Novella or Novel

Hi,

I am not sure if this is the right sub-forum but here goes: I've written a young adult story and the word count (when re-edited) will land at around 40K.

Now, technically, I would think this is a novella. But the story unfolds more like a novel, and I know some consider 50K for young adult novel length.

So in conclusion, it would feel artistically wrong to market it a novella but technically wrong to market it as a novel.

What would you do in such a situation?

Best,
G.

 

That's tricky. Can you put it in both categories on Amazon (or wherever you sell) and make sure you say in the description "This is a short novel at X pages"? I've seen that before on descriptions, because I guess people get pissed when they expect a novel and it ends sooner than expected.

 

Hi,

Thanks for this suggestion!

I think it makes a lot of sense to write that it's a short novel with X pages. Since whether I'd call it a novel or novella, I guess there are some people who will feel mislead by that. I know I've read stories with around 30K words and been surprised that they have been labelled novellas, because to me they weren't. I think no matter what length, if I feel I am getting a well-rounded look into a character's life and person, it's a novel.

 

You're self-publishing it? Do you really have to give it a label? It can't just be a book?

 

I'd definitely cast my vote for novella. I know NaNoWriMo has popularized the idea of a 50K novel, but 50K is really on the borderline, even for a young adult novel. According to Writer's Digest, novels for young adults start at 55,000 and novels for adults start at around 70,000.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/word-count-for-novels-and-childrens-books-the-definitive-post

However, if you, as the author, feel like it's got what it takes to be a novel, market it as a short novel rather than a novella.

 

I haven't decided yet wether I will self-publish or send it some agents first. Personally, I don't need a label but I know some people really disliked when it's not clearly stated whether something is a novella or novel, so I'd like to select one.

 

Thanks for this! Though this surprises me a lot since fantasy books are generally known to be longer than general fiction.

Yes, exactly, I don't want to mislead anyone but I also really don't want to add another 10K words that aren't needed in the story just to make it classify as a novel.