It generally takes between 3 months and 2 years to write a book, depending on factors such as book length, genre, the author's experience, and writing routine. For example, a novella may take 1 to 3 months, a novel usually takes 6 to 12 months, nonfiction books range from 6 to 18 months, and academic or technical books can take 12 to 24 months. Authors like Stephen King typically take 3 to 6 months for a book, whereas others like J.K. Rowling took years for a first draft of complex works.
The actual timeline depends heavily on the writer's daily or weekly time commitment, word count goals, and whether the book needs intensive research. For instance, writing 500 words per day could result in completing a book of about 50,000 to 80,000 words in roughly 4 to 8 months. Writing a 100-page book may take between 2 to 4 months, while a 300-page book might require 4 to 9 months or more, factoring in revisions and editing.
Thus, the time to write a book varies widely, but most authors take around 6 months to a year to produce a quality manuscript.
