# Do you read Kindle novellas?



## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

I’m going to write a guest blog post this week about novellas on the Kindle and I couldn’t think of a better place to canvas opinion than here.

So, readers, are you reading more novellas than before you got your Kindle? If you read novellas, is that because they happen to be around or do you seek them out?

I’m convinced there are more novellas published now, thanks to the Kindle. You authors out there must be the ones writing them. So... why do you write novellas?

And, of course, do you have any recommendations for good novellas for the Kindle? I've read some good novellas recently but they've all *ahem* been dead tree versions. Point me to my first Kindle novella, please!


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I usually avoid stand alone novellas and short stories.  When I read them, I prefer them to be part of an anthology.    But, I do agree that there are more out there.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2011)

I've always been fond of novellas. One of my favourites, which I would recommend, is The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth (on Kindle in the UK:The Shepherd).

I wouldn't be surprised if more novellas were published now ebooks have taken off. From a buyer's point of view, the lowest price print novella on the local bookshop shelves is £4.99, while ebooks can be much cheaper. From a publishing stand point many of the overheads of printing are fixed whether you have a novella or War and Peace (e.g. ISBN, cover art, etc) so many publishers prefer longer works they can charge more for and there isn't much of a market for novellas. Ebooks opened the door to self-publishing, so it is now possible for authors to publish their own rather than try to find a market.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

[I wouldn't be surprised if more novellas were published now ebooks have taken off. [/quote]

I abolutely agree. Print novellas were very niche because the unit cost of getting that book in front of you in the bookshop is not much less than for a full novel. The print novellas I've read recently have been signed hardbacks, charging a premium for a niche product.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

[I usually avoid stand alone novellas and short stories. When I read them, I prefer them to be part of an anthology. [/quote]

Thanks, Geoffrey. That's interesting. Back in the prehistoric era, I used to subscribe to Analog, Interzone and such like in Microsoft Reader format, to read on my Compaq iPAQ. I probably subscribed to more magazines than was good for me; I wound up getting frustrated that I couldn't arrange my library by author or title as these were all hidden inside the periodical title.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I adore the novella form, especially on Kindle, where long books seem to wear me out. It is a difficult form to write, but perfect for short trips and limited reading time. Actually hoping Kindle helps to reignite the shorter novel.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

[ Actually hoping Kindle helps to reignite the shorter novel.[/quote]

Me too, Harry. I get the feeling that traditional publishers have encouraged longer novels in recent years to justify price increases. If I'm going to fork out my time on a 150,000 word novel, it had better be absolutely superb. My guess is that within a decade there will be a popular book length of 30-60 thousand words


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2011)

Tim C. Taylor said:


> My guess is that within a decade there will be a popular book length of 30-60 thousand words


 Wouldn't that effectively be the same as the old pulp markets that died out as print costs became higher? For example, if you look at the old Doc Savage books they were exactly in that range (Word Counts here). It might suggest that there's always been a market for works this length, just that it hasn't been economic to fulfil it in print in recent years.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

VH Folland said:


> Wouldn't that effectively be the same as the old pulp markets that died out as print costs became higher? For example, if you look at the old Doc Savage books they were exactly in that range (Word Counts here). It might suggest that there's always been a market for works this length, just that it hasn't been economic to fulfil it in print in recent years.


You're right: it would. I read your Doc Savage list. Interesting, especially how the word counts decreased, presumably printing costs.

I would guess there is a latent demand for books of that length but it will take years for many of the people who would enjoy that length to come to realise that. After all, the mainstream publishers haven't offered books 30-60 thousand words for decades.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

I have a fantasy novella series in the works; first book is up, working on the next 2.

I prefer reading shorter stuff now; just last night, I downloaded a good SF short story off of Smashwords. Very well done, and I finished reading it last night.

That's what I like about this digital revolution - lots of shorter stories to pack in more reading!


