I'm frequently asked how long it takes me to write a book. That depends, of course, on how long the book is, but for an average 90-95k novel, I can do it in about 9 months. That includes my excessive editing and some research, assuming I have a basic knowledge of the era. If I don't it takes longer. How does that match up with other authors?

Here are a some famous authors and their even more famous titles, along with the time it took them to write the dang thing.

GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
10 years

LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo
12 years

LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
16 years

A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens
6 weeks

WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte
9 months

TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyere
3 months

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgeral
2 1/2 years

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE by J.K. Rowling
6 years

So, as you can see, there is no standard time for writing a novel.