Bollard Digital

Chapters I’ve seen it all when it comes to chapters, from those that are 40K words in length to others that are only 200. Authors, please, avoid these extremes. A chapter the length of a novella is not doing anyone any good. Casual readers who do not go through a book in a single sitting tend to take a break when a chapter ends. If that chapter is a third of your book…it’s not pretty, even with multiple scene breaks. On the other hand, single-paragraph chapters, while occasionally useful, can be seen as an attempt to inflate page count if used often. Ideally and depending on genre, 1,000-4,000 words should be your target. Keep in mind, with younger readers especially, shorter chapters are the preference. Oh, as far as chapter titles, they are nice but not a must. Think of them as an accessory like a tie-clip or earrings. They can add value, but their absence is hardly noticed.