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## RedTash (Aug 14, 2011)

I'll read any good story.  If it's short, I just want more.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I have and enjoyed them.  I have even written one.  I think Kindle finally allows a place where novellas can be published and enjoyed.  In general they are too long for publication in a collection of short stories or what few magazines still publish short stories and too short to be published by a publisher.  Now, with Kindle, you can write as long as the story dictates and find an audience.


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

Geoffrey said:


> I usually avoid stand alone novellas and short stories. When I read them, I prefer them to be part of an anthology. But, I do agree that there are more out there.


No doubt there's a resurgence in short stories and novellas. I haven't read shorts since Isaac Asimov's brilliant shorts. I downloaded a free short that's got good reviews, so when I get time, I'll read it.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

I agree with @Bleekness above.  I'd rather start with a shorter work by an author before I plunge into something longer.  And ePub is a perfect platform for this formerly "limbo" length.

In addition, I think:

1.  Modern culture seems to favor shorter entertainment options.

2.  The Price is Right:  $0.99 for 2-3 hours of reading entertainment (short story) or $2.99 for 5-6 hours of reading entertainment (novella) seems fair to me...

...both as an author AND a reader.

Todd


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Not really. Nothing against it or anything but I just like my stuff to be longer. When I do read novellas they tend to be bundled and I guess I don't mind so much.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

GerrieFerrisFinger said:


> No doubt there's a resurgence in short stories and novellas. I haven't read shorts since Isaac Asimov's brilliant shorts. I downloaded a free short that's got good reviews, so when I get time, I'll read it.


Isaac Asimov was one of the key reasons I got into science fiction when I was a boy. Thinking back to classics like the Foundation Trilogy, I think those books were stitch-ups of stories he'd published in magazines. And some of those were serialised novellas.


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

Most of the old classic 'novels' are in fact novellas by today's standard.  Animal Farm, A Christmas Carol, A Clockwork Orange, The Old Man and the Sea, the Narnia Chronicles, War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Heart of Darkness, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - people have probably read more novellas than they realise.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't really read novellas. I prefer regular length books. I read only a couple I think. They were more like shorter books though. I wouldn't read short stories though. Just not my thing. 

None of this has changed after getting my Kindle. I still prefer regular length books. Only thing that has changed is, I am reading way way more since the Kindle.  . 

So when I see something that looks and reads interesting in the blurb, and I notice from either the file size or reviews that it is a novella or short story, I usually pass. 

I guess I am not really clear too on how long a novella is. Word count still confuses me . I guess is it 40000 words or such? How many pages would that be. I have no clue. But usually when I see the word short, or novella or such in a description, I move on.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

A.S. Warwick said:


> Most of the old classic 'novels' are in fact novellas by today's standard. Animal Farm, A Christmas Carol, A Clockwork Orange, The Old Man and the Sea, the Narnia Chronicles, War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Heart of Darkness, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - people have probably read more novellas than they realise.


I was thinking the same thing! I read read short novels/novellas. As long as they are advertised that way, I'm happy. Actually, sometimes I prefer them to long drawn out overblown novels.

However, I tend not to buy stand alone short stories. But this is changing, since some of my favorite print short stories are now showing up on kindle. I'd still rather buy an anthology though.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

[I guess I am not really clear too on how long a novella is. Word count still confuses me . I guess is it 40000 words or such? How many pages would that be. I have no clue. But usually when I see the word short, or novella or such in a description, I move on. 
[/quote]

I'm not surprised. Only writers and editors (and printers?) pay attention to wordcount and the definition of novella changes depending on who you speak to. I borrow from a categorisation used to qualify for many science fiction awards and put a novella at 17,500-40,000 words. But that doesn't help because we think in page counts, not words.

There's a rough calculation of 250 words per page for paperbacks, which would put 40,000 at... [whirr... click... ] 160 pages if that was a paperback. In fact, after an earlier Kindle Boards discussion, if I publish any short fiction to Amazon, I now put the approximate wordcount into the book description so that readers can decide for themselves if the word count suits them.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Um, Tim, as a reader, I would appreciate an approximate page count more than word count.  Word count means nothing to me.

