on Just Publishing Advice:
There is no hard an fast rule. In some ways, it is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string.
In today’s publishing world, does word count matter anymore?
If you are pitching a new novel to a literary agent or publishing houses, yes it probably still does. You should always note your word count in your query letter.
But if you are self-publishing, you have much more latitude with your word and page count.
Is there a guide to how many words long a novel should be? No, but you can look at commonly accepted standards for popular book genres.
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
Interesting post, and I totally agree with Andrew! The story is finished when it is told.
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This was a very good post. Very informative. And I mean it. I took a lot of what was said to heart. Now, may I flip the coin? Just a bit? Just for argument’s sake?
Don’t let nobody … and I mean nobody … tell ya what your word count should be. If you start writing that way. All you’re gonna put out is crap. Writing is a creative process. Create your ever-lovin’ heart out. Do it for you.
“Gone with the Wind” is 425,000 words!!! You think any agent would take it nowadays? If I want my story to come in at 171,000 words because that’s what it’s gonna take to tell my story, then that’s what’s it’s gonna be.
You think anyone’s gonna give a damn 1,000 years from now? Ask Homer. The “Iliad” did alright. He wasn’t worried about word count.
Tell your story. However …. tell it and then edit it down … tighten it up.
And just remember this: We are not authors. We are story-tellers. Tellers of stories. In another time we would be telling our stories around the fire in our cave. Today, we do it on Amazon. It’s all the same. And by the way, back when I was telling my stories around the fire, I didn’t have to worry about commas.
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Well said, Andrew 😀
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