---
title: "Craft — the Galley blog"
description: "Every post on craft: How Long Should a Novel Be? Word Counts by Genre; Sending Your Novel to Beta Readers; What Is a Story Bible, and Do You Need One?."
source: https://usegalley.com/blog/tag/craft
---
[Blog](https://usegalley.com/blog) · Craft

# Craft

3 posts on craft, newest first.

[All posts](https://usegalley.com/blog) [Galley](https://usegalley.com/blog/tag/galley)[Publishing](https://usegalley.com/blog/tag/publishing)[Design](https://usegalley.com/blog/tag/design)[Formatting](https://usegalley.com/blog/tag/formatting)[Guides](https://usegalley.com/blog/tag/guides)

![A stack of manuscripts of different thicknesses](https://usegalley.com/images/blog/how-long-should-a-novel-be.png) Craft

## How Long Should a Novel Be? Word Counts by Genre

The word-count ranges agents and readers actually expect (fantasy, romance, thriller, YA, literary), and what to do if you're way over or under.

August 1, 2026

https://usegalley.com/blog/how-long-should-a-novel-be

![A watermarked draft page carrying a beta reader's name](https://usegalley.com/images/blog/sending-your-novel-to-beta-readers.png) Craft

## Sending Your Novel to Beta Readers

When to send a draft out, how many readers you actually need, the brief that gets useful answers, what file to send, and why every copy should carry the reader's name.

June 30, 2026

https://usegalley.com/blog/sending-your-novel-to-beta-readers

![An open notebook of character and location notes beside a manuscript](https://usegalley.com/images/blog/what-is-a-story-bible.png) Craft

## What Is a Story Bible, and Do You Need One?

The reference document that keeps names, timelines, and world details consistent across a novel or series, what goes in it, and when you actually need one.

May 13, 2026

https://usegalley.com/blog/what-is-a-story-bible