I tend to use kindle locations as my guide.  I download the sample and if it's too short, I don't buy the "book".


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

I find it odd that people would automatically ignore a story just because it wasn't a novel. Just think of a short story as being a half hour TV show while a novel is a 2 hour movie - they are just different means of telling a story.

My own personal view is that shorter stories are better as they cut out all the unnecessary padding that goes into novels - I don't need the clothing of every last person in the room described down to the last stitch.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I don't think people ignore short items because they are short, but rather because they are not seen as good value for the money.  If you can buy a "full length novel" for 99 cents, it can be hard to justify spending that much for a short story.  I think if TV shows were pay per view, it would be the same sort of thing.


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

People pay the same price for those mega 250,000 word novels as they do for 80,000 word ones.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

A.S. Warwick said:


> People pay the same price for those mega 250,000 word novels as they do for 80,000 word ones.


Some people do, some people don't. Some people do and don't look at word counts, some people do and complain about what they're paying. If you ask this question of 100 people you will get at least 60 different answers. I'm speaking for myself and repeating the opinions I've here a number of times. As is often said, your mileage may vary...


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## Gregory Lynn (Aug 9, 2011)

I think one of the joys of the kindle is not having the slightest clue how long these things actually are.

I'm reading Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest right now and I literally don't know how long it is.

Holy crap, I just checked and the mass market paperback is 757 pages.

It doesn't matter to me.  Tell me the story that you feel needs telling.  If you feel this 30,000 word subplot is worth telling then give it to me and if I agree I'll buy more of  your stuff.

As for price, it really doesn't matter that much to me.  If I spend three dollars on something and get three hours of entertainment out of it, I'm fine with that.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Tim C. Taylor said:


> So, readers, are you reading more novellas than before you got your Kindle? If you read novellas, is that because they happen to be around or do you seek them out?


I never really thought about reading novellas and short stories until I got my Kindle. Then I discovered I liked them, so these days, although I don't go looking specifically for shorts, if I stumble across one that looks good I'm open to buying it.



Tim C. Taylor said:


> So... why do you write novellas?


Because I have a naturally tendency to write short. I used to fight it but not anymore. Since I'm not writing to fit a publisher's length requirements I'm now free to explore the lengths that seem right for each individual story.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Gregory Lynn said:


> I'm reading Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest right now and I literally don't know how long it is.


Are you liking it? Because that series is one of my all time favorites - I've read everything by Robin Hobb. If you do like the _Farseer_ series you might check out Hobb's _Tawny Man _ books next. They're in the same world and follow the same characters.


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## Gregory Lynn (Aug 9, 2011)

Dara England said:


> Are you liking it? Because that series is one of my all time favorites - I've read everything by Robin Hobb. If you do like the _Farseer_ series you might check out Hobb's _Tawny Man _ books next. They're in the same world and follow the same characters.


I'm only about four chapters in and I'd like to smack Fitz upside the head but I really liked the previous two so I am sure this one will be excellent.

And thanks, Tawny Man will go on the list.


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

I've read one or two Kindle novellas. I like the length of reading time they take, but I don't like it when the story doesn't feel "finished" because it just flows into the next novella of a series. Series are great, but each part should come to it's own resolution. 
I also think book descriptions should give a clear idea of the length. I bought something the other day which mentioned nothing about it's length, and sounded like a full novel. Turned out to be a very short story. That kind of irks me.


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

I love novellas. I definitely read them!


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I dont make an effort to read short stories or novellas. Occasionally something is strongly recommended to me and I'll read it or it is very focused on a subject I'm interested in (and it takes a really special blurb/description), but neither invites my interest generally.


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## evie_d (Sep 13, 2011)

I don't think I really notice story length when I'm reading on my Kindle, but I enjoy novellas and short stories as much as novels. A novella can be just the right length to see me satisfactorily through my journey to work, and a short story is a nice pre-bedtime length! I love short story collections and do actively seek them out. It's a nice way to be introduced to new authors.


