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Writing a novel is a dream for many, and getting published even more so. With the development of digital reading and ebooks, it’s becoming easier and easier to distribute and sell ebooks (some even become millionaires, as you’ll read in this article).

Contrary to popular belief, writing the first draft of a book, novel or essay is quite easy.

All you need to do is draw up a plan and think in terms of the number of words to be written per day.

Here’s the word count for a novel:

Minimum: Around 40,000 words is the absolute minimum for a novel. It would be on the very short side, but some publishers might consider it.

Average: Most novels fall between 70,000 and 100,000 words. This range gives you room to develop characters, plot, and setting.

Genre can affect length: Some genres, like romance, can be shorter (around 50,000 words) while fantasy or historical fiction may be longer (up to 120,000 words).

And here’s the calculator to work out how many words you need to write per day to get to the end of your book:

<form id="word-count-form"> <label for="novel-length">Target Novel Length (words):</label> <input type="number" id="novel-length" name="novel-length" min="40000" value="40000" required> <br> <label for="writing-days">Number of Writing Days:</label> <input type="number" id="writing-days" name="writing-days" min="1" value="20" required> <br> <button class="submit success button" type="submit">Calculate Daily Word Count</button> </form> <p class="label" id="result">You need to write approximately 2000 words per day to complete your novel in 20 days.</p> <script> const form = document.getElementById(‘word-count-form’); const result = document.getElementById(‘result’); form.addEventListener(‘submit’, function(event) { event.preventDefault(); const novelLength = parseInt(document.getElementById(‘novel-length’).value); const writingDays = parseInt(document.getElementById(‘writing-days’).value); if (novelLength < 40000) { result.textContent = "Novel length must be at least 40,000 words."; return; } const dailyWordCount = Math.ceil(novelLength / writingDays); result.textContent = You need to write approximately ${dailyWordCount} words per day to complete your novel in ${writingDays} days.; }); </script>

As you can see you only need to write for a mounth in order to write a short novel!

The figures for the US book market have just come in, and one piece of news is sure to delight digital book lovers: ebook sales topped the billion-dollar mark in 2023.

This is an impressive figure: in the USA, in 2023, digital books of the ebook (text) type brought in over a billion dollars (+0.6%)!

This figure covers sales of digital books for e-readers, of course, but also sales of ebooks to be read on computers (PDF documents), smartphones and tablets (ebooks from the apps from Google and Apple).

While printed books are holding up remarkably well, with estimated sales of almost $9 billion by 2023, the same cannot be said for physical audiobooks. Unsurprisingly, sales of physical audiobooks (in CD form) are down to a paltry $12.9 million.

Now, if we add up all these figures, we see that the book market is slightly down by 0.3% over the year 2023.

The market is therefore holding steady, with digital sales continuing to increase year on year.

These figures come from the AAP (Association of American Publishers). Source : https://publishingperspectives.com/2024/03/aap-statshot-in-2023-us-revenues-were-12-6-billion/

E-readers have revolutionized the way we read books, and millions of us around the world use one every day. But are you getting the most out of your e-reading experience?

This guide will show you how to change the settings on your e-reader to make reading more comfortable and enjoyable.

> TLDR: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different text settings to find what works best for you. Use the built-in reading statistics to track your progress and stay motivated. Consider using an external light source.

Find the right settings for your e-reader

image: configure text settings on a Pocketbook Verse Pro e-reader

When we buy an e-reader and use it, we often make the mistake of configuring it to reproduce the reading experience of a paper book.

But an e-reader allows us to be much more flexible and creative when it comes to displaying text.

So we need to experiment to find the text settings that suit us best. Here are a few examples:

1. Change screen orientation
2. Increase font size significantly
3. Changing the font and installing new fonts on your e-reader
4. Switch the e-reader to night mode with white characters on a black background

Personally, I’ve set up my e-reader with very large fonts and plenty of space between lines, which means I can read faster – even if I have to change pages more often.

Use the built-in reading progress statistics

Image: configure reading progress on Kobo e-readers

If you want to stay motivated or read more, you can use the built-in reading progress statistics on your e-reader:

Visualization of Progress: statistics like "time left in chapter" or "percentage of book read" give you a tangible sense of accomplishment. Seeing a number tick down or a percentage climb can be very motivating, especially when tackling a long book. Setting Goals: You can use statistics to set realistic reading goals. Knowing how long a typical chapter takes you to read allows you to aim for a certain number of chapters per day or week. Maintaining Momentum: Statistics can help you stay on track. Seeing how much you’ve read in a single sitting or over a period can encourage you to keep going, especially if you’re close to a milestone like finishing a chapter or reaching a certain percentage.

I therefore strongly recommend that you configure the display of statistics on your e-reader.

Use an external light source

Image: you may feel tired when reading with the built-in light of your e-reader

Just because your e-reader has a screen with built-in lighting doesn’t mean you have to use it.

If you feel tired when reading an ebook on your e-reader, you can change the lighting settings, such as its intensity or the blue light filter.

I’d also recommend using a bedside lamp if your eyes get tired, or at least more tired than when reading a paper book.