The Minimalist Book Trend

The Rise of Short Books and the Death of Long Ones

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

In praise of short books: to start and finish in one sitting is a rare, unbridled joy.
- Paul Daley, The Guardian

We all love binge-watching TV shows. With streaming services making it easy to pick up a new show, we can find something exciting and watch it without ceasing.

My wife and I recently finished watching Around the World in 80 Days (adapted from a novel of the same name). We loved the show and sometimes watched several episodes in a night.

We have done it with many other shows. Watching the episodes and enjoying the stories as they play out on TV is easy. Another show we enjoyed was All Creatures Great and Small, adapted from a book.

I recently tried reading the book and have yet to finish it because it is so long.

I have found this to be true every time I read the book version of the adapted TV show. I get about 100 pages into the book and give up, which is an apparent trend being noticed by authors around the world.

100-Page Books Are More Likely To Be Completed

In Michelle Culp’s latest book, Serial Cash, she shares an interesting fact:

“The data shows that books 100 pages or less are completed 60% of the time, whereas books longer than 200 pages only have a completion rate of around 5%. This means you could spend years writing your “masterpiece,” but if it exceeds 200 pages, few people will ever finish it!”

This makes sense because the 100-page milestone is when I decide whether to continue reading a book or stop, especially if the book is 300 pages or more.

As a nonfiction author, I know that it is even more challenging for people to read nonfiction books to the end. People will stop reading if your examples are drawn out or your points are too convoluted.

So, it makes sense that long books are declining and short books are taking their place.

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The Minimalist Book Trend Among Authors

Authors are following a new trend: We are taking information that we would have fit into one book and now breaking it down into several books. These shorter books are to the point, 100 pages or less, and are meant to be super helpful.

These are minimalist books.

I have concluded that minimalist books are on the rise. This is not because authors are lazy or unable to write the books of the past but because they adapt to the realities of our time, namely, short attention spans and instant gratification.

With my series of books, I have found that they are much like the binge-worthy TV shows my wife and I enjoy at night. We can read them more quickly and have better access to them with the ability to read them anywhere with Kindle.

Most of all, it helps create a catalog of work for the author that establishes them as an authority in their niche without having to write these time-intensive books that people have stopped finishing.

It is time to accept the reality that books will get shorter. As an author, adapt to this trend to get your books in front of more people and see them read to completion.

What do you think? Is this a positive or negative trend in book writing?

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J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who writes about faith and writing books. He has self-published 10 books and has some great resources. Check his book on using Substack to write books:

• Substack Books: A Complete Guide to Turning Your Substack Posts into Money-Making Books

P.S. There may be sales or affiliate links in this post. So, I might get a little kick back if you purchase anything. Thank you in advance!