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

I've never been a fan of short stories or novellas.  That's not to say I never read them, of course I've read some of the classics mentioned earlier.  But I vastly prefer long novels that I can sink into.  This trend -- or it appears to be a trend from what I read here -- toward novellas kind of scares me.  I can't help but wonder if it speaks to the general loss of attention span that seems to be occurring in society.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

As a writer, I think stories should be written to their natural length, whether that's 20,000 or 90,000 words. I can't stand reading full length novels that have obvious padding in them.


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

Pawz4me said:


> I've never been a fan of short stories or novellas. That's not to say I never read them, of course I've read some of the classics mentioned earlier. But I vastly prefer long novels that I can sink into. This trend -- or it appears to be a trend from what I read here -- toward novellas kind of scares me. I can't help but wonder if it speaks to the general loss of attention span that seems to be occurring in society.


The trend has been - pushed by publishers - for long and longer books, most of which is needless padding. If encouraging novellas helps strip that padding out then it is a win for readers.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

The original question: Yes. I do read novellas on the Kindle. Been reading a lot of my mate Steven Savile's work, the three Sally Reardon stories, The Restless Dead and Monster Town. Wicked good stuff.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

A.S. Warwick said:


> The trend has been - pushed by publishers - for long and longer books, most of which is needless padding. If encouraging novellas helps strip that padding out then it is a win for readers.


I read 100's of full length books every year. Most from publishers. I can't point to any of them off the hand that had any needless padding in them. Maybe a few, if I sit down and go through my notes. So I am not sure where this idea of this padding comes from. I would assume you'd find just as many novella's that are half cooked as you find padding in full length.

And to the pushing of longer length. I can't speak of that. I do remember that most books I read way way back where also very long and epic. Even longer than what I read now. Most of the books in my parents case where thick from what I remember. Of course the classics where shorter. I am trying to get a visual in my head, but darn it its been so long


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## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

A.S. Warwick said:


> Most of the old classic 'novels' are in fact novellas by today's standard. Animal Farm, A Christmas Carol, A Clockwork Orange, The Old Man and the Sea, the Narnia Chronicles, War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Heart of Darkness, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - people have probably read more novellas than they realise.


I've often thought about how many books are read in schools and colleges that wouldn't be the norm for publication today because the word count isn't high enough.



Tim C. Taylor said:


> I'm convinced there are more novellas published now, thanks to the Kindle. You authors out there must be the ones writing them. So... why do you write novellas?
> 
> And, of course, do you have any recommendations for good novellas for the Kindle? I've read some good novellas recently but they've all *ahem* been dead tree versions. Point me to my first Kindle novella, please!


From an author standpoint, I wrote my novella as an adaptation of a screenplay I'd written in '08. I realized the story wouldn't hit the word count of a typical novel and I didn't want to fill it with bloat, either. I felt the story was fairly well contained and decently paced and I couldn't nearly double the word count and keep it that way. The great thing about writing with the Kindle in mind was knowing there were no economies of scale to worry about. The story rules, and story concerns should dictate length, IMO. That works both ways, too.


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## cheriereich (Feb 12, 2011)

To answer the original question, yes, I read novellas on my Kindle. In fact, the last book I bought was a novella. I also read short stories, regular length books, and massive books like Stephen King's books. 

I've found that the less time I have to read something, the more I enjoy short stories and novellas. They're great to give a taste of the author's writing. There is something really satisfying to be able to sit down and read a complete story in one sitting and not have your back hurt from sitting there for hours. In Japan, cell phone novels are gain popularity. Each chapter is around 250 words or less, just right for a cell phone. It's an intriguing idea, although I haven't tried writing or reading one. 

Unfortunately, the more things a person has to compete for their attention, the less they'll find for books. I love books and reading and yet I sometimes cringe if I see one over 300 pages now, not because I don't want to read that many pages or love the author or novel but just because I don't have the time to sit down and read something that isn't work-related (editing job or a book to review or reading over my own writing for editing or reading my critique partners writing).


