To write a novella, plan a story of roughly 17,500 to 40,000 words built around one main plot line, a small cast and a tight timeline, then draft it the way you would a novel but with fewer subplots and faster scenes. Those word-count bands come from the Nebula Awards run by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, and they are the clearest widely used definition. In practice, a novella is long enough for a full character arc and short enough to read in a sitting or two.

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This guide covers novella word count and page count, how a novella differs from a novel and a short story, a structure that suits the length, how long one takes to write, and how self-published authors use novellas as prequels, series bridges and bonus stories. You will also find a planning checklist, common mistakes and answers to frequent questions.

At a glance

• Novella word count: at least 17,500 and under 40,000 words under the SFWA Nebula rules; the Hugo Awards use the same bands.
• That is roughly 70 to 160 printed pages, depending on trim size, font and layout.
• A novella usually has one main plot, one or two point-of-view characters and few subplots.
• Self-published authors often use novellas as series prequels, reader magnets for email lists, bridges between books and box-set extras.
• Short print books have practical limits: on KDP, spine text needs more than 79 pages, so a slim novella may have a blank spine.

Novella word count: the bands that matter

There is no single legal definition of a novella, but award rules give writers a firm reference. The Nebula Awards set these categories, and many editors and readers outside science fiction and fantasy use similar lines.

Form	Word count (Nebula rules)	Rough print pages*	Typical shape
Short story	Under 7,500	Under 30	One moment or situation, very few characters
Novelette	7,500 to under 17,500	30 to 70	One situation explored more fully
Novella	17,500 to under 40,000	70 to 160	One main plot, full arc, compressed timeline
Novel	40,000 and above	160 and above	Main plot plus subplots, larger cast

*Page estimates assume roughly 250 words per printed page on a common fiction trim size. Your real figure depends on trim, font, spacing and chapter breaks.

Genre and market expectations can shift these lines a little. Some romance publishers and readers call a 45,000-word book a short novel, and some literary presses treat anything under about 50,000 words as novella-length. If you are submitting to a magazine, contest or publisher, their own guidelines always win. For how word count plays out in full-length books, see our guide to how long a novel is.

Novella vs novel vs short story

Length is the obvious difference, but structure is the useful one. A short story usually turns on a single moment. A novel has room for subplots, several viewpoints and long stretches of development. A novella sits between: it needs a complete arc, but it cannot afford detours.

Feature	Short story	Novella	Novel
Plot lines	One	One main, perhaps one light subplot	Main plus several subplots
Point of view	Usually one	One or two	One to many
Timeline	Hours to days	Days to weeks, sometimes longer with gaps	Any span
Character change	Often a realisation	A full but focused arc	Full arcs for several characters
Reading time	One sitting	One or two sittings	Several sessions

If you have written short fiction before, the skills from writing a short story show the compression skills a novella builds on.

Novella structure: a shape that fits the length

Most familiar story structures scale down well to a novella. The key is fewer beats, each doing more work. Our overview of plot structure explains the main models; here is how a three-act shape maps onto a 30,000-word novella.

1. Opening and inciting incident (about the first 10 to 15 per cent). Introduce your protagonist in their normal world and break it quickly. In a novella you often have only a chapter or two before the trouble arrives.
2. Rising complications (to about the midpoint). Two or three escalating obstacles, each forcing a choice. Every scene should either raise the stakes or reveal character, ideally both.
3. Midpoint shift. A revelation or reversal that changes what the protagonist wants or how they pursue it.
4. Crisis and dark moment (to about 80 to 85 per cent). The plan fails and the character must face the flaw or fear at the heart of the story.
5. Climax and resolution (the final 15 per cent or so). The decisive choice and a short, satisfying ending. Novellas tend to end soon after the climax.

What to cut to fit the length

• Secondary viewpoints that only repeat what the reader already knows.
• Subplots that do not feed the main conflict.
• Long backstory sections; hint at the past and keep the story moving.
• Travel, routine and transition scenes that add pages but not change.

How to write a novella: a step-by-step checklist

1. Write a one-sentence premise: who wants what, what stands in the way, and what happens if they fail.
2. Choose a target length within the novella band, such as 25,000 or 35,000 words, and a deadline.
3. Limit your cast: one protagonist, one key opponent or love interest, and a handful of supporting characters.
4. Set a compressed timeline, such as a single weekend, a holiday season or one case.
5. Outline 12 to 25 scenes using the five-part structure above.
6. Draft without editing, aiming for a steady daily word count.
7. In revision, cut any scene that does not change the situation, then check the arc lands.
8. If it is part of a series, check names, timelines and world details against your other books.
9. Get it edited and proofread, just as you would a novel.
10. Decide how you will publish it: standalone, prequel, newsletter bonus or box-set addition.

