M.K. Williams | What's the difference between a novel and a novella and a short story? Does word count matter? @1MKWilliams | Uploaded September 2023 | Updated October 2024, 5 hours ago.
I love to read short stories from my favorite authors, they are a great way to connect more with their work or pass the time waiting for their next full-length novel. And I like to write short stories. Not every idea I have is good or even novel worthy. Some are about the length of a short story. Let’s dive in an define the different short fiction lengths:
blog.reedsy.com/word-count-novella-short-story-length
Reedsy had the answer here for the lengths and some grrea examples:
Lengths
Novella - 17,500-40,000 words
Novelette - 7,700-17,500 words
Short Story - Less than 7,500 words
For those of you looking to read short fiction, more major retailers have a category for short fiction for stand alones or anthologies. For readers who need to close out their end of year TBR goal, short stories are a lifesaver!!
For authors we have different reasons for writing short stories. One is the story just doesn’t need to be a full novel. Two, maybe we are writing a side story to offer as a bonus for our subscribers who love the world we created. They want more and we can give them that in exchange for a newsletter sign up, yay! Everyone wins.
Some authors write short fiction to sharpen their craft.
And there are also literary magazines who still print short fiction.
When I was looking to submit Interview with a #Vanlifer to literary magazines last year I saw a lot of submission requirements in the 5,000-6,000 word range, but then they had a category for Short Fiction that extended up to 10,000 words. Every magazine differs on their category definitions so always read the fine print closely
What is the market for this?
Yes, there is absolutely a market for short fiction. It isn’t a big as the other genres, pun intended. But it exists. And Matty Dalrymple, a long time friend of this channel and phenomenal writer, has a book and an entire podcast episode all about leveraging short stories for your author career. I’ll link to both below.
kindlepreneur.com/list-of-book-genres
Promote Matty’s The Short Tack
The Indy Author Episode: theindyauthor.com/142---a-new-era-for-novellas.html
kindlepreneur.com/list-of-book-genres
So, do you like to read short stories? If so, please link your favorite one below so I can check it out! Do you write short fiction? If so, what tips do you have for your fellow authors? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comment below.
Sponsored by Escaping Avila Chase 1mkwilliams.com/escaping-avila-chase
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/join
Music from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"
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twitter.com/1mkwilliams
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☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams
📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC
Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:
📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbition
Need help with your book?
📞You can actually do 1-on-1 coaching with me, learn more about the services available here: calendly.com/1mkwilliamsauthor/author-coach-consultation
Need help with your author business?
📈 You can book time with me to go over your author business and overcome your current roadblocks: calendly.com/1mkwilliamsauthor/author-biz
Partnership Opportunities:
Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunities
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
I love to read short stories from my favorite authors, they are a great way to connect more with their work or pass the time waiting for their next full-length novel. And I like to write short stories. Not every idea I have is good or even novel worthy. Some are about the length of a short story. Let’s dive in an define the different short fiction lengths:
blog.reedsy.com/word-count-novella-short-story-length
Reedsy had the answer here for the lengths and some grrea examples:
Lengths
Novella - 17,500-40,000 words
Novelette - 7,700-17,500 words
Short Story - Less than 7,500 words
For those of you looking to read short fiction, more major retailers have a category for short fiction for stand alones or anthologies. For readers who need to close out their end of year TBR goal, short stories are a lifesaver!!
For authors we have different reasons for writing short stories. One is the story just doesn’t need to be a full novel. Two, maybe we are writing a side story to offer as a bonus for our subscribers who love the world we created. They want more and we can give them that in exchange for a newsletter sign up, yay! Everyone wins.
Some authors write short fiction to sharpen their craft.
And there are also literary magazines who still print short fiction.
When I was looking to submit Interview with a #Vanlifer to literary magazines last year I saw a lot of submission requirements in the 5,000-6,000 word range, but then they had a category for Short Fiction that extended up to 10,000 words. Every magazine differs on their category definitions so always read the fine print closely
What is the market for this?
Yes, there is absolutely a market for short fiction. It isn’t a big as the other genres, pun intended. But it exists. And Matty Dalrymple, a long time friend of this channel and phenomenal writer, has a book and an entire podcast episode all about leveraging short stories for your author career. I’ll link to both below.
kindlepreneur.com/list-of-book-genres
Promote Matty’s The Short Tack
The Indy Author Episode: theindyauthor.com/142---a-new-era-for-novellas.html
kindlepreneur.com/list-of-book-genres
So, do you like to read short stories? If so, please link your favorite one below so I can check it out! Do you write short fiction? If so, what tips do you have for your fellow authors? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comment below.
Sponsored by Escaping Avila Chase 1mkwilliams.com/escaping-avila-chase
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/join
Music from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"
How You Can Support This Channel and My Work:
👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!
✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition
➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
facebook.com/1mkwilliams
twitter.com/1mkwilliams
instagram.com/1mkwilliams
goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams
☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams
📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC
Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:
📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbition
Need help with your book?
📞You can actually do 1-on-1 coaching with me, learn more about the services available here: calendly.com/1mkwilliamsauthor/author-coach-consultation
Need help with your author business?
📈 You can book time with me to go over your author business and overcome your current roadblocks: calendly.com/1mkwilliamsauthor/author-biz
Partnership Opportunities:
Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunities
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
