1. Xboxlover

    Xboxlover Senior Member

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    Trying to nail my genre down

    Discussion in 'Fantasy' started by Xboxlover, Aug 22, 2017.

    I've been doing research on genre, in the fantasy subset. The more I was reading around on author or writer blogs the more muddled and confused things got. Questionnaires and such. Analysis of elements and themes.

    Well, I think I'm a little closer to what I am but I'm still spread out between a few sub-genres.
    I found a website that was a little more concise on what I was looking for information wise on fantasy.
    https://thoughtsonfantasy.com/2015/12/07/17-common-fantasy-sub-genres/

    Here's where I potentially fall and why:

    Portal Fantasy: It's a main staple in my work. It is used to travel the universe. Mortals and Gods alike.
    Sword and Sorcery/Heroic Fantasy: Moral Ambiguity, romance, multiple heroes, sword and magic play, action, adventure, conflict.
    Fantasy Romance/High Fantasy Romance: Becuase of the sub plot structure of the female and the god in my series. The god is fractured into 3 personas creating a new take on the love triangle issue. XD Potential for sex later on in the series. (I have not decided yet. I know sex sells and it could also work more of the tension and character development in my stories. But I also know I didn't like sex in my fantasy novels growing up either, I found it to be alienating from the story.) Obvious romance sub plot, politics, female main character warrior, male main character warrior, philosophical.
    YA Fantasy: I'm not a fan of this genre and I hate to admit I might also fit it as well. With my coming of age, and first romances. Some of my characters are orphans, the discovery of self-identity. Adult mentor's even if they are evil and misguided one is also a god. (Claiming both sides here.)
    Why I don't fit this category: My characters age. Some are thousands of years because they are gods/immortals (physical age slowly though.). Not really a factor for discovering hidden powers. Characters earn their skills. While there is a small section in my story where one of the protagonists goes it's only for a short time and doesn't warrant enough to put it into the qualifying "School Setting"


    Now for a serious question. Let's say when I finish writing everything and I go to self-publish or find a publisher. Can you label individual books different genre's because one fits better over another or do you have to pick one and stay in that one? I have seen some authors print books in the same series and be marketed differently in a store. Kind of like if you like this genre or this author check out this genre or this author. Related works kind of thing.
     
  2. surrealscenes

    surrealscenes Senior Member

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    When you have a book, ask your beta readers what genre they would put it.
    When you self publish you pick the genre; when going through a publisher they will pick the genre.
    I find that thinking about genre holds me back and I don't until the story is finished, and like other things, we are not good judges of our babies.
     
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  3. Xboxlover

    Xboxlover Senior Member

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    So what about when writing and thinking about genre as a way to make sure you're writing what you're aiming for?
     
  4. surrealscenes

    surrealscenes Senior Member

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    I aim for a good story. I usually have a feeling of what I want to convey & try getting that across. Also, for me, the lines between genres are generally fuzzy at best, unless written to fit a mold.
    I just posted in Horror Workshop. The partial story really has no 'horror' in it, but the overall story does, or has creepiness.
     
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  5. Xboxlover

    Xboxlover Senior Member

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    So wait earlier you said a publisher will pick your genre but on a few of these author blogs I've been reading on. They tell you one of a publishers pet peeves is when you go to sell them your book idea and you don't know what your sub genre is, or on the other side of that if you can't nail it down to at least 2. In the article I read, the reason for the pet peeve would be that they feel the author either doesn't know their genre or that the author isn't interested in making money from a marketing perspective. One of these authors went on to say that publishers do minimal marketing for you and most of the leg work is up to you anyway. Then they went on to say it's why some published authors unless stated in their contracts dual publish. (Self-publish to obtain more money since they do the work.) I'll have to find the article again. A lot of the articles I read range on the beginning process to the end process, because they tell you that you need to know before you get to that point.
     
  6. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    I would distrust whatever article says this part. If an author is already traditionally published, self publishing is likely to earn them far less money, not more.
     
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  7. badgerjelly

    badgerjelly Contributor Contributor

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    My common sense tells me that to parcel your story up as being X or Y genre is besides the point. I would imagine the publisher would be more interested in the content, intent and general theme of the story rather than the genre?

    By this I mean I could write a political commentary set in a fantasy world, futuristic world, historical setting, present day, within a adventure based theme, romantic, cerebral, or comic disposition.

    Failing that try and frame the character qualities and interactions along with the development of the theme. Also, I think it is important to say the kind of reader you expect to be interested in your novel. Some styles of writing are quite specifically in what part of the audience they are targeting. Some books are more accessible to various ages and interests.
     
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  8. Xboxlover

    Xboxlover Senior Member

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    Sounds good.
    Thanks guys
     
  9. surrealscenes

    surrealscenes Senior Member

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    When you read this stuff about publishers, and what they want, how they operate, etc, you really need to have a firm grasp on how that publisher does things. Punlishers range from gigantic publishing houses all the way to publishers that will go to Kickstarter to beg for money to publish a book to Kindle.
    If I ever have a book that I think is good enough to submit to a big publisher, it will have been read by a few dozen beta readers, an editor or two, and will be submitted to an agent that deals in that type of story. All those people can & will help me figure out what genre(s) it is before it reaches the publisher.
     
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