Short books have always had fans; in recent years, they are gaining popularity with readers and publishers. I'm a big fan of quick reads, and in the past three years, I've found myself with a long list of shorter options. Novellas are a personal favorite, and even just within my favorite genre, horror, there's a wealth of fantastic offerings from authors like Eric LaRocca, Cassandra Khaw, Stephen Graham Jones, and P. Djèlí Clark.

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To help you easily find shorter fiction in NoveList, we've added a new genre: novellas.  

What exactly are novellas? They are works of fiction that are longer than a short story but shorter than a full-length novel. Although there’s no hard and fast rule for length, they're often about 100 pages. Novellas have the same qualities as the novels you love, like wonderful writing, memorable characters, and complex plots. They're just executed in smaller word counts.  

There are plenty of reasons to love novellas. They're quick to read, help you easily meet your reading goals for the year, are great for those with shorter attention spans, and can be the perfect way to try something new!  

While working in public libraries, one of the main ways I used novellas and other forms of short fiction was to help readers who wanted to expand their reading or get back into the habit. A reader might be dedicated to romance and literary fiction but curious about what science fiction has to offer. My patrons expressed hesitation in trying out new authors or genres because they didn't want to invest time reading 300 to 400 pages of a novel only to realize they didn't like it. So, I'd offer them a novella in the specific genre or by an author they mentioned being interested in. This way, they could explore something new with a smaller time commitment.   

Whether you're already a fan of novellas and other forms of short fiction, you want to try them out, or you want to help patrons find great novellas options, NoveList is here to help. To get started exploring novellas, type GN Novellas into the NoveList search bar.

Want to stay informed about other changes like this? Sign up for NoveList News and get monthly updates, readers’ advisory tips, and ideas emailed directly to you.


Yaika Sabat is the Manager of Reader Services at NoveList. She's currently reading Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman. 
https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/novelist/introducing-new-genre-novellas
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