Novellas

[Fyle]

So, I have started to write a novella. To be honest, I have never read one and only have a rough idea what one "should" be.

I am under the assumption that they are someplace around 30k words and... that's about all I know.

Any general advice, thoughts, opinions anyone has about novellas would be appreciated.

Do they use chapters? I am assuming this is up to the author, I just mean, do most of them have chapters like regular novels or are they broken up into parts with numbers?

Are they meant to connect to a larger body of work or are they just a "short" book? To me personally, it just seems like a term for "short novel" if it doesn't connect to a larger work or perhaps act as world building or background story for a larger body of work.

I have a complete novel (230k words at 56 chapters) and I am wondering if I should connect this - or just kind of have fun and not worry about connections. If anyone has experience in this, advice is welcomed.

And, what is the shortest a novella can be? If it's too short, its just a short story, right?

Thanks in advance for the replies...

 

[Feo Takahari]

All I know is that very few publishers take a story between 15,000 and 20,000 words. Past 20,000, you start to find dedicated novella publishers, but 25,000 is the minimum for many. Below 15,000, you find some short story publishers, but most cap out at 10,000. (This is frustrating for me, since I often take around 17,000 or 18,000 words to tell a story.)

 

[ThinkerX]

If my hazy memory serves...

under 1000 words = flash fiction (too dang short, in my view)

1000 - 7500 words = short story...though many publishers prefer under 5000 words.

7500 - 12,500 words = novelette...though some run up to around 15,000 words.

15,000 - 45,000 words = novella, though as pointed out very few are accepted in the 15,000 - 20,000 word range, and past 45,000...might as well extend it to novel length. the 'norm' is around 25,000 - 35,000 words.

70,000 - 120,000 words is the usual novel length, with YA works at the shorter end of the scale and involved fantasy stories towards the larger.

Yes, novella's and even novelettes can and do have chapters.

It seems most of my 'self generated' works - tales not written for one or another Challenge - are in the novelette to novella range. I am writing a novelette now, and intend to start tapping away at Novella number three in a series of four or five or six come NaNoWriMo time. I have only a couple of novel length works, and even they look to be on the short side - 80 - 90,000 words, maybe.

 

[Fyle]

I think that just about clears up what I wanted to know.

I think my speculation was close to the answers you guys gave.

I figure I want no less then 20k words. That seemed like a nice goal for a "novella."

Thanks!