Is 50k words too long for an ebook?

[MarieFromStTropez]

I am writing a book (non-fiction). I started yesterday and have written one chapter which is 2,500 words. I then read a guide which said that an ebook should be a maximum of 5,000 words! The entire book! Is this correct? If so, why?

Thanks.

No, it’s not correct. Ebooks are as long as print books.
If you are giving them away free you may want to keep them shorter, was the advice perhaps aimed at that?

@MySocalledLoaf Phew! Thank you! I am hoping to sell it. How does one work out how much to charge? Any ideas? Thanks.

Depends on your field and what the market is like there. You need to look at the topsellers in the category you plan to be in. Of course the length also plays a role.

Most novels are 80-100,000 words long, with some genres tending to go a bit shorter or longer. 5,000 words is a (longish) short story...

Sorry, just seeing now you said non-fiction! D’oh. But most of those are still tens of thousands of words long.

I think my book will be around 50,000 words. I am writing 1,000 words a day. I am also thinking of making it a workbook, with exercises and quizzes.