How do you know when to divide your book into chapters?

Answer 1

The basic answer is - when you have finished a scene.

A more complete answer would include thinking about your target audience! Your readers are probably going to be reading your book on the train to or from work, or in the waiting room at the doctor's office, or right before bed - you want your chapters to be short enough so that they can read a chapter in about 15 minutes. That way, they will think, "I can finish this chapter before work (or before bed or whatever)" and they will go ahead and start reading - books with huge chapters often get set aside to be read "later."

Fifteen minutes for most people works about to be around 2500 words. Watch the word count when you are typing, and when you get to about 2300 words, start thinking about how to wind the chapter down and make a little "hook" or "button" to get them to read the next chapter, too! Click on the Related Question to see how that's done.

Answer 2

You can divide your book into chapters based on shifts in time, location, point of view, or themes. Chapters help break up the content for readers and create a sense of structure and pacing in the story. Consider dividing your book into chapters when you want to guide the reader through the different elements of your story in a structured and organized way.