Two Key Things I’ve Learned About Writing Novellas vs. Novels

In the beginning there was the novel … well, at least in the beginning of my fiction writing career, there was the novel, and nothing but the novel.

And then my editor asked, “What do you think about writing a novella?”

And I said, “Why not?”

My first novellawas You Made Me Love You. And I liked the process, even as I learned that writing a novel and writing a novella are two very different things.

And then I read a Facebook post where some people were discussing novel versus novella – you know, the whole choose one or the other. And I wondered why. Why does it have to be novel or the novella? Why not enjoy both? Choose a novel when you’re up for a longer read, a more detailed story. And choose a novella when you’re looking for something shorter, something simpler, but just as enjoyable as a full-length novel.

To Go Indie or Not To Go Indie

The world of publishing is in an upheaval.

Amazon, the “book” web site we all used to peruse for our books is doing all they can to command the publishing world.

They say they believe books are to be affordable. They claim to care about both the reader and the writer. But not much at all for the publisher.

So there’s been price wars between the Big 5 and Amazon. With Barnes & Noble somewhere in the middle.

Word is traditional publishers are trying to preserve literary excellence. And trying to uphold the hardback.

Of which they’ve been trying to do since 1939 when the paperback started taking over publishing.

So it’s price v quality again. The aristocracy – the hardback v. commoner – the paperback.

Publishers are being swallowed up like minnows by big fish Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House and Macmillan.

While they are trying to hold onto the old way of doing things — or so it seems — Amazon continues to innovate.

Recently, they came up with Kindle Unlimited. For $9 a month, you can borrow all kinds of books. But the Big 5 have been excluded from this feature.