Does a 100-page Ebook too long?

If the information is top notch, updated for 2012 and engaging, then it's definitely not too long.

One thing you could do to decrease the size, if in the end this is what really keeps you down from going forward with this project, is to simply break down the ebook in several smaller reports.

Mike.

Like Micheal said if the information is top notch its okay or better still you can divide them into different report Part 1,2 and so on... each page will contain maybe 30/40 pages, this will make it easier for your readers rather than scrolling down a Hugh long page this ca be boring and stressfull to some people.

It's not the number of pages, but the quality of the content that matters.

If the 100-page is jam-packed with solid, useful information, then it's not too long.

Put yourself in your customer's shoes. As they read each page, do they feel the urge to read more? Or are they thinking to themselves...


Are you getting your point across in the least amount of words?

Length does not equate value. Value equates value.

Know your audience. If they're the kind that won't read a 100-pg. ebook, then you need to find a way to say more with less.

There was actually a discussion in one of my groups recently exactly about this topic, except the author had the opposite problem: is the eBook too short?. I feel this particular response might help you:

Hope this helped,

Jeanne

If it's got zero fluff then it'll be fine. A lot of people think the opposite, especially when they're starting out. They think more pages = higher value which is not true at all.

James Scholes

Well I think I could settle in at around 120 pages..

I think it's great you added more value to the book and made it up to date. 120 pages are not a lot. Even if it's times new roman size 6..

If there is no pictures, please add them to make it more visual attractive; No matter if the book then ends on 150 pages. It's not the number of pages which gaurentee quality, I know, but I would rather pay 27 dollars for your book than for a slim 17 pages pdf, where only 12 of them are content

Have fun!

/Kragsig

As already mentioned, it's not the length that matters but the quality and relevance of the information provided. My best-selling e-book is over 400 pages long, mostly because my target audience has asked me to add more real-life examples in it, so that's what I gave them.

RoD

I have to agree with others. I am currently finishing my book and it is about 150 pages long yet every page is targeted at benefiting them. I actually had 200 something pages and had to cut it down because I put myself in the shoes of my readers and noticed that fluff not only gives a bad impression but also derails the reader's attention.

Personally i think 100 pages are way to many.
Remember that the average attention span is not what it used to be.
Attention Spans Have Dropped from 12 Minutes to 5 Minutes — How Social Media is Ruining Our Minds [Infographic] - SocialTimes

Don't worry about the word count or number of pages. Providing it contains well structured quality content and doesn't contain fluff then you will be fine. If it is a large ebook then categorise your content. Add chapters and reference points and it'll all be good.

if it is efficient and no BS. I think it is OK.
but you need to make better navigation and TOC so reader can find information easily

Yep its already been said, but put it in pieces or consider making it some video...some audio...have a full fledged course rather than just an ebook...also creates instant value booster.

As long as the product full of "meet" then 100 pages are no problem and totally worth it!

Personally, I don't like to spend my time read books or ebooks. I'd prefer a video course or just a presentation because all I need to do is just listen what they say and take a note to summarize the course and put it into the action plan.

100 pages is fine as long as it is all relevant

There are many great comments and I agree with most if it has massive value then the size doesn't matter. Yet one great copywriter once taught me that people don't buy hard work. So either segment it deliver it in a members site, turn it to video so it has a higher perceived value. Sell it as complete and concise not 100 pages to read will sound too much like work.

Like mentioned above I would break it down into separate reports or modules. This will make it easier to read and increase the perceived value

cut as much fluff and make sure the book reads well. Most ppl are busy and would prefer to read less

I have ebooks that are 50-pages and I have ebooks that are 240-pages, the latter has gone through nearly 5 updates over the last few years. Size really doesn't matter (in this case :-)

Far more important is...

1. The usefulness of the information. This isn't just quality, but can your reader take your information after each section/chapter/lesson and quickly APPLY the information to bring about change in their life toward their desired result. If your information is organized around a series of tips, lessons, steps, etc...and your extra pages are around helping them follow those steps, then no problem.

If, on the other hand, there are chapters of basics, theory or just information, that will no go over near as well.

2. For longer products especially, have section summaries or checklists so that if someone wants to get a fast start or wants to review down the road they don't have to go fishing through hundreds of pages to find that one tip or technique they wanted.

3. Consider, at some point, does it make sense to separate your longer product into two shorter ones? Are there really two distinct phases that you take your reader through that would allow you to separate it into two separate sets of lessons (Phase 1 and Phase 2, Beginner and Advanced, Basics and Beyond Basics, Foundation and Add-On's, First 30-days, After the first 30-days, etc...)

It's all about delivering useful information in the simplest, clearest and most supportive way to help bring about the change desried in your reader's life.

Jeff

100 pages is too long if you only have 10 pages worth of information.

I don't think 100 pages, or even 120, are too many as long as they are interesting and useful.

Do you have an editor for the ebook? Sometimes another set of eyes can find passages that are unnecessary which might tighten it up a bit.

An editor can also help with grammar and syntax, and make reading the book more pleasurable.

No, 100 pages is not too long. Just make sure your points are clear and concise.

Hi Abie!

I have to agree that as long as the content has quality information, the number of pages is irrelevant.

I will add that whether it is brand new or a revised version, always give some complimentary review copies to others and ask for feedback in terms of the content material as well as syntax/grammar. Fresh pairs of eyes really do wonders in pinpointing areas that need modifications.

100 pages is just fine, as long as the content is relevant, important and up-to-date.

If you're still worried about the length, you can:-

Chop the content into 2 or 3 parts and create a book plus an information report.
Use 10 or 20 of the pages as the basis of some kind of video course to accompany the ebook.

