Fiction Genres
I’m about ready to send out the next
batch of query letters for my novel, The
Devoted of Imshalel. I’ve worked hard on the editing, reduced the word
count by over 5,000 words, and rid the manuscript of misplaced (not next to the
word it’s describing) and dangling (doesn’t refer to a specific noun in the
sentence) modifiers (a word or phrase describing another word). Got all that?
Took me awhile.
At the Write Angles writers’ conference,
the agent who looked at my query letter tried to help me figure out what genre
my book falls under. I’m still not sure.
Agents
Agents tend to handle particular kinds
of stories, genres, they enjoy and want to know which one a prospective client
is writing before wasting their time reading a type of manuscript they don’t
represent. They have to be able to match the writer with a publisher as well. Of
course authors should do their homework—check the agent’s preferences and
requirements for submission online to ensure he or she would be a good match
for their work.
My novel centers on a woman, Shannon,
who considers herself ordinary and her journey to become the compelling and
powerful Imshalel of the Devoted. It includes elements of fantasy—a speculative
society—romance, and suspense, yet isn’t the typical boy meets girl, loses
girl, finds girl romance.
The Devoted is an under-the-radar,
parallel society similar to the Harry Potter series’ world of wizards, though
not magical. While this society is integral to my characters and the plot’s
development, the story is mainly set in the contemporary world. The suspenseful
conflicts are secondary to the characters’ relationships.
Publishers
Publishing houses often include a number
of companies under their umbrella, each specializing in certain genres, so
certainly want a label before deciding whether a story is a good fit for them.
They also consider the bottom line—what sells and is your story likely to have
an audience.
Bookstores
Obviously bookstores shelve books by
category. I’m tempted to call my story general fiction but suspect that might
be unsatisfactory—out-of-category speculative romance? I’ll keep thinking.
No comments:
Post a Comment