Speculative fiction vs. science fiction: Is there a difference?

clara bow · Aug 18, 2007

Hello there! I would like to pick your brainssss.

I'm finalizing a query for my soon-to-be completed WIP, a science fiction romance. Only...I'm seeing the phrase "speculative fiction romance" applied to this genre as well (case in point, the Shomi line).

I'm left scratching my head here. Is there a substantial difference between spec fic and science fiction as far as agents are concerned? Should I use spec fic in my query instead of SF romance? I'll use whatever label will get their attention.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Deleted member 42 · Aug 18, 2007

Look at the stuff published by the publisher you're querying: use the language they use.

Kentuk · Aug 18, 2007

Do you want to identify with or separate from?
Speculative Fiction suggests that it isn't exactly Science Fiction, do you want to appeal to people who want to read SF but aren't exactly sure about the other stuff or is your stuff more suitable for the reading fringe. Is it a romance for men or women? I would think men would be more likely to pick up Science Fiction and women Speculative Fiction. If your romance should appeal to both sexes then Science Fiction might reassure the males that it won't be too romantic.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 18, 2007

I thought speculative fiction was the umbrella under which sci-fi falls, along with other genres like fantasy.

Melanie Nilles · Aug 18, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
I thought speculative fiction was the umbrella under which sci-fi falls, along with other genres like fantasy.

*raises hand* Me too!

Lorreign · Aug 18, 2007

I dunno if this helps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction

clara bow · Aug 18, 2007

thanks for jumping in!

Kentuk said:
Do you want to identify with or separate from?

Good questions! I want readers to identify it with science fiction, er, space opera type stories. Isaac Asimov, it isn't (urk!)

Is it a romance for men or women?

Both. mostly hero's pov, believe it or not, although of course I don't bother to stipulate that in the query.

I would think men would be more likely to pick up Science Fiction and women Speculative Fiction.

Ok, that question really makes me wonder. Why the gender difference? (that was more of a rhetorical question, but i'd gladly read people's thoughts on it). I'm female, and I just read anything that appealed to me under the spec fic umbrella. I never thought about it in that context before.

If your romance should appeal to both sexes then Science Fiction might reassure the males that it won't be too romantic.

Ok, that goes along with my current line of thinking. However, the question is also what will agents who represent romance will think. Will the term SF send them running, or is "spec fic romance" some kind of buzz label? Even if I think it's SF, if they have it set in their minds that it has to be called spec fic, then I don't want to shoot myself in the foot right off the bat, know what I mean?

thanks so much!!!!

Deleted member 42 · Aug 18, 2007

Spec Fic is the Ginormous umbrella, which provides shade for

SF
Horror
Some fantasy
Weird
New weird

clara bow · Aug 18, 2007

Medievalist said:
Spec Fic is the Ginormous umbrella, which provides shade for

SF
Horror
Some fantasy
Weird
New weird

exactly. which is why I don't want to look like a dope if i use spec fic. :tongue

Maybe it's just the Shomi line calling it that, or a few authors here and there that I've seen. hm. (not to imply Shomi's a dope...!)

Anya Smith · Aug 18, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
I thought speculative fiction was the umbrella under which sci-fi falls, along with other genres like fantasy.

Exactly. And there are all kinds of cross genre categories in there. Tailor your cover/query letter to the publisher you're submitting.

clara bow · Aug 19, 2007

Anya Smith said:
Tailor your cover/query letter to the publisher you're submitting.

I'm going to target agents first, who presumably pitch to all sorts of publishers. Here's where I need a statistical number on what the most common publisher name for it is, ack!! I'm just wondering if this "spec fic" business is similar to the way urban fantasy cropped up as a genre. I will probably end up using SF, and hope the agents knows about the spec fic umbrella thingy. heh.

Higgins · Aug 19, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
I thought speculative fiction was the umbrella under which sci-fi falls, along with other genres like fantasy.

Melanie Nilles said:
*raises hand* Me too!

Me too.

Though it sort of implies that people have been "speculative" since they told their first myths...which is true, so in a sense there's nothing speculative about calling fiction "speculative"...it's just a bit redundant.

