I know that many on here have…strong feelings about James Patterson as a writer (many of those opinions are valid, but I digress). Anyway, some years ago, he released this line of short novels called BOOKSHOTS where he & other writers wrote novels that cost $5 and were roughly 150 pages.
I managed to read some books in the lineup, and there were a few books I enjoyed. I’d have appreciated if there were other authors besides Patterson on the imprint writing novels but the diversity of genres was great. It’s similar to Kindle Singles in that regard and the concept itself isn’t entirely new but Bookshots had some good things going for it (though I think the “James Patterson” name/brand may have turned some off despite the good stories on the lineup).
I’m an avid reader and, though I read some books in digital, I mainly prefer print. When out on the city or traveling (as I do quite a bit, sometimes you don’t always want a big book with you. A nice book you can have in your back pocket is beneficial. I have many friends & co-workers of mine who enjoy reading but whenever I talk about a book, the first thing they ask is “How long is it?”
Their eyes will glaze over at a thick novel but something short will be more appealing. I’m surprised that Bookshots didn’t inspire other publishers to have similar imprints (at least not that I’m aware of) but novellas in print on a wide scale (at newsstands and at airports/train stations) similar to Bookshots definitely would help bring in the reluctant and casual readers and ease them up into reading longer works.
I know this post is a bit all over the place, but I’m curious to know what people thought about the Bookshots line as well as the idea of mass market short novels bringing in a wider audience.
by These-Background4608
2 Comments
The issue with novellas is the printing cost. It is a format that was designed for literary magazines and anthologies. They are amazing for ebooks. However, they tend to be printed in hardback editions at $15 a piece. At that price it is hard to recommend novellas. I don’t like recommending Murderbot for this reason because it’s not worth that price.
The cost of physical novellas is only moderately less than full length novels. I think this turns a lot of people off since it doesn’t feel great to pay that much and finish a book in one sitting. And these short books are less likely to be something a person gets connected to and wants to keep on a shelf at home anyways. Looks like this line was ended in 2018. I can guarantee you these would not cost 5usd today. Digitally novellas and other short form media are thriving though.