Often when works of fiction are discussed, word and/or page count comes up. When you see books on a shelf, one of the first things you’ll notice, apart from the author’s name and book title on the spine, is how thick or thin they are compared to each other. Some people, like J. R. R. Tolkien, enjoy reading long stories. Others prefer shorter works. What is it about length? Does it matter?
Often when you look at a book’s title page, there will often be a subtitle saying “A Novel” or something similar. “A Novella” and “A Novelette” appear to be less common. Instead, perhaps you might see “A Short Novel”. Furthermore, when it comes to defining types of writers we have novelist, poet, essayist, playwright, short story writer, and screenwriter. There are no set terms that I’m aware of for writers of novellas or novelettes. I sometimes feel novel is an umbrella term under which any fictional work longer than a short story can be labeled. Often, it seems word count is what it really comes down to, as I’ve seen so many sets of word count ranges that are used to define these works. Or is it?
In my senior year at St. Mary’s College, I took a high level creative writing class called “The Novella”. Some of the books we read felt like novels or long short stories. We each had to write a novella, and I started writing that story about neglected pets. It fit into a novella word count range. However, my classmates and the professor felt it should be expanded into a novel. I admit before that class, I’d first imagined it as a novel. Perhaps a work of fiction is what the author believes it to be, and subsequently calls it.
Writing for the stage and screen can be more restrictive, though it’s by page count rather than words. Once at a meeting of the MWA Annapolis chapter, it was stated a page of a screenplay equals a minute of screen time. Thus, an ideal film script should be 100-120 pages. A TV episode script would be 50-60 pages. Plays too it seems have page count limits these days. Audiences, I can understand, would rather not sit in a theater all day.
Some classic plays and films are long. Hamlet is usually abridged when staged or filmed. The 1996 unabridged film version lasted over four hours. Sometimes I wonder what Hamlet’s stage and screen history would’ve been like had Shakespeare written it as two plays, as he did with Henry IV (which has appeared onscreen only as TV films). I also wonder what the movie Gettysburg would’ve been like had it been a TV miniseries as initially planned.
Charles Dickens’s works were first published as a serial (like novelettes or novellas) before being printed as complete books. The serial versions were cheaper, making his novels available to the masses, whom, with a cliffhanger, would be enticed to buy the next installment. The novels of the Brontë sisters were published in “volumes,” but like Dickens’s books, they are only published as complete works nowadays. Some people feel novellas and novelettes have difficulty getting published these days, and if they do, they are usually combined with similar works.
In the end, it all comes down to the writer. It’s up to the author whether they want to define their work as novels, novellas, novelettes, short novels, or short stories. Length is applied in the public consciousness, but maybe it doesn’t have to. Does length and its description on the title page affect the customers decision to purchase or pass? What do you think?
Further Reading
- Meer, Syed Hunbbel. Differences Between a Short Story, Novelette, Novella, & a Novel.
- Playwriting 101. Chapter 1: The Play’s the Thing.
Andrew McDowell 
Outstanding article. I especially liked what you shared about how a page for a screenplay should be equal to about one minute of real time. I never considered that concept as a tool for regulating screen writing. Thanks. JBR
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Enjoyed reading this, Andrew!
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Great insight, Andrew. Before I got “hooked on reading” the primary
determination for any book I read was length – the shorter the
better! However – after becoming an avid reader, I soon learned
that a I loved a really good “long” book – I don’t want it to end and
treasure every page. So glad I was fortunate enough to become
a reader – I feel people who aren’t are missing so much!
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Book length usually doesn’t factor in on my buying or reading a novel. The description is more important. I find that when I’m writing, unless I’m specifically aiming for a set length, the story tells me how long it needs to be.
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What I don’t get is when Agents ask you to send your first three chapters but there is no rule on how long a chapter should be. I write quite short chapters and I wonder if they get enough in that sample whereas other people write really long chapters (I’ve given up reading as I feel like I don’t get a break). I think novellas can do well as eBooks when someone is looking for a quick read but I can’t write them as I naturally prefer working on longer projects (I just hate editing them – lol).
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Good points. I don’t think length is a concern for me when deciding on a book. I chose based on subject and reviews.
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Insightful comments, everyone. I just want to make clear that I don’t think length has or should have any bearing on whether or not you should read a story. I agree that content and reviews are more important. I merely wanted to bring up how length leads to classifications/names in fiction that I feel aren’t so easily set in stone.
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interesting thought. When I buy books, I usually do so online these days are there are no bookshops near me. I never know the length until it lands on my doormat. I have no issue with length and enjoy equally the large tomes to the shorter ones. Though if the story is really captivating I can sometimes feel sad if the book feels short as I love to spend hours reading and can often read a book in a day if I love it.
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Reblogged this on Fae Corps Inc.
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Interesting post, Andrew! The story takes as long as it takes to tell.
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This is something i would like to learn more about. Maybe this could be your next presentation. 😁
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Thanks, Victoria. I’ll think about it.
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I missed this first time round and got to it by following the link in today’s post.
A story should be as long as it takes to tell it.
Having said that, sometimes I feel that a short work, whether short story, novella or short novel, needs more. It might be description of the setting, or more about the protagonist, so we know him/her better. Or perhaps the arc is too sudden, or not clearly explained.
And a do like a good long book that I can really get my teeth into.
On the subject of publishers, I am with a small publisher and have no problems with getting my novellas published.
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I agree with all of these points, and I certainly feel that with small/indie publishers, it’s easier to publish novellas.
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I have found length matters to agents and publishers. If the length isn’t the right length for the genre, it’s a reason for an agent to pass on the work.
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It can be.
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