Genre

[RoseWrites]

How do you go about determining what genre your book is? At first I always thought, how could you not know? But now I'm coming across this w/my story and I'm not sure. It's fiction, based on a true story. It has humor, drama, action but one doesn't really override the others and stand out more. How should I go about determining this as I'll need to include this information once I start sending my query out? Any tips would be so helpful!

[Aconite]

Rose, you haven't finished the book yet, so you may not be able to tell yet. Wait until it's done -- really done -- and see if it's clear to you then.

When people talk about "genre," they're usually talking about whether the book is romance, mystery, science fiction, Western -- stuff like that Those are basically marketing categories. "Humor" and "drama" aren't genres in that sense. Do I remember correctly that your book was going to be for a Young Adult audience? If so, you'll be pitching it as YA.

[RoseWrites]

I'm very near the end, and now i'm also wondering if it's more young adult or just adult fiction. I suppose I shouldn't be worrying about all the little things right now, but it's in my nature. What I was saying is that because of all the many things going on in the story, I wasn't sure how it would be labeled. I've never come this close to completing a manuscript before. *sigh*

[GPatten]

Rose:

I think you might have your answerer. I had the same question several days ago too.

I wish someone who knows would write an in depth explanation to that in a sticky topic. It is one of the most confusing subjects in writing I’ve run across.

[Cathy C]

Happy to oblige, Rose and GPatten! This is part of a class that I'm teaching at this moment for a romance writing group. But to know what SUBGENRE a romance is, first you have to know the GENRE. This was the first lecture and should shed some light on the subject.


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LECTURE #1A - What is a genre?
By Cathy Clamp
Welcome, everyone!

I’m very flattered and pleased that so many of you have decided to attend my workshop on genres, sub-genres and marketing in romance fiction. But before we get started on any assignments, we need to think about the concept of genres. What IS a genre?

Simply put, a genre is where in a bookstore a shopkeeper is going to shelve a book. History and market research has taught booksellers that readers prefer to find books on the same topic in the same location of the store every time they visit. So booksellers asked publishers to tell them what sort of books they were selling. Publishers responded to the booksellers’ wishes by including the genre of the book on the spine, or as a line in the catalogue of new releases. Booksellers could buy with confidence and place similar titles together for the readers to find. For example, you couldn’t walk into the horror section and expect to find a book by Nora Roberts. But you can find offerings by Stephen King.

Now, before we can talk about the SUB-genre of romance, we need to first decide "what is a romance?" For our purposes and until further notice, we will use the tried and true definition that the publishers use. A romance is a book where the primary plot centers around people falling in love and remaining together at the end. This is known as a "Happily Ever After" or "HEA". Since it is a unique definition among genres (it’s not an element of horror, or western or suspense, for example), it will do until we hear otherwise.

Okay, so we know what a romance is. In order to add elements that make a book a SUB-genre, we need to know the definition of other genres. The following is a list of other genres that you will see on the shelves in bookstores. I’ve used popular movies to give an example of the definitions.

Action: The plot must contain problem-solving by the H/h (Hero or heroine) a threat of danger to third parties, and constant movement toward the stated goal. An example would be the Die Hard movies.

Adventure: The plot must contain physical hazards to the H/h, travel to other, sometimes exotic locales for the H/h, a threat of danger to third parties AND to the H/h, plus the stated goal (or an undiscovered-at-the-opening secondary goal) must be achieved. Raiders of the Lost Ark is an example of an adventure.

Chick-Lit: This is a relatively new addition to genre books. It contains a combination of romance and feminist styles with humor. It usually has an urban setting and comedic situations about real life and love. A chick-lit would The First Wives' Club.

Children's. Children's books are broken down into groups which include picture books that have illustrations to tell the story, early reader geared toward ages 4-8 with short sentences, early chapter books geared toward children of 7-9, middle grade books from 9-12. They have situations that include overcoming loneliness, working together as a team, friendship adventure where there is no actual risk of loss of life, and if death is included at all, it’s handled briefly with a satisfactory ending (Charlotte’s Web or Babe) There may also be moral values, light romance and humor. There are often talking animals in fantasy settings.

Contemporary: This isn't quite a category. You can have contemporary horror, contemporary paranormal, contemporary mysteries, etc. Mostly, this is a "here and now" description that means that the setting of the book is on this earth, in this time, and usually (but not always) in an urban setting.

Erotic: As a category, erotica is considered romance, but there is no requirement that there be a HEA, or that the H/h have sex only with each other. Third parties may flow through the plot, but normally the language is rated R or above. Red Shoe Diaries is an example of erotic.

