What genre is this?

Monlette · Feb 18, 2010

I just finished a draft for a novel. At its heart it's a murder mystery, but the murder doesn't take place until the middle of the novel.

Mostly it's a comedy of error where my heroine enters into a couple of eccentric and awful relationships without realizing that her prince is in plain sight. (Until a chapter or two before the dramatic conclusion, that is.)

I'm thinking romantic comedy? If so, are there publishers that specialize in this? And do they demand a certain formula be met?

jana13k · Feb 18, 2010

I am so sorry, Monlette, but there is zero, zip, nada market for romantic comedy. To the extent that I have stopped writing it even though that's what I'm published in. Plus, if you wanted to place it with romance, your hero/heroine would have to meet sooner and you'd have to have a happily ever after. What it sounds like truly is chick-lit - something that is also very dead and the word is rarely even spoken any more. Perhaps women's fiction?

#1Jennifer · Feb 18, 2010

murder/mystery, romantic/comedy... I'm a little confused on how a murder mystery could be comedic. Murder and laughter ?? Anyway I'm probably misunderstanding something but I would go with women's fiction.

Monlette · Feb 18, 2010

Think Susan in season one of Desperate Housewives.

Carlene · Feb 18, 2010

Monette, if it's a murder mystery, the body is usually found right away, in the beginning of the book.

Jennifer, read, "The Colors of Death," or "Finder," both are published humorous mysteries with dead bodies. They are not easy to publish, because humor is so subjective, but...it can be done. My first published book, "One by One," is no longer available, but it was humorous and had several bodies.

Carlene

The Colors of Death
www.writewordsinc.com

Finder
www.wildchildpublishing.com

jana13k · Feb 18, 2010

All of my books are mysteries and romance and humor. Murder can be hilarious as long as it's not someone nice who's dying.

Janet Evanovich comes to mind. TONS of success with a humorous mystery series.

sunandshadow · Feb 18, 2010

#1 said:
murder/mystery, romantic/comedy... I'm a little confused on how a murder mystery could be comedic. Murder and laughter ?? Anyway I'm probably misunderstanding something but I would go with women's fiction.

Have you ever seen Clue the movie? Hilarious murder mystery.

Monlette - have you considered turning it into a screenplay?

Monlette · Feb 18, 2010

Sure, but I want to get it out in book form first. Thank goodness for POD.

Cathy C · Feb 19, 2010

Cozy mysteries are always in demand. If you keep it off the romance shelf and put it on the mystery shelf instead, you'd probably have better luck. Then the HEA doesn't matter and she can have as many "entanglements" as will fit. Also, in cozies, the mystery doesn't have to start until later in the plot so you should be fine.

Sure, but I want to get it out in book form first. Thank goodness for POD.

I hope you're not serious about that. Putting it in POD will limit your ablity to thereafter send it to commercial publishers. Once it's assigned an ISBN, it's "published" as far as they're concerned, and many POD companies tie up the right to re-sell it for five to seven years. I'd recommend you try the agent/publisher process first and then later go POD if you have no luck.

Irysangel · Feb 20, 2010

I think Kristan Higgins's books are very much 'romantic comedy' but they're plugged as a light contemporary romance and are published by HQN.

But anything comedy is tricky right now, I think. You'll notice a lot of the authors that used to have cartoon covers (to denote comedy) are getting rebranded with darker, more serious covers.

#1Jennifer · Feb 23, 2010

sunandshadow said:
Have you ever seen Clue the movie? Hilarious murder mystery.

Monlette - have you considered turning it into a screenplay?

I can't say that I've seen the movie but I'm also sure that I probably never would. Murder and comedy don't sit well with me considering I have personal history with murder. My mother was murdered when I was 13. I was also in the house and discovered her body. So therefore murder and comedy are just not a preference of mine.

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 23, 2010

#1 said:
So therefore murder and comedy are just not a preference of mine.

Understandable, and I'm sorry about your loss.

There are a lot of comic novels about murder in the world, though. But I totally understand why they wouldn't work for you.

What genre is this?

Monlette

New kid, be gentle!

jana13k

Yep. I can.

#1Jennifer

Monlette

New kid, be gentle!

Carlene

New kid, be gentle!

jana13k

Yep. I can.

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Monlette

New kid, be gentle!

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

Irysangel

She of Many Names

#1Jennifer

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago