One of the all-time crime classics, cited by most noir aficionados when such lists come out, is James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice. From its grabber opening line—They threw me off the hay truck about noon—it moves like a runaway train from lust to murder to retribution. It was turned into a movie twice: the superior John Garfield–Lana Turner version (also with Raymond Burr, making it a noir trifecta) and the lesserJack Nicholson–Jessica Lange re-do.
But did you know this book is a novella? It comes in at just under 35,000 words. There’s a power punch in a good novella (roughly 20k–40k words). The Old Man and the Sea is just north of 26k. But in the traditional publishing world, it is a rare bird, with the occasional breakout, e.g., The Bridges of Madison County.
Because of its trim size, a novella carries with it some buyer resistance. A publisher has to charge a price that justifies its print run. But a customer might think, yeesh, I’m not getting a “real” book here. Thus, only a “name” can really sell them. James Patterson proved that with his BookShots line.
I love the novella form. It’s a way to stretch my writing wings, as it were, without
overspending my time. But until the indie revolution, it was not a viable career move. Now it can be an additional arrow in the scrivener’s quiver. And not just for a little extra lettuce. I give away a novella as a reader magnet and it has grown my email list substantially.
So it will be interesting to see how Hachette, one of the Big 5, makes out with its latest move.
From their press release:
NEW YORK, NY (August 31, 2026) – Union Square & Co., an imprint of the Grand Central Publishing Group and the Hachette Book Group, announced the launch of Singularity, an ambitious new novella program that will publish 10-12 titles each year. Launching in September 2026, and helmed by Mika Kasuga, Editorial Director, Union Square, this curated line of paperbacks with French flaps addresses a rapidly evolving reading landscape, offering voracious readers bingeworthy stories designed to be devoured in a single sitting.
Singularity is a dynamic collection that showcases the power and versatility of the novella form. Built around the idea that compelling storytelling does not require length to achieve depth, this program brings together a diverse portfolio of shorter works that span a broad range of genres, styles, and cultural perspectives. These novellas are rich narratives in a concentrated, exhilarating format—accessible, sophisticated, bite-sized delights for a world flooded by distraction.
Emily Meehan, SVP & Publisher, Union Square says, “The Singularity program was born out of conversations Mika and I had about reduced attention spans and the desire for a more snack-sized reading experience that doesn’t compromise depth for length. We wanted to celebrate the novella as a format and use the program as yet another platform to showcase Union Square’s commitment to create books that resonate deeply with readers—especially ones looking for accessible, sophisticated stories in our ever more distracted, digital reality.”
The debut Fall 2026 slate features a dynamic mix of masterworks, cult favorites, and striking new voices:
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (September 1, 2026): A definitive, scarily relevant new paperback edition of the multi-award-winning author’s post-apocalyptic masterpiece. This volume features a new foreword, exclusive archival photos, and historical essays by Ellison.
Zero Lives Remainingby Adam Cesare (September 1, 2026): A pulse-pounding, nostalgic “gamers versus ghosts” slasher from the Bram Stoker Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of Clown in a Cornfield.
The Waiter by Kwan Ann Tan (November 3, 2026): A speculative interactive fiction debut that allows readers to chart their own pathways through a surreal future London, with 11 different endings and countless journeys towards them.
I’m intrigued by this. The late Harlan Ellison’s novella has been widely anthologized. Can it find a new audience at a Kindle price point of $11.99, and paperback at $16.77?
Will an “11 different endings” debut be a draw? (For younger readers, perhaps yes.)
What is the market these days for bloody slasher fiction? (Probably more than I realize.)
Personally, I prioritize full-length fiction, especially my Mike Romeo series (new one’s coming soon!) But as discussed in my last two posts, I have lots of high concept ideas that I’d love to develop. (For my tips on writing a novella, see here.)
Over to you now, folks. What are your thoughts on the novella form, price points, and potential market? Have you written them yourself?
Jim, thanks for the news about Singularity. I’ve always liked novellas as quick reads. Plus they’re a good length to translate into screenplays.
I’ve only written one specifically b/c readers of my mystery-thriller series requested it. After an ongoing tumultuous relationship, the two main characters get married. I’d planned to skip over that and just present it as a fait accompli in the next novel but people said, “You can”t leave out the wedding!”
I tried to incorporate it as a subplot of the next thriller but that didn’t work. So the wedding became a 25K word novella. It wasn’t expensive to print so I ordered a few.
