Middle Grade word count?

I know this was published in 1988 but Matilda was only 40k. The Giver was 43k. So yeah 40-50k will sell. It also depends on the genre. Lightning Thief and HP are both fantasies and they tend to be longer.

Despite how things might appear these days, you can have a much lower wordcount for MG, so yes you're fine. The only thing that's really changed is that it is more permissible to have a longer wordcount, but it's still a tricky sell. Have no fear, you're fine!

Every time I've been at a conference and asked an agent or an editor this question, they always give the same answer: We don't care about the word count. Use as many words as you need to tell the story, and not one word more.

It also depends on the audience and the genre. Realistic, contemporary fiction tends to be shorter than fantasy. Humor tends to be shorter. Books that would appeal to the younger end of the age range, or that would appeal to reluctant readers, need to be shorter.

Your best resource is the RenLearn website. You can look at books similar in genre and audience to yours, and see what their wordcount is. Find it here:http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113931

Where you get into trouble (as I had to learn the hard way) is when you stray too far towards the end of the range. Too short, and the book is hard to find on the shelf, plus it may not be complex enough to be a really satisfying read. Too long, and you scare off readers, plus you need to have really strong pacing and plotting to justify all those words. It becomes a risk, and these days agents and editors aren't really thrilled with risk.

But within the range, which 40K is, you should be fine.

ahh, wrong forum. delete please.