5 Difference Between Books And Novels

People often tend to confuse books with novels, and think they are the same. However, even though they are used interchangeably, they are not so. There’s a slight difference between the two, and that is exactly what we’re explaining with this articles. Read on to find out the 5 difference between books and novels.

‘Books’ is an umbrella term, ‘novels’ isn’t

Basically, all novels are books but not all books are novels. Novels are a subset of books – a specific type of books that meet certain criteria. Moreover, books include novels and other types of written material that may constitute books. For example – textbooks. Of course all textbooks, notebooks and guidebooks are books, but they are certainly not novels. Basically, any written material that has binding and is published is a book. But to be a novel, there are certain other qualifications as we will read further.

Novels are fiction, books may not be

The first criteria that distinguishes books from novels is that novels are fictitious in nature. Novels are based on events purely in the writer’s imagination. Books on the other hand comprise non-fiction, memoirs, research accounts, maps, etc. They may range from various subjects like science, architecture, mathematics, history, sociology to psychology, literature, economics, anthropology and more. In short, they may or may not be fictitious, and encompass a wider variety of subject matter.

All elements of plot, character and theme must be present in novels, but not necessarily in books

Since novels are fiction, they must include all elements of fiction. They must have a tangible plot with plot points to mark the trajectory. Plus, they must have one or more central characters, through whose eyes we see the story. Thirdly, there must be a relevant and pervasive theme, a message and some context to the story. Additionally, there must be a setting – a time and place where the story takes place and a point of view or perspective to the st

Publishing houses undertake publishing of novels, other parties may publish books

The fourth difference between books and novels is with respect to the their distribution. The distribution of novels is the purview of publishing houses. For example, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Puffin Books etc are all publishing houses. Here there is a printing press where novels are printed in thousands, or lakhs and then circulated throughout the country and sometimes beyond. Sometimes, however, self-publishing may happen in the case of a book. On the other hand, book publishers may not necessarily be publishing houses, although that is generally the case. For example, map books are published by special map publishing companies.

Novels invoke cognitive and affective responses of readers, books inform and educate readers

Finally, novels and books differ in their purpose. Novels are meant for entertainment and literary enjoyment. That is, they usually evoke emotions and thoughts among readers. Reading a novel, you might find it happy, sad, thoughtful, thought-provoking, anger-inducing or fearful. On the other hand, a non-novelistic book may not have the same effect. Non-fiction books are usually designed to educate and provide information and knowledge to readers. They might include compilations of data, analysis of data, a sociological study or an aggregate of knowledge in a specific discipline of life. Thus, novels and books are fundamentally different.

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