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Novels // Reference

Facts and figures

The numbers behind the novels guides, each with its source. Figures are stated as the source states them.

  • Don Quixote appeared in two parts, Part One in 1605 and Part Two in 1615.[1]
  • Gustav Freytag published Die Technik des Dramas in 1863, setting out the five-act drama as a model.[2]
  • Syd Field described the three-act model in Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting in 1979.[3]
  • The Nebula Award rules define a novel as 40,000 words or more and a novella as 17,500 words to fewer than 40,000.[4]
  • Under the Romance Writers of America definition, a romance novel must have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.[5]
  • Henry James's essay The Art of Fiction was published in Longman's Magazine in September 1884.[6]
  • Pew Research Center found that 23% of US adults had read no book in the previous 12 months in its January to February 2021 survey, identical to 2014.[7]
  • The National Literacy Trust reports reading enjoyment among 8 to 18 year olds at 32.7% in 2025, the lowest in 20 years.[8]
  • The National Literacy Trust reports daily free-time reading among 8 to 18 year olds at 18.7% in 2025.[8]
  • A meta-analysis of 54 studies (38 between-participant, 16 within-participant) with 171,055 participants found a paper advantage in reading comprehension (Hedges g of -0.21).[9]
  • The Reading Agency survey, as reported by The Bookseller in July 2024, found that half of UK adults do not regularly read.[10]
  • Between 2000 and 2018 the share of Australian boys who did not read for enjoyment rose by 13 percentage points, to 53 per cent.[11]

Sources

  1. Don Quixote
    Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2026the first modern novel
  2. Die Technik des Dramas (Gustav Freytag), dramaturgy database record
    Utrecht University, Dramaturgy Database, 1965He expounded the five-act drama as a model
  3. Three-act structure
    Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2026Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
  4. Nebula Rules
    Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (Nebula Awards), 202640,000 words or more
  5. Romance novel
    Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2026emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending
  6. The Art of Fiction (Henry James, Longman's Magazine, September 1884)
    Washington State University, American Literature resources, 1884A novel is in its broadest definition a personal impression of life
  7. Who doesn't read books in America?
    Pew Research Center, 2021-09-21Roughly a quarter of American adults (23%) say they haven't read a book
  8. Children and young people's reading in 2025
    National Literacy Trust, 2025-06-03decreasing by nearly 20 percentage points since 2005
  9. Don't throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension
    Educational Research Review (author manuscript, University of Valencia), 2018the advantage of paper-based reading increased over the years
  10. Half of UK adults do not read regularly according to new survey by The Reading Agency
    The Bookseller, 2024-07-23Half of UK adults do not regularly read
  11. Australian boys and girls: enjoyment of reading
    Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), 2021-05-06did not read for enjoyment increased by 13 percentage points, to 53 per cent

General information, not professional or medical advice. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].