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I have a question.

Why do horror books tend to be shorter/smaller?

Fantasy books can range from 100k-500k words, but horror averages about 50k words.

I'm curious to see if anyone on here has some insights about that.
I think it's due to explanation or lack of. Fantisy needs to introduce you to certain things such as the rules for the story logic. However horror "just is". No need to explain why something is scary.
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Coming from a purely trad publishing background:

Most horror publishers I've worked with have a 65k-80k (maybe 90k) word limit. Part of the reason is that too many words reduces tension; less is more.

Romance is actually the genre that asks for the least; they like their books to be quick reads. Novels tend to start at 40k. Westerns start at 50k and stop at around 70k because they want it to be short, sharp and shiny with lots of action.

Fantasy starts at 80k, with most publishers wanting 90k+. First time writers, they like 80-100k words. This extra length is because of world-building that is demanded. Science fiction appears to be the same, but with an 80k start.

Thriller seems to be the same as horror (though I don't know any thriller writers like I do the rest here).

Comedy is all over the place. (My first published book was a comedy.)
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Getting back into the groove" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Sad news. Trying to pull myself back together." 
  •   1 comment
I'm so sorry to hear this! *carefully wraps his massive arms and wings around them in a warm hug*
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Working for the weekend" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Getting back on track" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Just a small update" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Back to Work" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Staycation is ago!" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Almost Staycation Time" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "A Good Week, so far" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Work woes, but editing is great!" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Editing Phase!!" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Reading and PC gaming" 
I've added a new entry to my book, "Sorji's Blog" :
         "Progress, progress everywhere! And hopefully more good news" 
Skipping working overtime so that I can work on finishing the first draft of my next book! I'm so close!

How is everyone else's writing coming along?
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