Both of these strategies would increase the perceived value of your product hugely. If you're selling an ebook now for say, $37.00, I would imagine that an e-book, with a report AND a 5-part video training course could easily sell for $67.00 or $97 instead.

Wishing you success!

if it's useful and not full of fluff, it's fine by me, i will enjoy reading it.

Just like others have said, as long as it's not 20 pages of useful information and 80 pages full of crap, it's fine. I've seen a lot of people who make E-Books that could have easily been condensed and usually only contain about 1 page of solid information. Don't be one of those people.

I actually think that it is too long. Most info products like ebooks are about giving results fast. It's never about giving more information. More information does not equal more value. If you can give them the same results in half the time, that is far better. There is a reason why people want to snatch up short $7 products rather than long textbooks from the library, because they want actionable no-fluff information quickly.

@ OP

The only thing about 100 page reports is that they take so long to read that by the time a person can review it most forget, and by the time the other ones get to your WSO thread , your haters have already had a field day and have set the tone!

Lol- JK- Kinda.

Whenever I have done a report beyond fifty pages I have found that its too much info for alot of people to assimilate. People make jokes about how long it took to read...

I'd say 30-40 pages is healthy for a WSO, but thats no rule, just my feelings.


By "WSO" I mean an info product, to be technical.

Thank you for all suggestions. Most agree that the length doesn't matter so I should make it around 120 pages. Pictures are not necessary on this ebook. Lots of informative comments.

For me it is all about content and writing style. If you believe that you have those 2 elements down then I think the page count is fine.

It's not about how long it is, it's about the content. If you are not redundant on the content and everything you write is meaningful, then that's what matters.

A good novel is 400 or more pages. 100 can be far too long for someone not captivated by what you have to say. Ask me to read a book about HTML code and you lose me after two sentences let alone 100 pages. But then my own book on investing would make a lot of people shudder ... and it is 300 pages!

Having spent several years as a college instructor, I can say that what's far more important than the length is how you lay out the material - especially if it's going to be used as a resource later on down the road.

Be sure to use section headers in addition to relevant chapter titles. Use shaded boxes to set off special concepts. Use chapter highlights at the end to recap the important points. Put special hints in the margins. All of these things make it much easier for your reader (student) to find the information again at a later time. Or - for those who like to skip around, it makes the content easier to find.

With text books - I've seen chapters longer than 100 pages - so your concern over the entire book spanning 100-150 pages shouldn't be your primary concern. As all the others have said - focus on content and make it visually attractive. If that means adding even MORE pages, then so be it.

I usually don't mind longer ebooks if the presentation is clear and airy. Don't make your paragraphs too long or your eboo layout too compressed or boring.

As long as the content isn't fluff, I personally don't mind.

I think it really depends on your audience and how hungry they are for the information you're providing. Rosalind Gardner's SAH is encyclopedic at beyond 200 pages, but continues to be a best seller.

If you have an audience with a shorter attention span or educational level, you probably want to consider breaking it down into 2 books (perhaps one an upsell?) and benefitting both your audience AND your bottom line.

i think 100 pages for a ebook is ok
but the lines have to be spaced out, lots of paragraphs
and pictures
so it can be read easily

Hi Adie,

Don't dwell on the page count but on the quality of content. Interesting, fact-based, and relevant pieces of information - that's what people would love to read.

Our clients are ordering between 50 to 100 pages worth of an e-book or a report. But when our team starts writing, they don't care about the page count anymore. Most often than not, we deliver with additional pages.

Hi,

First impressions suggest that more is better, yet from experience this rule doesn't stand up , when you look at most of the large eBook compilations. That said, if the content is all valuable and necessary to convey the nuts and bolts surrounding the central theme then keep it in. If after setting it aside for a few days and then browsing through it again you find their is too much 'fluff', jettison it. Too much content that is already basic knowledge waters down and dilutes your message and key messages.

cheers, Patrick

It's not too long if you are delivering quality information for your customers. I think it shouldn't be about the pages only about the quality of the information and that it helps your customer solve their problem, however you want them to feel that it was money wise to spent that money on your product, and one way is add "bulk" and pages. In the end you got to test the refund rates and understand your target market.

I don't think it's too long. I've read a lot of eBooks that were over 100 pages.

However, as a writer, I will say that after one more edit I can often find ways to make a product leaner and clearer. (Or am I the only writer that gets a little verbose?)

Rose

Honestly, most people would really be bored by just the fact that the e-books reached 100 pages. However, there's no problem with that IF you can manage your readers' various attentions spans well.

Usually, a person's attention span as mentioned in a few of the previous replies is about 5,10, or 20 minutes; however, this does not mean that your point must be finished within those time spans respectively. All you have to do is to make sure that before your reader loses attention, there you are with another thing on your book ready to regain it again. It's just that simple. Also, it would help if you could divide your book(s) into chapters or volumes. Division will help readers a lot in managing their time and attention to be able to read all of your books and respective topics. And of course, make sure your content is good.

Good luck!

If it's all high quality content then I feel 100 pages is not too much although some would prefer it to be less.

I would honestly like a shorter ebook , but if the content is full of top notch and updated information with no BS whatsoever then it should be fine. No one wants to read a ebook that has outdated information or 90% of the ebook is fluff with 10% real content.

What about breaking the book down into a series smaller books, make each one of them sort of bite sized books. Easier to go in, read and remember which books you have read within the series.

Hey mate,

Give me review copy and I will tell you... I'm serious. Or... just send me small part of it and I will tell you where you can cut it down. I'm not a native speaker but I'm able to compare it to really good writings...