Image by Jukka Zitting used under CC BY 2.0
As a literary agent at Trident Media Group, I see a plethora of science fiction and fantasy book ideas come across my desk, but only ideas that sell will make it to publication. Writers can find themselves in a stalemate when they’re writing more of a genre than readers will buy or publishers can handle. For instance, an imprint such as Katherine Tegen Books at Harper Collins only has room for one writer like Veronica Roth with a Divergent-type of book. The town ain’t big enough for two authors like her in a particular season or publishing year. Publishers don’t want to cannibalize their own book sales by creating competition among their authors.
That’s why it’s important for writers to ask if the genre they are writing is ideal for the market. Knowing the sweet or bitter truth of whether or not one’s own book genre is marketable, and how to roll with the punches, is a big step along the path to publication.
Hot Genres
Right now, literary agents and book publishers are most looking for these genres.
Fantasy:
- dark fantasy
- magical realism
- historical fantasy
Science Fiction:
- literary science fiction
- military science fiction
- post-apocalyptic science fiction
- scifi thriller
- dystopian
Cold Genres
These genres are currently out of favor with literary agents and book publishers.
Fantasy:
- contemporary fantasy
- epic or high fantasy
- fantasy romance
- alternate history
- mythic fantasy
- sword & sorcery
- paranormal
- urban fantasy
- horror
Science Fiction:
- scifi romance
- superhero/superhuman
- space opera
- steampunk
- time travel
- weird west
- scifi horror
For genres that are consistently over-saturated with submissions and have low sales, the readership generally keeps to household names. For instance, authors such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz practically have a stranglehold on the horror genre. This makes it a tough genre for writers trying to make a debut.
Popularity Changes Fast
By the time this article is published, the hot and cold genres could have changed. This is often thanks to pop culture. For instance, Hulu put out a popular TV show for Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and our country’s selection for president has brought on collective panic. These recent events have resulted in Atwood’s book and George Orwell’s 1984 hitting the New York Times Bestsellers List, years after publication. That is rare for a backlist title. There’s a big readership now for near-future/dystopian scifi, but that has also made a competitive space for authors writing within that genre.
Hits can also make a genre more competitive for writers without increasing demand. Following Andy Weir’s The Martian and its film adaptation, publishers felt as though they had hard science fiction books coming out of their ears. The popularity of this work inspired people to write more hard science fiction than publishers wanted.
That attitude may last until the next bestselling hard science fiction novel changes publishers’ minds. This same thing happened in the aftermath of The Hunger Games. After its success, YA editors felt as though they had too much dystopia – that is, until James Dashner wrote The Maze Runner and Roth wrote Divergent. Just when you think a genre is out of style, you learn that there’s a hungry, under-represented readership out there.
The important question to ask is whether a popular story increases supply, demand, or both supply and demand – which is rarely the case. More often than not, when a publisher is surprised by a runaway bestseller, it simply means that the publishers were wrong about how well the genre would sell. After a hit, they change their minds.
Staying on Top of the Market
To keep up with trends within major trade book publishing, it’s my recommendation that authors look to bestseller lists, such as those published by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY and Amazon. Also, watching the new deals reporting on Publishers Marketplace and in Publishers Weekly is a great way to stay on top of what’s trending. To look at the book publishing industry in a more grassroots sort of way, I recommend looking at Shelf Awareness, genre-specific publications such as Locus, or even this very blog, Mythcreants.
Once there’s a tidal wave within a genre, it’s already started a slow decline from its highest point. It’s best to ride the crest of that wave, rather than coast behind it. Many imitators will follow in the wake of any successful genre hit, so a writer needs to be second in line or making their own waves. Once many more works like the hit are published, writers should move on to something else more unique or find the next hit to follow.
What to Do With Manuscripts in Unpopular Genres
Writers within struggling genres should not be discouraged, as literary agents and book publishers might still take them on. Rather than resorting to the perils of self-publishing or putting manuscripts away until those genres have a popular resurgence, I would suggest not explicitly referencing the genre. For instance, when querying a literary agent or when your novel is pitched to a publisher, rather than stating that it is a horror novel, one could say that it is a “dark and terrifying novel,” etc.