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

A.S. Warwick said:


> I don't need the clothing of every last person in the room described down to the last stitch.


Well put - that's the way I feel, too.

Part of this is due to my own training as a screenwriter. But it's how I feel as a reader, too.

If a writer is going to include long meandering tangents in his/her book...

...it had better be D*MN interesting!

Todd


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

If nothing else Kindle is certainly tailored for the novella. Publishers publish books by putting together what's called signatures, or groups of pages that are then bound together. To simplify, if while putting a book together your work goes 100 words onto a new signature, they're either going to want you to cut 100 words or add 2,400 (saying, for example, each sig holds 2,500 words). Without getting into discussions about shrinking the font or expanding the margins--I think you can get my drift.

With eBooks, whatever the length is is whatever the length. It doesn't need to fulfill any requirements, except what the market will bare. My own work is 109,000 words and 51,000 words, so the story dictated the length, not an editor or publisher.


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## Guest (Sep 15, 2011)

A.S. Warwick said:


> Most of the old classic 'novels' are in fact novellas by today's standard. Animal Farm, A Christmas Carol, A Clockwork Orange, The Old Man and the Sea, the Narnia Chronicles, War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Heart of Darkness, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - people have probably read more novellas than they realise.


This is a great point and I'm happy you brought this out. Too many people think they know what they like but when it comes down to it, they're far more open-minded than even they think. For instance, I hear people say "I don't read fantasy." But of course we all know they do -- they just don't know it!


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I've always liked novellas but they were harder to find in print form. I real almost nothing but novellas in e-book form. They're the right length too since I'm very busy and I don't have time to read as much as I'd like. Some novels seem to run on too long anyway. A bit of snipping and an overly-long novel makes a great novella.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

With TV shows I've become very appreciative of those that have an episodic structure but an overarching storyline for the season. I'm thinking of shows like Buffy, Doctor Who, Dexter and even to some extent Burn Notice (which I have unexpectedly grown to love).

I'd like to see a similar thing done in one of the genres I read, just to experiment with it and see what it can do. A series of fairly stand-alone adventures of novella length that draw towards some big finale, that I would be interested in trying. What the length of such a series would be I don't really know, but it probably comes down to how the characters and their conflicts are set up.

I've read very few novellas, but they've always been hard to find. I've read a few of Stephen King's collections, and I read the Foundation books, which as has been pointed out are novellas in disguise.

I haven't come across anyone trying that in the kind of things I read though.


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

I really like that idea Sean.

It would work better in some genres than others - and would help if a prolific author was behind it.

Something like a crime/mystery series where the protagonist solves a case each novella but there are clues through it that there is another big bad behind it all that he/she uncovers as the series goes on until a grand confrontation at the conclusion of the series.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

I never read a novella until I bought my Kindle. After that, I just chose whatever story fit what I liked to read with the prerequisite high ratings/low cost and voila! It was a fun, 1-2 hour satisfying read. I still prefer a full-length novel as I like a less "abbreviated" read, but have read a couple of novellas that were excellent. Not my preference but worth a try.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

PJ Lincoln said:


> As a writer, I think stories should be written to their natural length, whether that's 20,000 or 90,000 words. I can't stand reading full length novels that have obvious padding in them.


Agree, wholeheartedly.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

PJ Lincoln said:


> As a writer, I think stories should be written to their natural length, whether that's 20,000 or 90,000 words. I can't stand reading full length novels that have obvious padding in them.


Completely agree and it's obvious when it happens.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I wrote earlier that I didnt seek out novellas or short stories, and I dont. But I do end up reading some (usually in a favorite genre or by a favorite author) and when I do, I usually enjoy them.

And then I usually wish that there was _more_. (which I then find annoying  )


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## joshtremino (Jul 31, 2010)

I do read more novellas now. Kindle has made the length of a novel a much less concrete thing.


