Why the short novel
All my published novellas are between 25,000 to 35,000 words. If you look at most how-to pages for novels and what word count will get you published, you likely won’t see that number, because US publishers traditionally don’t invest in the novella as a format. Why write a novella anyway?
Publishing is different in the Philippines. The reason why all my books are novellas? Because they were intended to be short. Printing over a thousand copies of each book is a considerable expense. My publisher gave me a maximum word count, so I had to learn to create a world, characters, and have things happen to them all in that space. I knew that each page should count. (They have since upped the max word count and I think it’s evaluated on a case to case basis now.)
It’s easy to finish writing one. That’s the thing with focusing on just a main plot and a handful of characters — you can write that fairly quickly, if you stick to a schedule.
It’s easy to sell it, if you’re self or indie publishing. You’ll be able to competitively price a novella in a print or ebook store, and get a chance to be bought by people who are browsing for impulse reads.
People who don’t regularly read might just pick it up anyway. I love it when I get this comment! Some college students I met recently told me that they preferred the novella because they can buy it, read it quickly, lend it to a friend, and talk about it the next day. Novellas are what got me started on reading, and I’m happy to return the favor by writing books that serve the same purpose.
Micamyx
April 16, 2013 at 5:39 am,
I read all of the books on the photo except for Interim Goddess of Love. Keep on writing these Novellas! 😀