One particular client of ours, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, essentially elevated the vampire genre to upmarket fiction (where literary fiction meets commercial fiction). When our agency sold his trilogy to Ballantine/Random House, we never referred to it as a vampire novel, but rather as “an epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival.” We discouraged his publisher from referring to the books as vampire novels, since that genre was not in vogue. More readers were able to come to the trilogy that way.
Do you have a quick pitch you want to test to see if it is viable in the publishing landscape? Do you have questions about this article? Leave them in the comments below.
Literary Agent Mark Gottlieb currently works at Publishers Marketplace’s #1-ranked literary agency, Trident Media Group. Mark has ranked #1 among literary agents on publishersmarketplace.com in Overall Deals and other categories.
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a story of acceptence and the stresses of leadership set against a race against time.
Hi Kathline,
I think that makes for a nice and concise pitch. Please do feel free to email the query letter my way, thanks.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Given the average time it takes for a novel to be created, edited, and so on … how do I know whether or not what I write is still going strong by the time it’s done?
Hi Cay,
You must have conviction to want to write fiction, since a novel can only be sold on a full manuscript, whereas non-fiction can be sold on proposal-basis. It’s my belief that good quality writing will always win the day, regardless of genre, but it’s important how one presents that genre to industry professionals.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Hi Mark!
Thanks for the answer.
I know it takes me a while to write a full manuscript and even more time to polish it, but since I’m self-publishing, I don’t have to worry too much about the genre I write in (which is adventure/espionage), but I always find it a little difficult to say ‘this genre is booming, so write something in this genre.’ I have churned out 60k and more in a month or less (first draft, far from finished product), but by the time the book is ready to be sold, the booming genres could be others again already.
Hi Cay,
Don’t feel discouraged at all! I wish this article had come off in a more encouraging sort of way to authors. The purpose of this article is really to show new and aspiring authors how to dress up their genre in the right way to make it sound appealing to us industry types.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
It’s a nice articule, but I must admit that as a part-timer I don’t find it particularuly useful. It takes me 7-9 months to write a full manuscript of between 60-90k words, and I imagine that even if one day I finish a work that I’ll think is good enough to publish, it would take another 6 months to polish it. Overall, 1.5 years. Whathever trends are there when I begin, they will completely change by the time I’m finished. Keeping tabs on what’s searched for migth be useful for someone who already has a few works from various subgenres ready to submit – until then, I’d say write what you like, but as various as possible.
Hi “Passerby,”
Thank you for thinking it a nice article and I wish it could have been more useful to you. Writing does take time. Maybe by the time someone has finished their novel, they would have unwittingly created a sub-genre of SFF or stumbled into a hot one. I’d also point you to my reply to the comment above, indicating that regardless of genre I think good writing will always win the day. So write away and in whatever genre one pleases. I still recommend being aware of the genres that are and are not currently working in order to present oneself in the best light.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
A grimdark fairy tale about the intersection of choice, power, and agency. Book 1 of a series.
Hi Dallas,
Thanks for that. Feel free to email a query letter my way.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Thank you for the informative article and advice.
I feel I’m struggling to present the genre of my novel. It’s a cross of literary fiction, fantasy and philosophical quest (the latter I was told is not really a genre, though Coehlo’s Alchemist is described as such frequently). It’s a take on the world as whole, humanity, philosophy and understanding of it from the female point of view and female MC. Sort of Alchemist meets Master & Margaret. Do you think there is a place on the market right now for this sort of a novel?
Thank you!
Hi Cara,
Thanks for sharing that. It actually sounds rather promising to me if you’d like to email me a query letter about it!
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Thanks for the insight into what publishers are looking for right now. It always helps to know what the hot markets are for traditional publishers.
I do take exception to your comment about “the perils of self-publishing”. As an independently-published author, I find the road of indie publishing much easier than the long and arduous epic journey of going traditional, which can take years of query letters just to get an agent to review your manuscript, nothing to say of publication. And when you do achieve that elusive goal of publication, what then? Will your book bring you enough money in terms of an advance or royalties to make up for the time trying to get the manuscript to this point? Will the publisher keep you on to see you through your series? Will the book stay in print long enough for you to ever see royalties or buy-through?
In contrast, many indie publishers are able to reap rewards right away, with solid marketing efforts and a faster publication schedule than pretty much any traditional publishing house. Even minimal marketing of a single title with a good cover can bring in at least 4 figures.
