How long should a Romantasy novel be?
The short answer: aim for 80,000 to 120,000 words. That range gives you enough room to build a magic system and a world without losing the pace a romance needs.
The longer answer is a little more interesting, because romantasy sits at the intersection of two genres that have different wordcount needs! Romance novels are shorter and fast-paced, because the intention is to keep readers on their toes! iFantasy novels run long, because they often have a lot of worldbuilding to do around the actual story (this isn't always at a Tolkien level, but you do need more space to land complex concepts like how a system of magic works). A romantasy novel has to do both jobs in one book, which is why balancing the word count is really important!
Why word count matters in the first place
Word count conventions aren't arbitrary, they've evolved over decades of publishing, and they exist because length has a real effect on how a book reads, how it sells, and whether readers stick with it to the end.
There are three big factors that determine how long a book in any given genre should be:
- Pacing – Books with a tighter word count will anturally have a faster pace.
- Worldbuilding – Books that require more exposition in order to situate a reader in an imagined world will be longer than books that are set in a world that readers are already very familiar with.
- Attention – The attention span of your reader is also important to bear in mind: how long can your intended reader can maintain their attention (this is defferent for kids vs adults), and how much attention they are willing to spend on this type of book?
Why romance runs short
Romance is built on pacing. The whole genre runs on the reader's appetite for emotional momentum: the meeting, the spark, the obstacle, the deepening desire, the break-up, the grand gesture, the resolution. Romance readers can feel when those beats are spaced too far apart.
That's why most straight romance novels land between 50,000 and 90,000 words. The form has been tuned, over hundreds of thousands of books, to hit those beats at a rhythm that satisfies a romance reader.
Why fantasy runs long
Fantasy has the opposite problem. The genre depends on the reader believing in a world that doesn't exist, and that belief takes evidence. You have to show the magic system in action, and provide enough basis for it to feel believable. You might have a world history or unique geography that the reader needs to understand in order for the stakes to be clear.
Fantasy novels routinely run to 90,000, 120,000, or even 150,000 words, and readers don't mind, because the length is what the genre needs to do its job. A fantasy novel that skimps on worldbuilding feels thin.
What Romantasy has to do
Romantasy is interesting because it has to satisfy both contracts at once. You need the pacing and momentum of a romance, and the worldbuilding of a fantasy.
That balancing act is why the recommended range is 80,000 to 120,000 words It's longer than a straight romance, because you need the room to build the world. It's (usually) shorter than an epic fantasy, because the romance needs tension.
There's a tendency for first books in a Romantasy series to land at the lower end of the range, and for sequels to grow longer once readers are already invested in the world (and trust you to deliver).
Where to aim
A few rough guidelines, depending on what you're writing:
- Romantasy series debut: 90,000 to 120,000 words.
- Later books in a series: 100,000 to 140,000 words.
- Standalone Romantasy: 90,000 to 120,000 words.
These are guidelines, not rules. There are bestselling Romantasy novels that sit well outside these ranges, and the genre is still evolving. But if you're starting out, or if you're trying to land a publisher or an agent, these are the numbers that will keep you safely inside the bounds of what they're usually willing to support.
