I have an idea about a novel that is necessarily hybrid -- not just going for dual appeal. One genre it consists of is dominant (2/3 to 3/4), which is the one I'm comfortable with, and the other is unfamiliar to myself. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are when they read these or attempt to write them. Is it necessary to have a strong familiarity with both? How are these books typically viewed? I won't say what the genres I'm thinking of are to encourage a diversity of opinion for a more robust thread.
I think it's hard to say for sure without knowing the genres in question. I mean, mixing just about anything with romance is pretty much standard. I'm having trouble imagining any mixes that would actually be problematic, but I wouldn't want to say that for sure without a more concrete example.
What about in Sacrati, for example? From what I gather, you write primarily romance, but this piece is fantasy/historical-romance (sorry if neither, couldn't tell), so what was that like? Hypothetically, would good romance writers do well to foray into other genres if the piece was centred in romance? ETA: I ask like this because I'm also interested in process and people's reactions to the hybrid in general, rather than getting an answer from anyone that "yeah, you'll be fine," or something to that effect.
Well I personally have literally never sought out books in a specific genre. If I decide to invest the time in reading a book, then it is because I have heard about that book specifically, whether from people I know or from the public in general, and it sounds interesting. And my personal philosophy is that genre is descriptive, not prescriptive. That is, you do not begin with the desire to write a specific genre and then write a book as a consequence of that desire -- rather, you write the book you want to write, and then once it is written, genres are a crude reductionistic abstraction that other people use to describe your book. So, my opinion of a book that readers would describe as a hybrid of genres is no different from my opinion of a book that readers would have no trouble pigeonholing into one genre. The only questions I ask are: - Does it interest me? - Is it well written?
I'm with @daemon about the genre being descriptive. Was Terry Pratchett Humour with a touch of Fantasy, or vice-versa, or just a damned good read? Was Asimov's Caves of Steel science-fiction with a whodunit, or vice-versa? As @BayView says, there's usually some romance in there somewhere, whether it's historical, fantasy, action-adventure... And Sam Spade private eye tales are usually all the better for some dry humour. So, write your story. The publisher/public will decide the genre from what it's mainly about, and the "sub-genre" will sit there happily.
Yeah, Romance hybridizes with just about everything. You're right about Sacrati, and I've also written (and had no trouble finding publishers for) Sci-Fi Romance and Romantic Suspense. Historical Romance is a huge category, too. Non-romance hybrids? I've read historical crime, sci-fi crime, historical sci-fi (if that's what you want to call steampunk), sci-fi suspense, etc. Like I said, I'm having trouble thinking of a hybrid that wouldn't work...