Indeed, indie publishing does take more work after publication to market the book, but isn’t that time better spent than endlessly querying people who won’t even give it a chance?
When you speak of “perils” it might be nice to qualify what you mean by that, since most of the indie authors I know are doing quite well with their books and don’t find it perilous at all.
Hi Jackie,
I am glad you found some of the insights useful.
For the purposes of this article, this was more of a discussion about how to present one’s genre to traditional publishers, rather than what I think some of the difficulties of self-publishing can be, which was merely alluded to, since you can tell from the length of my response that the “perils” of self-publishing could be an article all on its own. I am glad you found that self-publishing works well for you, though. Oftentimes self-publishing can be a nice proving ground for major trade book publishing.
While there are some successes that come out of the self-publishing space, those successes are few and far between among the millions of self-published titles on Amazon, where it’s just plain difficult to stand out in the sea of books. It takes a lot of marketing savvy to make for a successfully self-published title that actually sells in excess of 50,000 copies at a decent price, which is why a successful book really takes a village of people. The sad truth of self-publishing is that the average self-published title will sell less than a dozen copies in the lifetime of the book. That’s if friends and loved ones buy the book, really.
Most of my clients are debut authors who have not been querying all that long, since they met me. Others are self-published authors who were happy or unhappy with self-publishing and found more success in traditional book publishing by building their business even bigger. I think they came to realize that it’s better to have a little bit of something rather than a lot of nothing in terms of their share of royalties. I’ve done 95 book deals to-date which amounts to averaging 1-2 new book deals/month since my time at Trident, which is a lot. In any given 6-12-month period I am leading the agency in volume of deals. So most authors, who would otherwise have a hard time of the querying and publishing process, might see some more success with a literary agent like me. Maybe they wouldn’t feel so disenfranchised with the publishing process after having a good book publishing experience.
I also happen to think authors publishing primarily in eBook are missing out on the world of print, foreign rights, audio and book-to-film/TV since they’re primarily in one revenue channel. Being in one revenue channel also means an author is prey to whatever that one market dictates. For instance, when Amazon lowered the royalty rates paid to authors in ACX (audio self-publishing), there was nothing authors stuck in that ecosystem could do. Kindle Unlimited also proved to be disastrous for some authors since whenever Amazon tries an experiment in the lab, many lives hang in the balance. I’m convinced Amazon will continue to lower amounts paid to authors very slowly and subtly over time, since they need to turn a profit, rather than merely having market share. Personally, I’d rather not be a frog living in a lake where a power plant was putting its cooling rods in the water, thereby slowly cooking me alive. In business it’s always advisable to diversify one’s portfolio.
Lastly, I will say that even though traditional publishing can be slower it’s usually more beneficial when the train can make more stops with more sights to see. It is also my opinion that there’s a bigger financial and personal time risk involved in self-publishing, where an author could potentially damage their track record, than there is in having a publisher pay a book advance and royalties to an author for a book.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
I’m confused by this statement:
“The town ain’t big enough for two authors like her in a particular season or publishing year. Publishers don’t want to cannibalize their own book sales by creating competition among their authors.”
Are you suggesting that publishing is a zero-sum game? Because the books referenced as examples would suggest the opposite. Publishers Weekly routinely refers to the big bestsellers as having expanded the market because they bring in casual or non-readers.
And then there is the issue that any one publishing house is competing against other publishers, and against other media options (TV, movies, gaming, etc). Are publishers then wary of publishing too much crime fiction because CSI is popular on TV? Or too many zombie books because The Walking Dead is big?
If it is a zero-sum game for new or non-big name authors, doesn’t this just make it more worthwhile for new authors not to submit to a publishing house?
Hi Tyson,
Thanks for your question. My statement indicates that publishers do not like to make for competition for themselves with books they are already publishing. Let’s say an author has written a book about two lovers who fall in love and want to kiss but their families don’t want for it and a given publisher is publishing that book. Then another author comes along and wants to sell a similar storyline to that book publisher. It’s highly unlikely the publisher would take that similar book on, since they already have one on their list and wouldn’t want to create difficulty between the two authors while the books could potentially eat into each other’s sales. It would be like you buying two bathtubs for the same bathroom to just take up more space. Does that make sense?
