How to classify this novel...

mamaesme · Jan 9, 2009

Gah. Shoot. me. now. *headdesk*

How would one classify a story that is firmly in young adult but includes reincarnation and Elizabeth the first? (Think Meg Cabot's AVALON HIGH except more adventure-y)

I know young adult (mc is 18, so duh), but would you go with fantasy or historical or both, or some other subcategory?

Writing is easy, the part after is what is hard. Apparently.

underthecity · Jan 9, 2009

mamaesme said:
Writing is easy, the part after is what is hard. Apparently.

Tell me about it.

What does it lean more toward? You have two choices, so it might be easier than my own dilemma (see my other thread).

From what little you've said, a reincarnation might be more Fantasy than Historical.

Feathers · Jan 9, 2009

Gah. Shoot. me. now. *headdesk*

You called? :tongue

I think there actually is a term for historical fantasies - maybe even "historical fantasy." Question - is your story set in the past, or do the MC's time travel there? Time travel more or less equals SF; set-in-past is a historical with other elements. But I'm not sure. I think I need to know more about your story. Like,

Is there much sf or special technology in your story? That could land it squarely in the steampunk category.

Is the reincarnation via magic? That could give your story a fantasy twist. Or is it via the supernatural? That would make it more paranormal.

Hope that didn't confuse you more!
-Feathers

mamaesme · Jan 9, 2009

Feathers said:
You called? :tounge:

Question - is your story set in the past, or do the MC's time travel there? Time travel more or less equals SF; set-in-past is a historical with other elements. But I'm not sure. I think I need to know more about your story. Like,

Is there much sf or special technology in your story? That could land it squarely in the steampunk category.

Is the reincarnation via magic? That could give your story a fantasy twist. Or is it via the supernatural? That would make it more paranormal.

If anything, it's more paranormal/fantasy. It's implied that it's Mary Tudor's fault since it's rumored she dealt with black magic trying to get preggers. There's a lot of room for a sequel and I'm tying up lose ends as we speak, so not everything is 'included', just for wiggle room.

The characters are firmly in the present. They just have the memories of the past, whispers in their minds, and in the case of some characters, the 'past self' has taken over the 'present self'. Like Mary is in control instead of a teenage girl.

It really messes with the sense of personality with the character and establishing a sense of self.

This concept is so complicated. *screams into a pillow*

dwellerofthedeep · Jan 9, 2009

I'd go with urban fantasy, I guess, though that's only a rough approximation. It sounds cool to me anyway.

mamaesme · Jan 9, 2009

dwellerofthedeep said:
It sounds cool to me anyway.

You just gained my undying gratitude. Just so you know.

ChaosTitan · Jan 9, 2009

YA fantasy sounds fine.

IceCreamEmpress · Jan 9, 2009

Yeah, that's YA fantasy. It's not historical, because historical novels are about the world as it was. And it's not really alternative history, because if there are fantasy or paranormal elements, that generally excludes it from that category (Harry Turtledove's "Cross-Time Traffic" series is alt-history, but Elizabeth Bear's "Gloriana" series is fantasy, because the historical change in her world involves faery).

mamaesme · Jan 9, 2009

Thanks all. I finally know how exactly to classify this. Whoot!

JonasDG · Jan 13, 2009

I'd like to pick up this thread with my own book. (I don't like to hop other people's threads, so sorry :s)

I was pretty sure my book was a historical romance, until I got some rejection letters that all informed me they weren't the right agents for my book. However, I know all of them to be established agents in the field. So either this is the tacky "it isn't you but it's me"-rejection or they have a point.

To give you an idea, my query's description of the book:
Throughout the past two years, Cartor Curs, freshly appointed Earl of Monkchester, has seen his ambition and youthful spirit turn into an unfullfilling world of adequacy and routine. He relives when two new roads present themselves to him, one in the form of a coy but intriguing woman that he picks off the streets, the other a Danish invasion that offers him a chance to regain the recognition and glory he had so long been denied. Soon, however, he finds that neither is an easy path to walk and both are inevitably entwined with each other.

In the next paragraph I do emphasize that it's psychologically in-depth and that the main character has some rather modern points of view for the 9th century, but I doubt that would change the genre, right?

What do you think?

Hillgate · Jan 13, 2009

My agent changes my crappy titles and self-help classification all the time: don't trust yourself to be able to classify your own book especially if it's your first. Best to let someone else do it for you!!

TsukiRyoko · Jan 13, 2009

If the time's the present, the historical's out despite the historical elements. I'd agree with some of the posts before em in saying that YA fantasy is definitely the way to go.

