lines between mainstream and thriller blur

[Dragonfly45]

I posted in the newbie forum on this, but I thought you folks in this section might be able to help me also.

I am currently querying agents about my novel, but I have had trouble categorizing it. I originally used the "mainstream" category, but I have been told by several people that that it sounds more like a thriller. It is a story that follows both a Navy SEAL while he is deployed on an operation, which is more in the action/thriller vein, and then flips from him to telling his wife's story of what she goes through while he's gone, which is why I placed into mainstream...because it has thriller aspects, but it's not "straight up thriller". Their tales are told equally (1/2 is from hi POV, half from her POV), so I am having trouble.

So, I am wondering what you all think about it--does it belong in mainstream or is half-thriller "thriller" enough? I don't want to pitch it "wrong" and hurt my chances. Thanks for your help in advance!

Colby~

[JAK]

Kind of a quandry. Maybe look at the novel (and film) Forrest Gump. There was action there, but far from a thriller. Mainstream, imo. Guess it might depend on just how much of the SEAL fighting is in your story. If it takes up a majority of his half of the story, it might be classified as Action, but I don't think heavy military is truly in the thriller genre. When you add his wife's story, I'm thinking it's mainstream.

Literary to me is very little true action, and more on the "beauty" of the sentence.

[kz2zx]

Colby,

What, you stole my plot?

Actually, mine's about a woman supporting a SW platoon, but it's not got a whole lot of rapid action in it. Interesting as hell, but only a few instances of blood. I don't think it's Action-Adventure, but it's going to be seen as if it were, I think, because of the military setting.

If you know a bit about the West-Coast SW community, could I pick your brain for a verisimilitude check?

[Use Her Name]

I posted in the newbie forum on this, but I thought you folks in this section might be able to help me also.

I am currently querying agents about my novel, but I have had trouble categorizing it. I originally used the "mainstream" category, but I have been told by several people that that it sounds more like a thriller. It is a story that follows both a Navy SEAL while he is deployed on an operation, which is more in the action/thriller vein, and then flips from him to telling his wife's story of what she goes through while he's gone, which is why I placed into mainstream...because it has thriller aspects, but it's not "straight up thriller". Their tales are told equally (1/2 is from hi POV, half from her POV), so I am having trouble.

So, I am wondering what you all think about it--does it belong in mainstream or is half-thriller "thriller" enough? I don't want to pitch it "wrong" and hurt my chances. Thanks for your help in advance!

Colby~

Okay-- strangely this was my exact question, except in the Thriller forum, so it would seem there are a few of us around. The story I am working on actually began as a sub-plot of another novel. It was so Juicy that I extracted it and started it as a different novel. Might you not have 2 novels there? Its always something to think about. Are they parallel stories about the experiences of 2 separate, although married people, or do they join up and do the main action together?

On the other hand, Cold Mountain, is about a man going to war who leaves behind the woman he loves, and it also has 2 parallel stories where both endure struggle and change, and in the end meet up again. You might look at this book for an example.

[MelancholyMan]

Okay, my novel is definitely Mainstream. I guess maybe it would help if I sent it to agents who handle primarily mainstream fiction, huh?

UseHerName, it sounds like your work is mainstream also. Sounds as if it is much like mine in pacing and action/content ratio.

-MM