Publishers are more willing to compete with other publishing houses than they are with themselves within a given imprint at a publishing house (they have Harry Potter, so let’s find our own version of Harry Potter to publish, etc.).
Even with this in mind it’s not a futile effort. Taking an existing idea and putting a new and different spin on it is one way to go about it, while presenting it in the right light, which I make reference to in the blog article above.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Thanks for the reply, Mark.
So it is essentially regarded as zero-sum in house, but not always in the larger marketplace. This raises some interesting questions for what amalgamations will do to the industry, especially as to how independent imprints are.
And yes, don’t worry, I haven’t given up. I’m certainly trying to offer an original spin on things in my writing. Nothing quite like seeing novels devoid of humour to know what that spin should be.
Regards, Tyson.
Hi Tyson,
Just making sure you saw my point that it’s more of a problem for a given imprint than an entire publishing house.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Thanks to Tyson Adams for asking, and Mark for clarifying the imprint issue, which I was about to ask about after it occurred to me that Katherine Tegen Books, for example, is not all of HarperCollins, or even HarperCollins Kids, which has a dozen other imprints in the US.
So consolidation does not seem to have produced quite the monoliths it has created in some other industries. Indeed imprints used to sometimes compete with each other within large publishing houses, at least in the past.
Hi Tyson,
Just making sure you saw my point about this being more of an issue for a given imprint at a publishing house than an entire publishing house.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Out of curiosity, so what exactly is the difference between “historical fantasy” in say Victorian fantasy versus “steampunk”?
Also on a tangential note, for those of us nearing our first completed manuscript. Would you recommend trying to go to a literary agent first, approaching larger companies as unsolicited public manuscripts, or trying to work the short story market? (I’ve heard this as a suggestion before, make a reputation with short stories before pitching novel length manuscripts).
Hi Bobbie,
I think that historical fantasy fiction, even if it were to take place in the victorian era, is still distinct from steampunk. Of course I can see how a steampunk set in Victorian times could share some similarities, so rather than referring to something as steampunk, the author might simply want to call it historical fantasy in order to avoid the steampunk term, thereby letting a potential agent or editor fall in love with the writing itself. Steampunk did have its moment in the sun but has cooled off for a bit in the last few years.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
I was a little confused. You seems to be suggesting that the market changes so quickly that your choice of genre may be out of fashion by the time the ink drys on the “pitch” letter? I prefer my chances in the murky perils of the self publishing world – no gatekeepers, control over your marketing destiny, no wait time until the book is finally published (it might miss the trend) and all royalties to the author. If this article was supposed to warn against self publishing, it missed the mark.
Hi Jackie,
As you can see from the title of the article and meat of the article, this is more so about genres that are working well in book publishing and short of a writer who is writing within a healthy genre, how to present oneself in a better light. It has very little to do with what I consider to be the perils of self-publishing, although some in the comments section seem interested in that topic. In any event, I’m glad that you’ve found that self-publishing works well for you.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Many thanks to Mark Gottlieb, Mythcreants, and all commenters for this interesting and provocative article and discussion! The reference to revenue channels is particularly interesting. Perhaps we writers should think of ourselves as storytellers rather than just novelists, and not feel imprisoned by any single media format or genre.
I’ve completed a trilogy I usually describe as YA Dieselpunk (as distinct from Steampunk) but it could also be called SF, or Action/Adventure. In any case, I’ll give the description more consideration before querying.
Hi John,
Thanks for your kind words. Sometimes folks forget to actually say nice things in the comments section when they have a thought or criticism to share.
I do agree with you that authors should not limit themselves to the eBook space alone, and the same could be said of traditional publishing, were it not to involve so many different and varied sales channels for books with front-of-store placement online and in physical retail. I do see authors in a hybrid publishing model between eBook self-publishing and traditional book publishing that also sometimes works well for them. For instance, we have a Digital Media & Publishing program that assists our clients in their eBook self-publishing and marketing endeavors. More about that program here: http://www.tridentmediagroup.com/services/digital-media-and-publishing
Hope to see your query letter when you’re feeling ready, thanks.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
How do you save a girl who’s already died 34 times? A world-spanning tale of survival and romance.
