How long must my book be?

Swann Books embraces digital publishing.

Historically, a novel would need to be 80,000 words to hit the maximum profit margin versus printing, transport and storage cost. (These things were all worked out in big graphs)
Well, those things aside, 80,000 words was considered a good amount to have an engaging story with a buildup of drama.

That is no longer the case.  Now, a story can be as long or as short as it needs to be and still be published.  Swann Books publishes everything from Flash Fiction, short stories, to novellas and novels.

Flash Fiction, poetry or prose
Less than 2,000 words.
Will be published as part of an anthology with 20 other Flash Fiction stories.

Short Story
2,000-20,000 words.
Will be published with 2 or 3 other short stories.

Novella
20,000-40,000 words
Can be published on its own at a reduced price.
These are popular 'bus and train books' as they can be printed in a smaller format than regular novels. The story often continues through several books, giving the author a chance to earn a steady income at a faster pace than novel writing.
These are my favourite books.

Novel
40,000-150,000 words.
A novel typically takes a year or more to write.

Epic
Novels longer than 150,000 words should probably be split into multiple books.

It is highly recommended for new writers to start with Flash Fiction and work their way to writing novels. When working with shorter stories you are forced to trim all the fat from your novel and find the shortest turn of phrase, making it a cleaner experience for your readers.