You may have noticed that I’ve reviewed a fair amount of novellas on this blog already. I can’t seem to get away from them. I think Tordotcom publishes science fiction and fantasy novellas faster than I can read them, and that’s saying something, because I read a lot of these in a single night.
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with novellas. On the one hand, a lot of them are very good. On the other hand, they are all very short and they are not always clearly labeled. For example, when I buy ebooks, I usually buy them on Kobo and the app does not display a page count on the item info page. There have been several times where I’ve thought “Wow this book sounds great, I can’t wait to really sink my teeth into it” only to discover I’d spent anywhere from $4-10 for one or two night’s worth of reading material.
They Cost How Much?
Speaking of price — twenty dollars for a novella. Twenty dollars! Remote Control was released as a hardback, so a physical copy of this 160 page book, which I started one night and finished the next morning, will cost you $19.99 if you pay full price at your local independent bookstore. The ebook will run you $10.99 from the Kobo store.
Perhaps, looking at these prices, you can understand why I’m so frustrated that my library doesn’t have the next Nghi Vo novella available in ebook format. I want to read it, but I simply can’t afford $4-10/night on reading material!
On the other hand, if my library is being charged proportionately for these novellas, I can’t blame them if they instead choose to prioritize purchasing ebook licenses for novel-length works instead.
Don’t get me wrong. I love reading, and I enjoy supporting authors and publishers, but at the prices they are charging for these novellas, I could easily be spending hundreds of dollars a month on books if not for my library. I wish I had that kind of book budget, but the reality is, I have to spend smartly.
Great Things About Novellas
I realize that I led off with a bit of a rant there, so let’s talk about what I like about novellas. I think they allow authors to explore ideas and characters which might not lend themselves to a full-length novel. I think they allow authors to experiment with serialized stories. I think sometimes they allow authors to test the waters with an idea, to see if it resonates enough with readers to build out into something bigger.
I think that Tordotcom, who seems to be the primary peddler of novella-length projects, has an incredibly diverse slate of authors and has introduced me to some really amazing writers and stories.
While someone like me who reads constantly may find themselves disappointed with how short a novella is, I can really see how they would appeal to certain readers. If you are someone who doesn’t have time to read in your daily life, it might be nice to pick up something that you can read in a single short flight or train ride, or while waiting at a doctor’s office. If you’re the sort of person who can’t put a book down once you start it, a bite-sized novella will keep you from neglecting all your chores and staying up too late.
I would imagine as well that the current market for novellas gives a lot of writers a good goal for their NaNoWriMo project. 50,000 words is not nearly the length of the average sci-fi/fantasy novel these days, but it could make a good novella. I’m not saying that any of the novellas being published by Tordotcom started out as NaNo projects, I’m just saying it gives more validity to these shorter novel-style projects.
Novellas: It’s Complicated
In short (she said, having written an entirely too-long post), novellas are great. I just want them to be clearly marked as such, and I want them to be priced proportionately. $2-4 per novella, not $10+.
What do you think? Are you enjoying the current novella renaissance? And have you ever purchased one of those $20 hardback novellas?