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## Christopher Hunter (Apr 11, 2011)

I love novellas! A precise and to the point story is always worth more than endless words to me. I'm a very slow reader at times and my attention span gets frazzled with very long books. After 120,000 words I feel like I'm held hostage.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

Sean Cunningham said:


> I'd like to see a similar thing done in one of the genres I read, just to experiment with it and see what it can do. A series of fairly stand-alone adventures of novella length that draw towards some big finale, that I would be interested in trying. What the length of such a series would be I don't really know, but it probably comes down to how the characters and their conflicts are set up.


That's a great idea, Sean, and probably not something that's been commercially possible for many decades (until eBooks) due to print & distribution costs. I've seen some science fiction authors do something similar, but with novels or short stories. David Brin's original Uplift War trilogy had three short-ish novels that were standalone but connected together to tell something about our place in the galaxy. Stephen Baxter did something similar again with his rather large Destiny's Children novels starting with _Coalescent_. Then best of all for me was his _Resplendent_ which was a connected series of standalone short stories that told stories against a backdrop of a 100,000 year long war. Brilliant stuff and my favourite book of the past decade.

I would love to see authors take this challenge and produce a connected series of shorter length stories, novellas if that's the optimum length for any given story.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

A.S. Warwick said:


> It would work better in some genres than others - and would help if a prolific author was behind it.


Very good point, it would just about need to be on a schedule. The smaller the chunk the more frequent and rigid the schedule, I suspect.

Those 250-word phone novels, anyone know what the schedule on those is like? I assume it would have to be just about daily. I think I'd want a story in bigger chunks, but on the other hand I catch the London Underground to and from work, so I can actually see how that format would work.

When it comes to book length we're probably still living with the inertia of the publishing industry's business requirements. People write books at a certain length because that's what they read in their formative years. The further into the Kindle era we go, the less hold that past will have on authors and the more varied the length of fiction produced will become. In our world of many distractions, I expect novellas are something we're just waiting to discover we have a need for.

EDIT:



A.S. Warwick said:


> Something like a crime/mystery series where the protagonist solves a case each novella but there are clues through it that there is another big bad behind it all that he/she uncovers as the series goes on until a grand confrontation at the conclusion of the series.


Referring to TV again, that puts me in mind of the recent Sherlock series on British TV. At three episodes it was a very short series, but it was obviously working towards a big reveal. So yes, surely workable in crime and mystery.


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## thaliafrost (Sep 16, 2011)

I read and write them. Sometimes I prefer a novella to a really lengthy novel that feels like it's full of filler.

~Thalia

_sorry, no self promotion outside the book bazaar. _


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## StaceyHH (Sep 13, 2010)

I love them, and actively look for them. On Kindle it doesn't matter as much to me, short or long, I'll read anything. I go to Powell's all the time though, meet friends there (how great is it that we can meet at a bookstore like Powell's instead of $tarbuck$?!) I have some of them trained to look for "tiny books" (hardcover novellas) when we walk the shelves. 

There's a whole section on my bookcase for the tiny books. I love that I can take one down and read it in a couple of hours or less, after I've just invested a LOT of time and brain energy in something of more epic scale. In fact I might even be MORE inclined to buy novellas, especially in hardcover print. But I definitely buy them for Kindle.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

I read novellas—and short stories too. It just depends on my mood and how much time I have for reading. If I've just finished reading a longer book, sometimes it's fun to take a break with a shorter story.


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## Robert S. Wilson (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm a big fan of the novella. And I love that with the Kindle they are way more available and affordable. Some of my favorites are Triage by Richard Laymon, Mephisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, and The Finder by Ursula K. Le Guin. I have one novella our right now myself and I'm going to be putting out another soon.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

I kicked off this thread asking for some help to write a blog post about novellas. Well, you've certainly done that. Thanks very much because you've given me plenty of material, and you looked like you had fun too 

So, to summarise:

Some of you like novellas, and some don't. No great prize for surprise there! 
But more people have read at least a few novellas than in those dark days of yore before the Kindle.
Several people pointed out that reading trends are often pushed by publishers and publishers have been driven in part by print & distribution costs -- which are freed up now that eBooks are becoming mainstream. So it is commercially feasible to produce novella and short novel eBooks in a way that hasn't been true for many decades.
And we like books to be written to the right length for each story.