Hi Mike,
Sounds intriguing. Please do email the query letter my way, thanks.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
A modern (1920s actually) retelling of a fairy tale, about a young girl who must break the curse on her family, who have been turned into black swans by a capricious amoral fairy woman. It takes the girl seven years to break the curse, with the fairy woman trying to throw every obstacle at her.
Other story ideas of mine include a time travel romance mixed with adventure, horror, mystery, historical fiction, coming of age, picaresque and Jungian themes. Another is fantasy (similar to Narnia) involving both child and some adult heroes, gods, mythic creatures, talking animals and mythic elements. Another one is a GOT esque world but without magic or monsters, but contains colonialism, witch trials, inqusitions, civil wars, revolutions, piracy, slavery, etc.
Hi Sam,
You present several ideas here. May I assume the first one is your best foot forward? If so, curious to know the age range for that one. Feel free to query me via email, thanks.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
The First one is my best foot forward (as you say). I haven’t really thought of the age range (some scenes involve having the Heroine getting her first period, and the father is revealed to have been having an affair with the Fairy Woman and sired a child through her, the Heroine’s half-sister). My best guess is, perhaps, early teens/preteens?
A too perfect marriage ends in a gruesome murder when the worst qualities of the husband, are awakened by his wife’s relationship with the dead.
@Literary Agent Mark Gottlieb, I just *really* want to offer kudos over your comments in this thread.
Hi “SunlessNick,”
Thanks very much for the kind words. I hope the article helped, too.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
I do not have a pitch, but a question. I am curious as to what ‘not vampire’ trilogy you reference in the article. You give it very high praise and I am intrigued.
Thank you
Hi August,
That information was obscured to respect the privacy of the author.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Historical fantasy set in a Renaissance-ish Italy where voices are magical and singing is controlled by the Church. Enter our heroine who stumbles into Church intrigue and family drama at the vocal academy. She upsets the hierarchy of the Church and inadvertently triggers the Reformation.
Hi Sara,
This sounds interesting. Please email a query letter my way.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
WOW. I can’t say I’ve been previously interested in Renaissance(ish)-set fiction all that much, but if anything could perk up my interest in it, it’d be a concept like that! That’s a fun-sounding one.
I have a recently completed/ edited child abuse, addiction, and magical adventure dark fantasy unseen manuscript collecting dust. Nice to know there is an interest in Dark Fantasy.
Thank you for the time and effort that you’ve put into this article and into your responses. Although I appreciate the expertise that you have shared and the suggestions offered, I especially appreciate the voice in which everything has been delivered. Trident Media Group appears to be an outstanding agency and I’m now even more impressed.
I’ve struggled with a subgenre classification for my middle grade novel but had settled on “Contemporary Fantasy.” Now I see that, not only is the subgenre a less-than-accurate description, the words could possibly kill my manuscript’s chances at the query phase.
Any suggestions on a better description for a predominantly character-driven, contemporary story punctuated by a plot-driven, epic fantasy element (with a twist or two)?
Hi Bridget,
I am glad to hear you enjoyed the article, thanks. You might simply try calling it children’s fantasy of middle grade fantasy.
All the best,
Mark
Mark Gottlieb
Literary Agent
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, Floor 36
New York, NY 10010
(212) 333-1506
tridentmediagroup.com
Sorry, I know I’m coming late to the conversation, but I just saw this article in Speculative Fiction Showcase.
Do you think it’s useful to include recent news when pitching a story?
The news about new gene editing techniques using CRISPR is directly related to my scifi mystery.
(What’s the promise and peril of gene editing? We talk w/ @AmyDMarcus @ArthurCaplan Paula Amato & Marcy Darnovsky http://wbur.fm/2ukA0r2 )
My pitch: Feminist must team up w/Capt.Kirkish hero to uncover genetic engineering conspiracy on her matriarchal planet.
I’m a little surprised to see “urban fantasy” on the list of “cold” genres – as far as I can tell, it’s relatively perennial, due to its versatility, and has been since maybe the 1990s?
Then again, I suppose it’s hard to compete against some of those Big Names (Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, etc) – is the suggestion here meant to be more along the lines of “don’t label it ‘Urban Fantasy’, because everybody is doing ‘Urban Fantasy’ – label it by what’s going on in it, because that stands out more?” (Which certainly seems to be your more overt suggestion with Horror, due to everyone comparing new Horror novels to the reigning masters, King and Koontz).
