A novella is a work of fiction that falls between the short story and the novel in length. It typically runs from roughly twenty thousand to fifty thousand words, though boundaries vary.

The form allows more development than a short story while retaining a tighter focus than most novels. A single conflict, a limited time span, or a small cast of characters often gives the novella its unity. Famous examples include The Metamorphosis, Heart of Darkness, and Of Mice and Men. Publishers sometimes hesitate over the commercial category, yet writers value the form for its intensity and completeness.

A successful novella feels neither truncated nor padded. It has the compression of the short story and enough room for the resonance of a longer work. Readers can often finish a novella in one or two sittings, which contributes to its distinctive impact. The form remains a vital middle space in fiction.

A narrative longer than a story and shorter than a novel, complete in itself, is a novella.