Right, that's it. No excuses left; I'd better write my blog post.
Thanks again,
Tim


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## Nicki Leigh (Aug 25, 2011)

Novellas for me are great because I don't have as much time to invest in reading as I used to. I think I'll also read something shorter from a new author before trying out their longer works. This isn't to say I won't read a 120,000 word novel, it's just that it'd take a little longer.


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## rmbooks (Sep 19, 2011)

I have started reading more short stories/novellas on my Kindle.  I've never actually purchased a printed novella, not on purpose; but honestly never really found any in the bookstores.  I still enjoy full-length novels and am reading two at the moment.  But after having written a short, I appreciate the succinct nature of the storytelling.


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## Vanessa Wu (Sep 5, 2011)

I love reading novellas and I hope Kindle will bring about a resurgence. They are fun and quick to write and to read.

Some classic examples: Don't Look Now, Death in Venice, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Novellas make great movies, by the way. People who write original screenplays and are getting nowhere in the industry might be better off writing novellas now.

My favourite of all time is Heart of Darkness. It's about 40,000 words and 72 pages in the Dover edition.

I've seen 11,000 word stories called novellas on Kindle but they're really not. The Sherlock Holmes stories are about 10,000 words each. They are very satisfying but they are not novellas.


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## Tim C. Taylor (May 17, 2011)

This was a terrrific thread with lots of points of view I hadn't considered when I started it.

In my first post, I threatened promised a guest post. It's finally up. All you posters get a mention 

http://mikecooleyfiction.dyndns.org/?p=787


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Novellas and short stories used to be a lot more popular. The industry has moved away from them to larger novels. I read a lot of old science fiction short stories. The short story format introduces ideas into the culture pretty quickly. A short story can focus on and explore a single idea. Now, with e-books people are more free to buy and sell stories of whatever length they want.


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## djgross (May 24, 2011)

Lursa (was 9MMare) said:


> I wrote earlier that I didnt seek out novellas or short stories, and I dont. But I do end up reading some (usually in a favorite genre or by a favorite author)


Ditto. I gravitate to novellas and short story collections written by authors I've read in the past.

A few I've recently enjoyed:


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## Rashaad Bell (Oct 7, 2011)

word count as a rule, doesn't bother me. then again, I have read comics all my life, so I am well used the short story format. As a writer, I tend to write both. 

I do the novel, which is in first person perspective, and you get your full story there, but then I also write short stories and novellas as well, that would be about the same subject, but from an entirely different perspective or it will give back story on a side character that doesn't really need to be told in the main book, but hey, here it is if you like it. 

Its like reading Uncanny X-Men, then picking up a Wolverine mini series.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

rashaad bell said:


> I do the novel, which is in first person perspective, and you get your full story there, but then I also write short stories and novellas as well, that would be about the same subject, but from an entirely different perspective or it will give back story on a side character that doesn't really need to be told in the main book, but hey, here it is if you like it.


That's actually a good idea! I don't read novellas as a rule, but I would in this case if I really enjoyed the character in a novel and wanted to explore them more.


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## Rashaad Bell (Oct 7, 2011)

One of the things that I am trying to do is actually have the world that my characters live in become a charcater in and of itself. I want to create different generas, yet they all live in the same world and the world becomes fully fleshed out.  I find that short stories and novellas help with the world building aspect of things.

In one book, there is something as random as a poster, and when a character is watching TV, a couple of lines a TV reporter says before the character turns the channel.

That's it, because its not relevant to that particular book.

But in the novella, you find out exactly what that poster means and how it affects the world. you see the incident that caused that news report. 

But its all extra world building stuff. Not necessary to the main story, but still there if you want to know more about the world. That's were I think novellas come in handy. they can help you expand stuff and give readers that little extra-extra...