If so, at that point, I’m halfway tempted to agree with another bit of writing advice I’ve seen recently: “Genre labels are nothing more than marketing labels. Ignore them entirely.”
Which, I tend to ordinarily disagree with, if only a little, because even just during the writing process, I find that knowing the labels for – and therefore being able to look up – other works that have shared some tropes and archetypes, can be useful for coming up with refreshing twists on seemingly cliche concepts (did you know there’s STILL hardly any female “Hardboiled Detective” characters, for example? Take a wild guess as to why Jessica Jones stands out as well as she does, in the now-crowded field of superhero stories…)
But…nonetheless, there’s probably something to be said for focusing on more than just labels, or perhaps almost no “labels” at all. The way you describe it here, again particularly in regards to Horror, it almost seems like the article would have been better focused on – and better titled as – “Why you shouldn’t bother with genre labels when pitching a story”.
Seriously. Because by your logic, I can’t help but think – since the “popular” labels could completely shift in just a few months, why focus on them at all in the first place, when you can focus on just the characters, themes, concept and tone of the story? A.k.a. the stuff that really sells it to the individual reader anyway?
Actually come to think of it, this is a fun challenge. I think I’ll give it a try!
A couple of “elevator pitches” for books I’ve been working on lately:
“A tense but heartfelt story where the fate of the world itself might just depend on a mixed-race tomboy from SoCal, and her two geeky buddies.”
“An LAPD Detective loses her daughter to the one serial killer she failed to catch – only to discover that the killer, and indeed the world itself, are not what she thought, and that her daughter might be far from the last victim in a violent conflict that’s been building for over a decade.”
So…what do you think? Did I rob it of enough genre labels and keywords to be able to pitch them both (almost) anywhere, you think? ;)
Heh. I should try this more often, it’s fun! :D
Put very roughly, it looks like the more “realistic” subgenres are hot. The wilder or more “fantastic” subgenres are cold.
Interesting point. Though Mark Gottlieb wrote:-
“By the time this article is published, the hot and cold genres could have changed. This is often thanks to pop culture.”
And that was six months ago!
If I write fiction as hobby, maybe it’s worth publishing my work in the Internet for free, under Creative Commons free licenses? If that, what do you think of CC0? Is it worth using for an aspiring writer?
Since epic fantasy is cold, can we expect lower word count requirements for fantasy submissions in general?
What’s the word count range for Dark Fantasy, Magical Realism, and Historical Fantasy?
My fantasy is dark (headhunting, cannibalism, human sacrifice) and historical (Neolithic East Asia). I also consider it “magical realism” because of “Tolkeinesque” descriptions and because the narrator lives in a society shaped by magical thought. They see the gods, spirits, and ethers in all things…
Would you count this as “magical realism” and would you market it to agents as all three?
You could probably label it as Neolithic epic or Neolithic political drama. That would give the publishers a good idea what shelf to put it on, which is all the labels are for (everything before ‘once upon a time’ and after ‘the end, is decided by the publishers).
I don’t think you have to worry too much about word count. What’s the word count of A Song of Ice and Fire?
Hello,
I’ve been a published author of a time~travel/alt~history series for ten years.
My readership is small, but dedicated to my work. My publisher just closed shop and now I’m out on my own again.
By reading your article I suppose my action-packed novels deliver Vonnegut humor and wit, now I think my genre could be historical fantasy or literary sci-fi. My books also dig deep into pre-history as well, where my four time travelers acquire a Neanderthal and prehistoric cave lion.
Thank you for this little tip of useful info.
D.L. Narrol
dlnarrol-author.com
Mark, do you have any thoughts on a novel concerning a novel with a vampire protagonist that is comic and a satire of current politics and culture? It isn’t genre in the usual sense.
A young woman with high functioning autism goes to a boarding school where she is not only bullied but discovers that the students and faculty want to sacrifice her to end a town wide curse. (Fantasy, RH, Romance, Autism)
Hello Mark: I enjoyed reading your previous comments. I have a finished novel that I would love to pitch to you. It is one of 5 complete novels about my protagonist, Kiefer Fagan, who works for the US Department of State.
Kiefer Fagan is an intelligence operative whose on a mission to infiltrate a group of Nazi mercenaries in Syria who are planning to overthrow the Syrian government.