How long should a memoir be? Word count and page guide

For a personal or family memoir intended primarily for loved ones, there is no required minimum or maximum length. In My Stories Matter’s standard 8×10-inch format, 10,000-20,000 words is approximately 35-70 text pages; 20,00-60,000 words is approximately 70-180 pages; and 60,000 words or more is approximately 180 pages or more. These estimates exclude the title page, table of contents, dedication page, and pages added for photos.

As CEO and co-founder of My Stories Matter, I've read hundreds of memoirs and family histories, from short, focused tributes to comprehensive, multi-volume family histories. I’ve also proofread and edited many of them and run memoir writing programs for people who wanted to preserve their memories for their families. In every case, I could see why the memoir would be meaningful to someone the author loved.

How long should your memoir be?

Your memoir should be long enough to preserve what you most want your family to know, but it doesn’t need to include every event that has ever happened to you.

Some people want to tell the story of their entire lives. Others want to focus on a particular relationship, period, experience, or theme. Both approaches can produce a meaningful memoir.

If you’re unsure whether to tell your whole life story or focus on selected memories, our guide to memoir vs autobiography can help you decide.

The following ranges can help you understand what different memoir lengths might look like. The page estimates are based on the standard 8-by-10-inch books we produce at My Stories Matter. Photographs would add pages beyond these estimates.

Page counts are much less precise than word counts because font, margins, chapter openings, and photos all affect the final page count. A photo-rich memoir will be longer than a text-only memoir with the same word count.

• Short or focused: 10,000 to 20,000 words (Approx. 35 to 70 pages). Best suited for One relationship, period, theme, or selected collection of memories.
• Broader: 20,000 to 60,000 words (Approx. 50 to 200 pages). A broader life story covering several stages of life.
• Comprehensive: 60,000 to 80,000+ words (Approx. 200 to 300+ pages). In-depth life story or genealogical family history

If you’re unsure which stories belong in the book, our guide to what to include in a memoir can help you decide what matters most.

Short or focused memoir (10,000-20,000 words)

Approximately 35 to 70 pages, excluding photographs.

A shorter memoir may focus on:

• One important relationship
• A particular period of your life
• A career, journey, or major experience
• A collection of selected memories
• A tribute to someone you love

One of the most meaningful memoirs I have read was only 63 pages long. It was written by a woman as a tribute to her late husband.

They had fallen in love as teenagers but were forced apart by their families. Thirty years later, they unexpectedly found each other again and finally built the life together they had once imagined. After almost two decades of happiness, he sadly passed away.

It was not a long book, but it preserved a remarkable love story for the people who mattered most to her.

Broader memoir (20,000–60,000 words)

Approximately 70 to 180 pages, excluding photographs.

This range works well for a broader account covering all stages of a person’s life. It provides enough room to include childhood memories, family, education, work, relationships, travel, challenges, and other important experiences.

Most of the memoirs we produce fall within this range.

Comprehensive memoir or family history (60,000+ words)

Approximately 180 pages or more, excluding photographs.

A comprehensive memoir may cover an entire life in considerable detail, including stories about parents, grandparents, other family members, the author’s reflections, and life advice.

A family history may include genealogical research, historical records, family documents, photographs, and stories spanning several generations.

Some projects grow far beyond that. We’re currently helping one family produce a two-volume multigeneration family history totalling nearly 950 pages. It’s an extraordinary project, but it also demonstrates that there is no maximum length. Very long family histories can simply be divided into multiple volumes.

What determines memoir length?

Rather than aiming for a specific word count, it’s more important to think about who you are writing for and what you want your memoir to accomplish.

1. Who you’re writing it for

The first thing to consider is your audience. Are you writing primarily for your adult children, young grandchildren, close family friends, or future generations? For the overwhelming majority of My Stories Matter clients, the audience includes some combination of these people.

Who you’re writing for will shape both the scope of your memoir and the level of detail you include. It may influence which stories to include and what background information your readers will need.

For example, your adult children may remember some of the people and places you write about, while your grandchildren may know little about them. Younger readers may also need more explanation to understand what everyday life was like when you were growing up.

