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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32695
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32695
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Yes, but as you said it also depends on the genre. Here is an article, [why a first author should write to word count.](https://thewritepractice.com/word-count/)

Basically, science fiction and fantasy (your main genre) is 110,000 words, and mystery (your sub-genre) will be 80,000 words.

The article says that publishers are risk averse with new authors. Every extra page (or four pages really) costs them more money. Very long books alienate at least some buyers, particularly from an unknown author (Rowling or Stephen King have a huge fan base that will be undaunted and may take a price hike too).

Publishers do not make twice as much money for a novel twice the typical word count, so unless your writing is **_killer,_** and they can't stop turning the pages, and believe it will be a bestseller, they will not take it. Of course, just hearing it is nearly twice as long as average may generate a rejection letter, due to halving their profit margin and increasing their production and marketing budgets to reduce that profit margin even further.

As a first time author, find a story that sticks to the word count. Also it wouldn't be bad to break it in two or three (some repetition and "what previously happened" can be tolerated in a trilogy to let each stand somewhat on their own, so you may have three books there).

Here is another link on [famous novel word counts.](http://commonplacebook.com/art/books/word-count-for-famous-novels/)

Original score: 3