Popeyesays · Aug 19, 2007

Medievalist said:
Spec Fic is the Ginormous umbrella, which provides shade for

SF
Horror
Some fantasy
Weird
New weird

Don't forget "Alternate History", too.

Regards,
Scott

Dawnstorm · Aug 19, 2007

clara bow said:
Good questions! I want readers to identify it with science fiction, er, space opera type stories. Isaac Asimov, it isn't (urk!)

Then why not call it "space opera" and dispense with terminology that confuses you?

Sage · Aug 19, 2007

I take "speculative fiction" to mean any fiction where you are speculating about a world different from our own. Sci-fi/space opera falls into that category, because we don't have the ability to fly around in spaceships from world to world & we don't really know what that would be like. You are incorporating that speculative aspect into the romance.

I'm just wondering if this "spec fic" business is similar to the way urban fantasy cropped up as a genre.

Spec fic is the opposite of urban fantasy, in that it's a wider-based genre incorporating several genres & urban fantasy is a sub-genre within fantasy.

Like Anya Smith said, look at the guidelines & see what they ask for. If they say "spec fic," use "spec fic." If they say "sci-fi," use "sci-fi." But if you don't want to use "spec fic" at all, agents aren't dumb, & if they say they accept speculative fic, & you query them with "sci-fi," they know it's a genre they look at. Their use of "spec fic" in the guidelines is shorthand for "fantasy, sci-fi, horror, alt history, paranormal, etc....." Why put in all that, when there's a term that encompasses them all?

JimmyB27 · Aug 20, 2007

Medievalist said:
Spec Fic is the Ginormous umbrella, which provides shade for

SF
Horror
Some fantasy
Weird
New weird

What fantasy isn't spec fic?

Richard White · Aug 20, 2007

I see Spec. Fic. as a term that people use to define their genre who're ashamed that they write SF/Fantasy/Horror or stuffy English professors who think the genre is beneath them.

OK, maybe that's a little harsh, but I'm proud that I write SF/F. I don't write speculative fiction and have no intention of ever calling what I do speculative fiction.

clara bow · Aug 20, 2007

Richard White said:
I see Spec. Fic. as a term that people use to define their genre who're ashamed that they write SF/Fantasy/Horror or stuffy English professors who think the genre is beneath them.

OK, maybe that's a little harsh, but I'm proud that I write SF/F. I don't write speculative fiction and have no intention of ever calling what I do speculative fiction.

Ahhh...see, that's part of what I may be encountering. I'm concerned some romance authors are equating spec fic with SF, and maybe because of the reason you cite. Well, I'm far from ashamed, so I think I'll stick with SF romance. I just wrote an sf romance author, and she suggested just using SF as well (stating that's how her agent pitches her work).

All righty then.

thanks all, for the help!

FennelGiraffe · Aug 22, 2007

clara bow said:
I will probably end up using SF, and hope the agents knows about the spec fic umbrella thingy. heh.

Note that the initials SF can be interpreted as either Science Fiction or Speculative Fiction. That was the original purpose for coining the term speculative fiction--to avoid genre nitpicks about whether something was science fiction or fantasy or whatever. On the other hand, that was a while ago, and the usage may have drifted some.

Any agent familiar enough with science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, etc. to represent it effectively is going to recognize the terminology.

J. R. Tomlin · Aug 29, 2007

Most of the publishers I've seen use "speculative fiction" as a catch-all term for any "non-reality based fiction." But I'm sure there are exceptions.

J. R.

Speculative fiction vs. science fiction: Is there a difference?

clara bow

Li'l Rug Bug

Deleted member 42

Kentuk

I want to write what I want to write

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Melanie Nilles

What're you looking at?

Lorreign

clara bow

Li'l Rug Bug

Deleted member 42

clara bow

Li'l Rug Bug

Anya Smith

House Dragon

clara bow

Li'l Rug Bug

Higgins

Popeyesays

Now departed. Rest in peace, Scott, from all of us

Dawnstorm

punny user title, here

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood

Richard White

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

clara bow

Li'l Rug Bug

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

J. R. Tomlin