math you need to worry about. If you want to know the kind of page count you're heading for, do it by the x 250 model and you'll be on the same playing field as your publisher.
Louise
Matera's absolutely right. Although fewer people use Courier now (Times New Roman having apparently overtaken it as the font of preference) publishers still tend to use the old rule-of-thumb of '250 words a page'. It doesn't in the slightest bit matter how many words you actually have on a page, but if you submit 200,000 words your publisher is still going to balk and think '800 pages!!!'
That's the only math you need to worry about. If you want to know the kind of page count you're heading for, do it by the x 250 model and you'll be on the same playing field as your publisher.
Louise
If you convert a 393 page manuscript, formatted doublespaced, in 12 pt Courier with 1 inch margins all around, to Times New Roman, you will now have a 302 page document. Using the 250 WPP formula changes from 98,250 to 75,500. BTW MS Word count has the count at 84,369.
Keep in mind the 250 WPP formula only works when using Courier 12 pt with 1 inch margins and widow line control turned off. Your best bet is to use the word count your word processing program gives you, or, as I do provide the agent with both numbers.
Keep in mind the 250 WPP formula only works when using Courier 12 pt with 1 inch margins and widow line control turned off. Your best bet is to use the word count your word processing program gives you, or, as I do provide the agent with both numbers.
Yes, but...
I know, RJK - but my publisher still used it when we were assessing the length of my book and deciding how much needed to be cut.
That's why I'd still advise anyone submitting to work on the old system, because it's the one most publishers use. Writers don't care how many pages we've got - the book is as long as it needs to be - but publishers have to think printing costs, and they're the ones who pay the bills...
Louise
I know, RJK - but my publisher still used it when we were assessing the length of my book and deciding how much needed to be cut.
That's why I'd still advise anyone submitting to work on the old system, because it's the one most publishers use. Writers don't care how many pages we've got - the book is as long as it needs to be - but publishers have to think printing costs, and they're the ones who pay the bills...
Louise
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I like Scribbler's answer!
It doesn't matter how many are on a page-- when the book is published, the typeset version won't equal out page for page with your typed version anyhow. Word count for the whole manuscript is what can matter, and even that isn't a set number (for most publishers).
It doesn't matter how many are on a page-- when the book is published, the typeset version won't equal out page for page with your typed version anyhow. Word count for the whole manuscript is what can matter, and even that isn't a set number (for most publishers).
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