IceCreamEmpress · Jan 14, 2009

JonasDG said:
I'd like to pick up this thread with my own book. (I don't like to hop other people's threads, so sorry :s)

I was pretty sure my book was a historical romance

The description of your book sounds nothing like a romance. I am very confused.

until I got some rejection letters that all informed me they weren't the right agents for my book. However, I know all of them to be established agents in the field. So either this is the tacky "it isn't you but it's me"-rejection or they have a point.

I think they have a point. As a genre, "romance" is about two people falling in love and the struggles they overcome to be together. Other stuff can happen, but the main plot line has to be about the romance between the main character and his/her partner.

To give you an idea, my query's description of the book:
Throughout the past two years, Cartor Curs, freshly appointed Earl of Monkchester, has seen his ambition and youthful spirit turn into an unfullfilling world of adequacy and routine. He relives when two new roads present themselves to him, one in the form of a coy but intriguing woman that he picks off the streets, the other a Danish invasion that offers him a chance to regain the recognition and glory he had so long been denied. Soon, however, he finds that neither is an easy path to walk and both are inevitably entwined with each other.

Your word choice is very confusing. "Relives", for instance, doesn't make sense. And "coy" doesn't seem like the right word there at all. Nor does "appointed"--earls aren't "appointed", they're "invested" (if they inherit from the prior earl) or "created" (if they're the first to hold the earldom).

In any case, your novel doesn't sound like a romance at all. It sounds like a straightforward historical novel.

It also doesn't sound very historically accurate, but that's a whole other issue.

JonasDG · Jan 14, 2009

The romance part is about half the book, while what could be classified as personal adventures of the main character take the other half. The two parts are mixed of course. I'm just saying, I get the feeling there is too much romance not to mention it, but too few to make it the genre. Therefor I chose historical romance. Of course, if historical romance is read just the same as plain romance, I should label it differently.

nevada · Jan 15, 2009

JonasDG said:
Of course, if historical romance is read just the same as plain romance, I should label it differently.

historical romance is just the same as plain romance, only, yanno, historical. what you have is a straigthforward historical. romance as a genre has some very strict requirements, none of which it sounds like you have met. so yeah, if you queried agents who represent historical romance, you picked the wrong agents. sorry.

JonasDG · Jan 15, 2009

Odd thing is that most (if not all) of these agents also rep historical fiction (without romance), so they'd still be fit for me. I guess just I turned them off by saying it's a historical romance when they concluded that it isn't.

Guess historical romance is just another term that I understood differently than established publishing terms, like young adult isn't used in the true meaning of the word (adults in their twenties) but for children between 12 and 18. It's really hard to see the difference when people so readily presume everyone already knows it.

Thanks for the help, it's much appreciated!

nevada · Jan 15, 2009

research is your friend

im actually a bit surprised about the YA thing though. in my library YA is clearly shelved in the children's section.

it does sound like you need to do quite a bit of research before you start querying again, and i'd take a close look at what icecream empress has said.

JonasDG · Jan 15, 2009

If you look it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_adult
I know young adult means 'older' children in the world of writing, but that's not its original and -in my environment- more commonly used meaning. Even more, if your target audience happens to be 18 to 39, how can you possibly refer to them anymore? The correct term, young adult, is already taken. Unless publishers found their own alternative for that too by now.

icecream empress' comments are under construction in my query, which was -admittingly- very poor.

Phaeal · Jan 15, 2009

18-39 is plain old adult. Let's not add another reader's age ghetto to the business -- YA is bad enough. Can't just be me who was capable of reading books with adult MCs when I was 12-17, and who is capable many years later of reading books with child or adolescent MCs.

I'm female, and I can read books with male MCs.

I'm white, and I can read books with MCs of any race.

I live in a city, and I can read books with rural MCs.

MC of a different religion, sexual orientation, income level, bloody species? No problem.

Anyhow, rant off.

Charlie Horse · Jan 15, 2009

Me thinks this train has derailed.

nevada · Jan 15, 2009

JonasDG said:
If you look it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_adult
I know young adult means 'older' children in the world of writing, but that's not its original and -in my environment- more commonly used meaning.

which is why you research. don't assume. and anyway the wikki definition clearly lists the publishing definition of YA. research. seriously.

How to classify this novel...

mamaesme

underthecity

Finestkind

Feathers

emerging from the writing cave

mamaesme

dwellerofthedeep

Electric Alien Fish Machine

mamaesme

ChaosTitan

Around

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago

mamaesme

JonasDG

Hillgate

On location

TsukiRyoko

Forced into cell phone life

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago

JonasDG

nevada

JonasDG

nevada

JonasDG

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

Charlie Horse

Speaking in metaphors

nevada