It's all in the word count

China's Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday that author Qian Fuchang has written a "novel" meant to be read on mobile phones via text messages. The "steamy tale of illicit love" consists of seventy chapters totalling about 4,000 words. I hate to break it to the author (not to mention the BBC and The Globe & Mail which carried the news item), but 4,000 words is not a novel, or even a novella — it's a freaking short story. For the record, novels start at about 50,000 words and most reputable publishers won't even look at manuscripts less than 70,000 words. So I guess it's back to the typewriter, Fuchang!

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According to the "fiction factor" website, works of fiction can be categorized by length as follows:

• Micro fiction: up to 100 words
• Flash fiction: 100-1,000 words
• Short story: 1,000-7,500 words
• Novelette: 7,500-20,000 words
• Novella: 20,000-50,000 words
• Novel: 50,000-110,000 words
• Epic: 110,000 words and up