representation for novellas

I haven't found many agents who want anything less than 80K, depending on genre. So, my guess is you'll either need to shelve the novella or find a small press and get it published. Heroes Die Young is a novella, so we'll see whether it can sell in any "reasonable numbers" or not...

That being said, one would think they'd do well with today's public (and their short attention span). The trick (IMO) is in the price point...

My book is only 65,000 words but I got an agent. I didn't market it to agents as a novella, just as a novel. If it's a great story someone will pick it up. And there a plenty of good novellas out there, Steve Martin's Shopgirl for one. Your story is only as long as it needs to be.

Most agents will rep a novella, but you land an agent with a novel. That's where the money is for them.

Novellas and short stories usually sell for .06-.08 a word, and 15% of that usually isn't worth their time.

You won't find a print publisher interested in buying a novella from a new writer.

If you have a good mystery, you can try your luck with magazines like Hitchcock's or Ellery Queen, but you have to be good.

You might be able to place one with an e-house, but the money's not nearly as good, and most do not count as a professional credit.

What is the marketability for novellas like?

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The market is terrible for a new writer unless you have erotica to sell to an e-house like Ellora's Cave. I think even they only take novellas from their established writers.

Are they sold in bookstores individually or in collections or both?

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Go into a bookstore. See what's on the shelves. Chances are good you will only find collections with stories by well-known, best-selling, established writers.

Are there any novellas that sell in reasonable numbers?

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When it's a collection with a number of well-known, best-selling, established writers, yes.

Anthologies and collections generally do not sell well, so a big name in the mix gets them noticed.

Most collections for short works are invitation only. You will rarely ever hear of an open call for submissions these days. That's where an agent can help. She hears who's got an anthology in the works and can let you know what's open.

The collections I edited had all their spots filled before the contracts went out and long before anything was even announced in Publisher's Lunch.

Sorry to be discouraging, but it's a good idea to put on your game face and take on a full novel.

I used to write short while learning the basics of the craft. As I got my legs under me and more confident I found it easier to fill the pages, rounding things out and polishing. NOW I find it's hard to write in the short form!

Go figure.

Before someone asks... According to SFWA:

Novel: a work of 40,000 words or more (Stress MORE--most houses want 60-100K words.)
Novella: 17,500 -40,000 words
Novelette: 7,500 - 17,500 words
Short story: 7,500 words or less

KC Sunshine said:

My book is only 65,000 words but I got an agent.

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Just out of curiosity, what genre?

I've had several agents tell me they won't represent a science fiction novel under 80-90K words, for example.

KC Sunshine said:

My book is only 65,000 words but I got an agent. I didn't market it to agents as a novella, just as a novel.

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That's not a novella. It's a short-ish novel.

36,000 words is an average-length novella. Steve Martin can publish novellas as stand-alone books because he's famous for being a television and movie star. karo_ambrose is not.

That said, karo_ambrose, Subterranean Press has been publishing short (<100 page) books with a speculative-fiction focus for young adults. I've read two of them: DA by Connie Willis and one by Tim Powers.

It seems like your books might fit in there. Why not try them?

Obviously there are always exceptions, but if you haven't sold a novel yet, a novella is going to be a tough sell. Depending on genre, there ARE good small presses that deal in them. But if you can get your manuscript over 60K, depending on genre, definitely call it a novel when querying agents. That said, please don't just pad it out to hit an arbitrary word count. Write the story the way it needs to be written and then worry about selling it later, in my opinion. Good luck!