I was snooping around on Amazon this morning and found a subgenre of science fiction called Alien Invasion. I immediately Googled it to see if this is an actual subgenre or just something Amazon made up. Wikipedia has an entry claiming it is, but thought I'd better ask around to be sure. I'd never heard of it until now. Does anyone know for sure?
The more categories Amazon uses, the better numbers they can give their products. (Made up example) #22 on Amazon's Alien Invasion list #12 on the Alien Invasion in a Western era list I'm sure more than a few of their categories are news to most people, but hey, I would use the bragging rights if they ever applied to my books.
On a side note, I do not see anything wrong with having another sub-category, I suppose it helps people searching for books to better refine their search. that said, I too would use those bragging rights...
I've seen the term used in discussion of types of Science Fiction stories, but I think the validity of any such appellation lies in its ability to describe, not in whether its ratified by some organization or body. I would personally think of "alien invasion" as a particular, broad trope, yes, Just like there's "first contact", "flying saucer stories", and "space opera", etc. At least the coining of the term isn't using the suffix -punk. Enough of that already, sheesh....
LOL! You're right. I suppose I should have clarified exactly what I wanted to know... If, in the act of enticing an agent or publisher to handle my work, should I (or should I not) refer to it as science fiction (alien invasion) comedy? Will that give them an exact idea of what I've got for sale or just muddy the water and make them think I have no clue what I've written?
I think the "comedy" aspect is pretty important and I think I'd mention that explicitly in a query. But the "alien invasion" idea will surely be clear from the story description part, right? So I wouldn't bother repeating it explicitly.
So, no one has first-hand experience of publishers and agents using this as a category? Thanks for all the speculation, guys, but I'm looking for hard info.
Go to agent query (http://www.agentquery.com/) and look at the "Select a Fiction Genre" dropdown menu. If your category isn't there, it isn't widely used by agents. It may not hurt to include the sub-genre, but it isn't necessary. Is that enough of an authority?
I like this theory! "My book has been #1 on Amazon's Alien Invasion Paranormal Romance List for six months solid!" Anyway: I don't think writers typically see this as a genre when coming up with new book ideas, more of a "category of stories" within sci-fi, but if marketers can sell more copies of the book this way, then I guess it benefits everyone.
