So, my story is projected at being novel size. But I just can't quite figure out which genre I'm in now. At first I was considering it sci-fi. Due to the story being set in a dystopian future. But there is humans and vampires, with quite a bit of horror elements thrown about. So I was thinking horror. But I realized tonight, that it is really more of an YA type. There is many like able and hate able characters. There's good vampires and bad vampires, with a fast paced and heavy set on technology. Theres even a vampire that falls in love with my MC (not at all like Twilight, just to point that out). But when I play it out in my head, I feel like I'm watching a movie much like the recent Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent (all those more like the first movies and not the sequels), and a little Buffy the vampire slayer (the show, not movie). Plus it also has comedy as well. Would many of these traits all thrown together lean it more towards the YA market? Or would I be more in the sci-fi genre? I plan on adding the first part of the story on this site for some well needed critique, but I want to also make sure I am putting it in a proper section.
One of the joys of YA is that it's not a genre, it's a marketing category - that is, it doesn't really have the same expectations as genres do. It's a lot more flexible. So if you feel like you could use some flexibility, and you feel as if your book fits the YA market, great. On the downside, dystopic YA is a really dead market, and vampires are probably overdone as well. If you're planning to submit it to agents or publishers, maybe you could classify it as YA science fiction, and let them figure out the rest?
Yea, I see what you're saying. And I fully agree that the vampire market has been played to dead. I actually came up with this story over two years ago when it wasn't so bad. and also before there were so many similar dystopia future stories being written. I am hoping that my addition of so much horror content might help define the story though, Although trying to balance out the comedy to make some aspect just more humorous that being funny is a real chore for sure.. Not just gore, or shock scare, but scenes that builds tension and delivers afterwards. We'll see how it goes. Thank you very much for some insight here.
Perhaps Urban Fantasy or Paranormal? Not too familiar with either of those genres myself, so can't so for sure. I'd advise against going with science fiction unless you're prepared to write a fully science-focused story. For science fiction, the technology is usually a character in and of itself. Readers are often more particular about having explanations of the technology and concepts, where there isn't that expectation in the fantasy genres as much. A story can have many futuristic elements and still be fantasy, as science fiction is more about the focus of the story than the setting.
Dystopia and vampires are rather overdone at this point. Perhaps you could mix it up with satire or by focusing more on the science of the vampires. Since you mentioned Hunger Games/Maze Runner/Divergent, I'd like to note that a dystopia for a band of poverty-stricken rebels can be a utopia for the upper class. If you want to transition from a traditional YA setup to science fiction, you don't have to change any of the already-established lore. Have you considered finishing the plot about the protagonists and then writing the actual story from the perspective of a wealthy anti-villain who aims to fix the society through ethically questionable means?