Then I discovered at in-person book sales, it works as a great freebie bonus. Buy two or more novels and get a free novella. That little book clinches many sales.
One year at ThrillerFest I brought a whole load of FRAMED for the bookmark table. There are so many bookmarks, and I don’t know that anybody ever sells any books with them. So I figured give a story and a website and it seemed to work.. The next year I noticed a couple authors do the same thing, and more the year after that.
Debbie, you and Terry have provided me with some further ideas. Your mention of not missing covering that wedding, and Terry’s point about giving secondary characters some front & center time through novellas are both great tools. Hmmm……
I’ve used novellas to give secondary series characters front and center time, and to tie up secondary plot threads. I’ve never put them in print, but I did bundle my three Mapleton novellas into a full length volume.
I also bundled my reader magnets into a collection.
But I can’t imagine charging $11.99/$16.99 for such short volumes.
Yep, I just can’t see that price point working. Maybe AI told them it can.
I like the idea of introducing more novellas though I will always prefer full length novels. I can testify in my own life how hard it is to find time to read because all the demands on my time.
But I confess, the example price points you shared would be a deal breaker for me. I buy all my fiction in e-book form due to lack of space, but I won’t be spending $12 for an e-book fiction work (of any length). Not that I don’t want authors to make money, obviously, but there’s the reality of my real-world tiny budget.
But I assume this is where the indie published authors can step in & make a mark–putting out more novella link fiction but not at a price point that causes you to get a bank loan. And as a writer, I like the option of novella length — sometimes you may have ideas that simply arent full length works. And novella length to me would be more reasonable to accomplish (and easier) then really short fiction under 5k words.
Thanks for this post. You just incentivized me to further brainstorm an idea I had for multiple related stories–and I think it could work well with each one at novella length….
Nice to hear, BK. Go for it!
While novels will always be first in my reader heart, I enjoy novellas and have written several.
Before I released my first published novel in early 2017, “Empowered: Agent,” I published the prequel, “Renegade,” in late 2016 to build up my newsletter. It worked. A “tie-in” novella to my novel “Gremlin Night” was published in the “High Moon” werewolf anthology in 2021, entitled “Lunaticking.” I find them a great way to garner a few readers. Finally, my weird western novella “Silver city,” co-written with my late friend KC Ball, appeared in my story collection “Rules Concerning Earthlight.”
I’d say 2.99 is a reasonable price for a stand alone novella or individual novellas in a series. Because “Renegade” was a prequel, I fluctuated the price between free and 99 cents.
You remind me, Dale. that trying a different genre, like a western, is another good use of the form.
I love novellas. One of my favorite books of all time is a novella. Legends of the Fall. While the movie gets all of the attention and I do like it, the novella is told from One Stab’s POV. The film is told from his POV as well but I feel like the story of the brothers, particularly Tristan, sort of swallows up the scenes. Highly recommend Legends of the Fall. I love the form of the novella. I’ve never written one but some of my favorites come in at that length.
Yes to Legends.
Also, A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean.
I wrote a dozen novellas for Zondervan that were published in anthologies with their other Amish romance writers. Usually 3-4 stories to a book. They could be purchased individually as e-novellas at a lower price. I’m prefer to write longer novels and read longer books. From a writing perspective, these novella gave me the chance to give a secondary character her own story or pick up a new thread from the original 3-book series that HCCP preferred. It also got my writing into anthologies with other authors in the same genre (who had bigger readerships), giving my work exposure and new readers. (That was the hope!) I’ve not tried to write a novella in romantic suspense . . . yet. I’m not buying into the shorter attention span reasoning. Has anyone read any of J.K. Rowlings Robert/Galbraith Strike series? You need a dolly to carry the last few print versions of her books home from the bookstore. Or Elizabeth George’s last Inspector Lynley mystery? Whew!
Yeah, Rowling is kinda amazing.
I do like getting lost in a big book. But I also love the impact of a great short story or novella.
Jim, I don’t like the alternate ending fad, never mind 11 different versions. That would drive me crazy. I saw a movie recently based on a short story. Can’t recall the title (I watch a lot of movies), but it was excellent. Too good, I thought while watching, to be based on a short story. Depends on the writer, I suppose. I’ve read novellas that were meaty enough to carry an entire novel. I’ve also read novels that should have been novellas.
I’ve written 5 novellas that I’m going to look at either packaging together or give away as bonuses for my newsletter. And I’m thinking about writing more.