Horror and the must read novella (and why they’re still relevant)

The novella is one of those literary forms that I have admired for a long time – a quicker read than a novel but a fuller experience than a short story. In the mainstream publishing world, it appears to be something of a neglected format (although, having said that, in a relatively recent visit to a well-known chain bookstore, I did see a few slim books out on display in the Fiction section which I suppose could be classed as novellas and, as described below, quite a few ‘classics’ were written as such), with the probable major publisher excuse that ‘it doesn’t sell very well’, or ‘there isn’t much interest’ as to why they’re not more widespread, the same explanation for why short story anthologies and collections are but very rarely forthcoming from the big imprints.

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