Keep it near novel (6)
I believe the answer is:
retain
'keep' is the definition.
(I know that retain is a kind of keep)
'it near novel' is the wordplay.
'novel' indicates an anagram (letters in a new or novel order).
'it'+'near'='itnear'
'itnear' anagrammed gives 'RETAIN'.
(Other definitions for retain that I've seen before include "Keep; remember" , "Hold on to or employ counsel" , "Hold onto" , "Keep, hold on to something" , "Hold in position" .)