I started out my story planned as a novel, but now I am about 15,000 words in and about halfway through. Will markets this story as a novella severely limit my chances of getting it sold? It's a romance (of course) with two graphic sex scenes. At this rate it will end somewhere around 35-40k.
From Novel to Novella
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There are lots of good epubs to which you could sell a story of that length, eg. Samhain, Carina, Liquid Silver, etc.
I think the market for novellas in romance is pretty decent, but don't plan on getting an agent and selling to a big NY publisher with a novella.
I think the market for novellas in romance is pretty decent, but don't plan on getting an agent and selling to a big NY publisher with a novella.
As LJD said, there are numerous reputable epubs who take novellas. I write novellas only (30k - 40k) and I've found the market for them to be very strong. Research the various publishers to make sure you target the ones that will best match up with your expectations and goals.
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I'm going to echo the previous responses a bit. There are definitely plenty of e-publishers that look for novellas. Your chances of print are quite slim, but as an e-book that length would be fine.
The above mentioned publishers look at novellas, as well as Entranced, Entangled, Loose ID and Crimson.
Good luck.
The above mentioned publishers look at novellas, as well as Entranced, Entangled, Loose ID and Crimson.
Good luck.
Not answering your question, but a thought - is this your first draft of your first romance novel? (I'm thinking this might be the case since you seem a little unfamiliar with the market)
If yes, then you're probably still in the process of working out what takes to tell a romance. You might get to the end of your first draft and reckon that you've nailed the story in 40k. Or, you might get to the end and realise that there's a bunch of stuff missing, and - when you go back for the re-write - what-do-you-know, but it turns out it was a 65k story after all...
If yes, then you're probably still in the process of working out what takes to tell a romance. You might get to the end of your first draft and reckon that you've nailed the story in 40k. Or, you might get to the end and realise that there's a bunch of stuff missing, and - when you go back for the re-write - what-do-you-know, but it turns out it was a 65k story after all...
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Everyone else said it all--If you're heart set on the Big Six/Seven, then novella length does hamper your chances. If you're looking at any of the other listed publishers, then there's plenty of places accepting that length.
Also, novellas aren't a bad length for a new author. Publishers tend to price them at 2.99-3.99, which is a better "try a new author" price, I think. I have a hard time writing longer works too - my stories tend to end between 30-35K.
Also, novellas aren't a bad length for a new author. Publishers tend to price them at 2.99-3.99, which is a better "try a new author" price, I think. I have a hard time writing longer works too - my stories tend to end between 30-35K.
I am so glad that I stumbled on this one... What started out as an ode to the love of my life has evolved into a romance novella. My biggest fears have been length (for some reason) and the fact that people might consider it odd for a man to be writing in this genre. All the comments have helped motivate as I am editing and will probably end around the 45k mark.
Yes, this is my first draft of my first romance. I do have plans to dd things in and change things in revisions, but I didn't think it would be 20k worth of words.
You will be surprised. I threw a party when I hit 10, aiming for twenty. But that is where I stayed. Taking a while off to remember why I was doing it, the words started flowing. I was so focussed on length and count that I forgot to write.
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Ooh-that's lovely to hear.
When I was shopping for places to submit my novella, it seemed like under 50k didn't fit the print criteria anywhere. I content with e-book and audio-book for this one, but I may have to look deeper in the future. Thanks.- Status