As a new member I am trying to get as much advice as I can!!
Has anyone ever had a Novella published and if so was it a hard slog? Harper Collins told me they loved my work and style, complimented me on the the writing but said they were not interested in publishing a Novella. Maybe they were just being kind, but if they were then I choose to ignore it!!! I have had two further very complimentary rejections! Would appreciate hearing the experiences from any other writers of Novellas.

On the publication plus side, someone I met last week told me that one Friday morning he had a less than flattering rejection in the post from a publisher and that same afternoon he had a phone call from another publisher saying that they were interested in the self same book. (That book is now being published by them later this year; so one man's meat ....)
Mary

Mary, one (wo)man's meat is undoubtedly another's poison when it comes to agents taking on a book, but I fear that novellas are up there with henbane and prussic acid as something almost none of them feel able to swallow, for economic reasons, however much they love the writing - and in your case they obviously do. The truth is they're almost impossible to sell - when did you see a novella by an 'unknown' author gracing the shelves of WH Smith? - so the agents can't take them on.

But it's so frustrating, isn't it, when that just is the length the story needs to be. Linked novellas I've heard of being taken on, though more by small and specialist presses than the big, mainstream houses. Perhaps you need to put it aside for quite a while, and write something else. One day you'll probably know what to do with it. Are there the seeds of another couple of stories in there? Or are there the seeds of a subplot that you could develop fully into an almost equal element? Some of the most successful things in a novel can grow out of needs-must decisions, though you'd need to trust yourself to be ruthless with the original material, if you're going to work a whole new strand in successfully. If I started on which elements of TMOL and my current novel had their roots in earlier work which at the time I'd have sworn was finished, we'd be here all night, so it can really pay off to wait and return.

Emma

POD publishers love novellas because the printing cost is so much less than a novel. If you're talking less than 40,000 words then self publishing is a good option - but it leaves the distribution and promotion in your hands. And there's the editing too.

An alternative would be package three or four novellas and pitch them as a collection.

Colin M

You could try Comma Press. They take collections of short stories, so you could ask if they'd be interested in a novella.

http://www.commapress.co.uk

Dee

It's true that novellas are not popular with main stream publishing where bulk seems to be the aim much of the time. I don't know what genre you write in, but in science-fiction/fantasy/horror there are outlets for novellas. Magazines, including the big ones like Fantasy & Science Fiction, will take various lengths of stories. And small, respected, publishers like PS Publishing publish novellas (PS recently did a novella by China Mieville). However, speculative fiction has a large and informed base of keen readers who will try different forms by writers they know well, which isn't the case elsewhere.

Terry

I'm sure I've heard that some women's magazines will look at novellas if they can be serialised. Woman's Weekly always has a serial going. Perhaps your story might be suitable for such a treatment?

Thank you for your detailed reply. It was very comfoting to know that I had, in fact, taken the correct option at the crossroads and decided to make this just one of a series as it sits well in this area. Let's just hope that I have more luck now! Thanks again.
Mary

Hmm .... not quite got the hang of this writers forum thing! I thought I could reply to everyone individually and, as so many people had taken the time to offer me advice, that is what I intended to do .... reply to each ..... but I see that it doesn't quite work like that! So to all of you: THANK YOU! I am going to try everything you all have suggested. I have already turned the novella into a series of novellas; stroke of luck, rather than a pot of knowledge though! All the same it is comforting to know that I am thinking along the right lines. Thanks again everyone.
Regards
Mary

Have a look at "Ghost Story" by Toby Litt - he says it's a novel but I don't believe him, I think it's a couple of short stories and a novella, cunningly squished into one volume.
And try small presses, definitely.

Michael Cunningham's The Hours was suspiciously short, I'd have said not much more than a novella, but absolutely the right length for itself: not one word too few, or too many.

Emma

I looked up The Hours and note that it was published by Picador USA. This brings me to another point. Is it worth submitting to USA publishers, or is that risky? Has anyone ..... either successfully or otherwise .... gone down this route?
Mary

Try Publish America

(I'll get me coat)

Colin!!!

Mary, JB (aka Waxlyrikal) is having a novel published in America next year. Have a word with him. I’m sure he’ll be happy to give you a few words of advice.

Dee

Colin! Wash your mouth out at once!

There's no reason in principle that you shouldn't submit in the US, though if you don't have an agent you must get the Society of Authors to go over your contract with their legendary fine tooth comb: you don't want to get caught, say, by giving a publisher rights for a part of the world where they have no distribution. There may be some who don't want the hassle of dealing with an overseas author, but if it's good enough, they don't mind dealing with the man in the moon. You could always hide behind a .com email address until you've got them really interested.

Emma

You folk are just amazing; you are all so prepared to help and advise each other ..... total strangers too! Just can't thank you all enough. How do you all have time to do your 'Proper Jobs'!! I can only assume that you are all teachers like me and so only work 9 - 4pm Ha! Ha! if only! I am religiously following every piece of advice you all give to me, though as a novice some of the comments I have to admit are going over my head! "I'll get me coat." "Wash your mouth out." Does this mean it is not a good idea, or what?
Regards to you one and all
Mary