A short novel is a type of literary work that is shorter than a traditional novel but longer than a novella, novelette, or CONTE. A novella is a work of fiction that is between 17, 500 and 40, 000 words in length, while a novelette is between 7, 500 and 17, 500 words. A CONTE is a short story that is usually between 1, 000 and 7, 500 words. All of these works are considered to be short novels, as they are all shorter than the traditional novel length of 40, 000 words or more.