One-word Novels

Fun Facts About Novels

• The word "novel" comes from an Italian word meaning "new thing." This term was later adopted to describe fresh, short stories or tales, eventually evolving into the modern definition of extended, fictional prose.
• Don Quixote (1605) is widely regarded as the first modern novel. It was revolutionary for its introduction of complex narrative structure, its use of character development, and its blend of realism and satire.
• In the 18th and 19th centuries, novels were seen as dangerous distractions for young readers. Prolonged reading was frequently blamed for causing moral decay, laziness, and unruly behavior. Wonder what they would say about today's obsession with cellphones?
• Early novels were often serialized and published in installments within newspapers, magazines or as pamphlets. This format made literature affordable to the masses, and also allowed authors to alter their storylines based on audience reception.
• A typical novel ranges from 60,000 to 100,000 words. That's about 200 to 400 pages, depending on formatting. Novellas are shorter works, usually between 20,000 and 50,000 words.
• According the Guiness World Records, the longest novel ever written is Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. It has nearly 1.3 million words, over 9.6 million characters, and was published in multiple volumes between 1913 and 1927.
• Approximately 3 million new titles are published in the United States each year. The vast majority are self-published (2.3 million), while traditional publishing accounts for the rest (500,000 to 1 million).
• The most translated, non-religious book in the world is The Little Prince, originally published in French in 1943. This children's novel has since been translated into 380–500 languages and dialects, and has sold over 140 million copies worldwide.