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## elaine young (Oct 5, 2011)

I prefer short stories to novellas.
Short stories usually have profound significance.
But the great about it,I can spend a little time.So I can also make a proper arrangement of work and rest


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

Some of my favorite works - The Old Man and the Sea, Shawshank, etc... - are novellas. I think that's the beauty of the e-book revolution; authors can write stories to their natural length instead of padding to get it up to 80,000 or 100,000 words.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Scott Daniel said:


> Some of my favorite works - The Old Man and the Sea, Shawshank, etc... - are novellas. I think that's the beauty of the e-book revolution; authors can write stories to their natural length instead of padding to get it up to 80,000 or 100,000 words.


And I tend to see it from the opposite direction, that many eauthors tend to not fill out their stories enough so a book may not feel complete.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I love the novella form when well done, though I find it somewhat challenging as an author. Think it may be perfectly suited to the Kindle format, and is likely to make a big comeback in the next decade.


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## TerryS (Mar 29, 2011)

I've been a lover of long epic fantasy books. For me, if it wasn't long say 200k words+ it wasn't "epic". Slowly, I've grown to love shorter works and find myself starting to read more novellas. As long as the story and characters grip me, I find that the novella approach is a good one.


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## AnnaPescardot (Sep 27, 2011)

I read them because I've got so many books on my to be read list.  There are so many accessible books on kindle that I have managed to build up quite a large list and I'm finding that I prefer novellas because they can be read and enjoyed in a much shorter time so that I can move onto the next one on my list! I am just too eager to read all my books and am obviously a little impatient, lol.
I write novellas because I sometimes feel a story can be told, without unneccessary padding, in fewer words and still be just as entertaining.


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## Marata Eros (Jul 23, 2011)

I have read them but prefer the 80K+ range. I also wrote a novella and it is my best seller. Don't know if it's the length or content. Maybe a little of both


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

I haven't yet, but I'm not a short or novella reader. I'm thinking of writing one, though.


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## HeidiHall (Sep 5, 2010)

I never used to, but then I found Lisa Scott and Debora Geary and I was hooked... so much so that I just released a Halloween Novella (first in a series). For me, I also found that really great stories told in shorter forms eliminated the padding that I skimmed over anyway. I do enjoy a long, juicy read, but nowadays I don't have as much time and appreciate a well-told tale that doesn't take days to get through. It also satisfies my reading appetite without taking me away from my writing for too long .


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

Personally, I'm not a big fan of novellas, especially when they don't function as a stand-alone piece. The last few I've picked up are the beginning of the story with a "come buy the rest of the story" comment at the end. I prefer developed, beefy stories that I can really sink my teeth into.


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## Cindy Borgne (Mar 21, 2011)

Yes, I think a novella is at least worth .99 cents. So why not?


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## Matt Larkin (Sep 27, 2011)

Now that I have a Kindle I do sometimes read novellas and short stories. Before getting the Kindle, almost never. But for .99 and an easy download that takes up no physical space, why not, if it's a good read for an hour or two?


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## JRainey (Feb 1, 2011)

Scott Daniel said:


> As a writer, I think stories should be written to their natural length, whether that's 20,000 or 90,000 words. I can't stand reading full length novels that have obvious padding in them.


You took the words right out of my mouth. 

As a reader (and a writer, for that matter) I think a piece is done when it's done. If a story is well-written and feels complete at 15,000 words, then I will read and enjoy it at 15,000 words. If it does at 100,000, then I will read and enjoy it at 100,000. Length has never really meant much to me. I'll read anything if it's well-done.


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## Miriam Minger (Nov 27, 2010)

Very interested in this thread since I've been kicking around the idea of writing a novella.  Thanks for all the great comments.

Miriam Minger


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## StaceyHH (Sep 13, 2010)

Just read several short story/novellas this week, including this one (Monster Spray):



Which I LOVED and have told all my kindle owning friends to read. 

I love being able to buy shorter standalone fiction for $1-3, for kindle. I have a shelf full of novellas in hardcover (can't resist those either,) so it's nice to be able to indulge for less than $25/pop.


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