In recent months, I’ve found my needs have changed—specific questions occupy me vs. general industry interest. These are the questions on my mind right now:
How popular are novellas right now? How have trends changed over time?
2025’s novella slump isn’t a rejection of the form—it’s a return to pre-2024 norms, shaped by tighter budgets and new revenue models pulling short-form projects out of the traditional “advance + rights” pipeline.
If print demand firms in the second half—and if imprints like Tor, Titan, and Shortwave reopen bigger novella slots for 2026—the curve could rebound. But for now, based on the velocity of deals done in 2024, the safest assumption is 30–35 traditional novella deals this year.
Putting the numbers in context
It looks like 2024’s ~70 novella deals were an outlier—fuelled by post-pandemic backlog and a novella-heavy slate from TorDotCom/Nightfire (many of which went on to award recognition).
As of June 20, 2025, we’re tracking at only 28% of that volume. Using 2024 as a guide, 2025 is on pace for just ~35 deals, which is almost 30 % below 2023, and nearly 50% below 2024.
That aligns with broader front-list caution: print units are flat or declining, and publishers are focusing on promoting 2024 hits rather than betting on fresh novella acquisitions.
Does this reflect wider acquisition trends?
Yes—directionally. PW’s 2025 deal round-ups show a moderate dip (~10 % year-over-year) in adult fiction overall. But novellas are more exposed, since they rely on specialty imprints and indie presses—segments hit hardest by distribution cost spikes and tighter list caps.
What Genre, Topics, and Themes, are popular in novellas right now?
Holiday / Christmas
Found family / sisterhood
Body horror & transformation
Climate dread & eco-collapse
Mythic retellings
Which imprints are actively buying novellas?
TorDotCom (Macmillan)
Nightfire (Macmillan)
Titan Books (UK-based trade press)
Shortwave Publishing
Stelliform Press
Ghoulish Books
Regal House
Montlake (Amazon Publishing)
I’ve loved analyzing publishing deals—it’s given me sharp insight into how the industry works, especially as I shape my own pitch strategy.
Here are some of the key lessons I’ve learned so far:
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Reports of print’s demise are still exaggerated. Print isn’t dead—it just breathes with the market.
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Query a beat before those fairs so my manuscript is the hottest thing agents take into the room.
If I want my manuscript in an agent’s Frankfurt brief, aim to query in late spring/early summer; for London/Bologna exposure, target December–January.
Otherwise, good projects still sell year-round—just expect less splashy headlines outside those peaks.
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I should negotiate those rights explicitly, not let them be bundled away.
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Tight pacing wins, so cut without mercy and justify every word that stays.
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Choose the path that best matches my brand, growth strategy, and long-term creative goals—balancing control and flexibility against scale and support.
Most importantly, ask myself: What’s the type of writing work I want to be doing?
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Submit only the work I want carrying my name and signalling the genres I’ll write next. And weigh my options: overall debut, trade debut, genre-specific debut, or a clean slate under a new pen name—all viable paths if I already have hybrid or self-published titles.
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—so learn to pitch like an agent. Mastering log lines, comps, and tight stakes is its own craft; it sharpens word economy and clarifies my story’s core.