Experimental: Sometimes called "speculative", this is edgy writing either in style or content (think ee cummings, who seldom used capital letters or punctuation. In his time, he was considered experimental.) This type of writing can be annoying to some because one of the primary goals is to shock the consciousness. Examples would be Pulp Fiction or Mulholland Drive.

Fantasy: A key requirement of a fantasy world is "world-building". Usually action based, it must be set on another world, or in a reality not like our existing reality. The rules must make sense for the created reality, but do not have to apply Earth physics. The Chronicles of Riddick or the mini-series Battlestar Galactica are examples of fantasy (even though they have science-fiction elements).

Feminist: The plot must contain a device which allows a female to move from a subjugated position to one of authority. Some might consider 9 to 5 or She-Devil to be feminist stories, in addition to comedy.

General: General fiction is sort of the dropping grounds of anything that is not genre fiction. It usually requires internal conflict (dealing with feelings created by real-life health or emotional situations) and learning lessons about life and death. On Golden Pond is an example of general fiction.

Horror: The plot must contain earthly or otherworldly threats to the H/h that end in death or torture of third parties and continual threat of death to the H/h. This need not have a HEA. In other words, in horror, the H/h may die and the bad guys win. An example of this would be Stephen King's The Shining. Several key characters don't make it out alive.

Humor. Also called Comedy, this style of book has the main goal to make the reader laugh. It’s often combined with romance, action or science fiction/fantasy to achieve the humor vehicle of outrageous actions. Austin Powers and Men In Black are examples of humor.

Inspirational: The plot must contain elements of faith in a higher power, depending on the religion involved. In past years, it was loosely defined as primarily Christian-based stories, but more books are being written from the Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu points of view. In addition, more movies of all genres are presently being produced every year in "Bollywood" in India than in Hollywood currently, and most contain a strong Hindu theme.

Literary: The plot must contain vivid descriptions of setting and expansive plots and characters where the problems solved are internal, rather than external. An example of this would be Out of Africa.

Mainstream: Again, mainstream is more a description of "type." Most hardback and paperback books are mainstream fiction, from comedy to action to thrillers.

Mystery: The plot must include the solving of a single problem (usually involving murder, but not required). Other problems may also be inserted and solved, but the one problem (i.e., finding the killer) must be resolved. Murder on the Orient Express is an example of a mystery.

Niche: Like mainstream, a niche book is one that will appeal to a particular user, but not a wide range of readers. For example, a novel about Brazilian llamas with no other elements will have a niche market of those who like llamas and/or people who like Brazil.

Paranormal: A paranormal novel includes elements of legend, whether shapeshifters, vampires, mummies, witches, etc. They often include horror elements or romantic elements based on existing folklore or legends, but they are always set in our current reality, whether past or present, and use creatures that are rumored to exist or existed in the past based on handed-down legends. American Werewolf in London and Dracula are examples of paranormal (but are often shelved in horror or fantasy.)

Science-Fiction: The key elements of science-fiction, whether hard science or soft science is the requirement is the USE of science and that the science be Earth-based and at least "possible". Usually the key elements include either a future time or a brilliant inventor in a past time, or even time-travel. Examples would be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or Star Trek. Even War of the Worlds would qualify, because the science, although from a distant planet, was understandable to the human mind.

Suspense: Thrillers differ from suspense in the level of action. Suspense novels generally have less action involved. Rear Window is a classic suspense.

Thriller: The plot may be intellectual or physical in nature, but the *threat* of world domination, world destruction or some other major catastrophe that involves people beyond the H/h or their friends/family must be a primary plot device. An example of this would be Enemy of the State.

Western: There are two sub-categories of westerns. Historicals include anything pre-1910, anywhere in the world. True westerns are set from the period of 1830-1900 in the western United States. A Historical would be Wuthering Heights (again, often considered a romance, but a key element is missing). An example of a Western is The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Women's: Again, this contains many different sub-genre, but usually it entails family oriented stories that span one, two or three generations and usually contain internal problem solving and familial relationships. Fried Green Tomatoes is an example.

Young Adult: Young Adult books are targeted to children aged 12-18. They can include any other genre, from westerns to fantasy, but the H/h are typically the same age as the reader and the situations don't generally include sexual romance. An example is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

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Does that help? :D

[Hermit]

That was awesome Cathy C! Well done! It helped me and I think it will help lots of others too.

[GPatten]

That was awesome Cathy C! Well done! It helped me and I think it will help lots of others too.

Yes, it was! :Clap:

I've looked everywhere for that. Thanks Kathy C.