2. The scope of your story

Once you’ve decided who you’re writing for, the next question is how much of your life you want to preserve for them.

Do you want to tell your life story from childhood to the present day, or focus on a particular portion of your life, such as your childhood or an experience that changed your life? Perhaps you want to keep the memory of your parents alive through your stories about them. Or you may want to pass on the wisdom and life lessons you’ve gained along the way.

The vast majority of our clients write about their lives from childhood to the present day. Naturally, a memoir covering several decades will usually be longer than one centered on a single period, relationship, or experience. But length is not a measure of how meaningful a memoir will be.

3. The level of detail

The level of detail also plays a part. Some people prefer to write concisely and keep things straightforward, while others enjoy describing places, people, and emotions in more depth. Neither approach is right or wrong. It simply changes the style and length of the finished book.

That said, I see far more memoirs that lack important details than memoirs that include too much detail.

Authors often have such a vivid picture of an experience in their minds that they unintentionally leave out information. They assume the reader will picture the scene in the same way. That may not be the case, particularly for grandchildren who are unfamiliar with what everyday life was like many decades ago.

For example, I’ve seen authors casually mention “talking on a party line” and “adjusting the rabbit ears on the TV.” Most young readers will not understand those references without some explanation.

A few additional details can help them picture the scene. How big was the TV? Did you watch it in black and white or color? How many channels were there? How did the party line work? Who else could listen to the party line? How did having to share a telephone line affect your conversations?

And why didn’t you just use your mobile phone? I’m joking, of course, but can a young reader even imagine a world without smartphones?

Details like these do more than add length. They allow future generations to step into your world and understand what life was like for you.

Don’t let memoir length stop you from starting

Many people delay starting because they feel their memoir needs to be a certain length to be “worth it.” It doesn’t.

Instead of thinking, “I need to write a 200-page book,” try telling yourself, “Today, I’m going to write down one memory about my first job.”

If you’re not sure where to begin, our guide to how to start writing your memoir can help you take the first step.

Your first draft doesn’t need to include everything. Many people begin with a handful of important memories and gradually expand and refine them over time.

One memory often leads to another. Writing about your first job might remind you of how you traveled to work, what you wore, the people you met, or the first thing you bought with your own money.

My final thoughts on memoir length

In all the years I’ve been speaking with our clients, not once have I heard someone say, “I know too much about my parents” or “I know too much about my grandparents.”

Instead, I find poignant passages like this in the introductions to our clients’ memoirs:

My Mum, Molly, passed away without me really knowing her life’s story and I regret this a lot. She kept a lot hidden from me and I simply didn’t ask enough questions. Then, when I wanted to know more, she wasn’t there. I’d like to be sure you don’t have the same regrets that I have today.

Another client wrote in his foreword:

I can’t just pick up the phone, as I used to constantly, and call my dearly departed mother and ask questions about our family’s past history long forgotten. Thus, my own words, thoughts, and pictures in this book can be consulted by our kids, and their kids, in the future regarding my wife and me.

I sometimes say, “We’re in the regret prevention business.” That’s why I encourage people to include as many stories as they want to preserve. A reader can always skip a chapter that doesn’t interest them. Bear in mind, too, that interests change with the passage of time. Stories about raising a family might only resonate once your children or grandchildren have children of their own.

Our memoir-publishing service accommodates books of many different lengths, so clients don’t have to remove meaningful stories merely to meet an arbitrary page limit.

Personally, I wish I had any and all stories from my Mum. They would all be treasures to me.

So, the most important question isn’t “How long should my memoir be?” It’s “Does it preserve what I most want my family to know?”

Ready to take the next step?

If you’re thinking about writing your memoir but aren’t sure how to organize your memories or turn them into a finished book, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

At My Stories Matter, we help people transform their memories into professionally designed books. You’ll work directly with real people who take the time to understand your story, help you organize your material, and create a book you can feel proud to share with your family.

Whether your memoir ends up being 30 pages or 300 pages, the most important thing is getting started. We’ll help you finish.