How long does it take to write a novella?

It depends almost entirely on your pace and the time you can give it. A simple way to estimate is to divide your target word count by the number of words you can reliably write in a week. At 5,000 words a week, a 30,000-word draft takes about six weeks; at 10,000 a week, about three. Add time for planning, revision and editing, which often takes as long as drafting. Our guide on how long it takes to write a book includes a fuller planning method.

Why indie authors use novellas

Novellas were a hard sell in much of traditional publishing for decades, but self-publishing gave them a practical role. These uses are common; none of them guarantees sales, and results vary widely by genre and audience.

Use	How it works	Things to weigh
Series prequel	A short story set before Book 1 that introduces the world or a character	Must stand alone and make readers want the series
Reader magnet	Offered free to people who join your email list	Usually distributed outside the stores; needs a delivery method
Series bridge	Fills a gap between two full books, often from a side character’s view	Readers may skip it, so the main books must not depend on it
Box-set extra	An exclusive novella added to a collection of earlier books	Check exclusivity terms if any part is enrolled in KDP Select
Standalone release	Sold as its own ebook and possibly paperback	Shorter books often carry lower prices; price to reader expectations

A novella can work well as a reader magnet because it gives new readers a complete story without the time cost of a full novel. Our guide to building an author email list covers how reader magnets fit into a newsletter plan, and our guide to planning a series shows where prequels and bridges can sit.

Novellas and Kindle Unlimited

If you enrol an ebook in KDP Select, it appears in Kindle Unlimited and you are paid from the KDP Select Global Fund based on pages read, measured by Amazon’s Kindle Edition Normalized Page Count (KENPC). A shorter book has fewer normalised pages, so each full read earns less than a full read of a long novel. KDP Select also requires the ebook to be exclusive to Amazon while enrolled. Whether that suits a novella depends on your wider strategy; our KDP Select guide sets out the trade-offs without promising any particular payout.

Pricing and print viability

KDP’s 70 per cent ebook royalty option applies to list prices between US$2.99 and US$12.99 (since 7 July 2026), with other requirements, and books priced outside that band earn the 35 per cent option. Many authors price novellas at the lower end of what readers in their genre expect. For print, KDP’s minimum paperback length is 24 pages for black-and-white interiors, so even a short novella can be printed, but spine text is only printed on books with more than 79 pages. A 20,000-word novella may come in under that and have a blank spine, which looks thin on a shelf. Some authors therefore print novellas only in collections. Our guides to pricing your book and adding a print-on-demand paperback go deeper.

Common mistakes

• Writing a squashed novel. Cramming a novel’s subplots into 30,000 words leaves every thread thin. Cut threads instead of rushing them.
• Padding a short story. If the idea only needs 8,000 words, stretching it to novella length makes it drag.
• Too many viewpoints. Each extra point of view costs pages to establish.
• A prequel that needs the series. A prequel or reader magnet must make sense to someone who has read nothing else of yours.
• Skipping editing because it is short. Readers judge a novella by the same standards as a novel.
• Ignoring the print maths. Check page count, spine and print cost before promising a paperback.

Sources this guide draws on: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, Nebula Award rules; Hugo Awards category definitions; Amazon KDP Help on trim sizes, page counts and spine text; Amazon KDP Help on KDP Select, Kindle Unlimited and KENPC; Amazon KDP Help on royalty options.

Frequently asked questions

How many words is a novella?

Under the Nebula Award rules used by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, a novella is at least 17,500 and under 40,000 words. Many publishers and readers use similar figures, though some markets stretch the upper limit. Always check a specific publisher’s or contest’s guidelines.

How many pages is a novella?

Roughly 70 to 160 printed pages, assuming about 250 words per page on a common fiction trim size. Larger fonts, wider margins or smaller trims give more pages. Word count is the reliable measure, which is why editors ask for it.

Is 30,000 words a novel or a novella?

By the Nebula and Hugo definitions, 30,000 words is a novella, because a novel starts at 40,000 words. Some sellers and readers may loosely call it a short novel. For awards and submissions, use the formal bands.

Can a novella have chapters?

Yes. Most novellas are divided into chapters, and short chapters suit the fast pace of the form. Some literary novellas use section breaks instead. Choose whatever helps readers move through the story.

Are novellas worth self-publishing?

They can be useful as prequels, reader magnets, series bridges or box-set extras, and some readers seek out shorter books. Each full read in Kindle Unlimited earns less than a full-length novel, and short paperbacks have print limits. Weigh these against your goals rather than expecting a particular result.

A novella rewards focus: one strong question, a small cast and a story that moves. Plan it to fit the length, edit it as carefully as a novel, and decide early what job it will do for your readers and your list.