What to do if your genre isn't what is selling right now?

ewizz31

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I'm working on a book series, a murder mystery/cop drama/romantic suspense set in 1930's Hollywood. I queried agents earlier this year with no luck. Got one full manuscript request and was ultimately rejected. I've queried about 50 agents.


It seems as if all the books anyone wants are young adult, fantasy, and/or dystopia novels.


I have a strong voice and distinct style that no one seems to like. I had one agent say they liked it but it wasn't for them. Another said it had promise but wasn't for them. I'm guessing they were form responses. I've queried agents that take my genre. I've followed guidelines perfectly.


I haven't sent out a query letter for a while because of this and I'm re-working the opening of the first book and working on the second installment. Every time I look at the books at the library or on Amazon, I lose hope that mine will join them there someday.


Not sure what to do in this situation. I REALLY want to be traditionally published but I don't think it's going to happen because of the genre/style of my story.

I've looked into smaller presses that make unsolicited manuscripts but haven't sent them anything yet.

Any advice for handling this situation?
 

Loverofwords

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Well, if you want to be trade published and gain success from writing, then you shouldn't quit. The likelihood of your dreams coming true then will be a whopping 0%.

Maybe it's not the time for your genre? Or maybe it's not unique enough. Almost every mystery involves a murder and a detective/cop, so what makes yours different? Why should someone want to follow your character when there are others they could follow? Those are some topics to think about to make your novel stand out. Also, make sure your writing is as good as you can make it. Outside eyes can catch what you can't. Most writers think their writing is good, but maybe others think there's room for improvement. Everyone has different taste, so maybe your novel just wasn't for those agents--did you check to make sure those agents like/rep your genre? Maybe there's another agent out there that's waiting for exactly your novel.

And don't feel like you're stuck to this one book. You can always write another.
 

Fruitbat

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First, I don't think that all that's wanted or published these days is YA, fantasy or dystopia. I think we usually don't know why our work is rejected, and it doesn't sound like any agents/publishers have actually even told you that it's because that genre/sub-genre isn't in demand. The most common reason is probably just that that particular novel didn't grab them quite enough to accept it.

Other than that, if the first one isn't getting much interest and you really want to be trade published, why not work on a new novel rather than a sequel for one that's not getting accepted?
 
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LJD

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First of all...the problem might be your query letter. Have you had it critiqued? Have you checked out Query Letter Hell on AW? You can't post your query until you have 50 posts, but you can take a look around, read the stickies, and comment on other people's queries.

And have other people read your opening pages? Your whole book? Have you had beta readers?

Don't know much about mysteries, but I see no reason to conclude at this point that your genre is the problem.


It seems as if all the books anyone wants are young adult, fantasy, and/or dystopia novels.

Not true. Other things are bought all the time. Also, my understanding is that dystopian novels are actually a hard sell right now.
 
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Roxxsmom

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Actually, I thought dystopia was at market saturation, as are some genres of fantasy. I've had a similar experience to what you describe with my own fantasy novel.

Everyone has to deal with finding that point of intersection between being similar enough to what's been successful in the recent past to be a good risk yet being fresh and new enough to stand out and catch an agent's (and then an editor's) eye. It's damned hard, and much of it is out of one's control as a writer. But trying to chase what you think is a current market fad won't work, even if you could muster the enthusiasm for such a novel, because by the time the novel is ready to shop, the market will likely have shifted. Books (especially debut novels) that are hitting the shelves today were started by their authors years ago.
 

ewizz31

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I agree with the saturation of the market. It's so frustrating for those of us who don't write those novels.
 

heza

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I've heard it said that if you're uncertain why your project is getting rejected, you should sign up for a conference where you'll be able to get some face time with an actual agent to discuss your pitch and query letter.
 

Fruitbat

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I've beta read plenty of books that I thought were just fine but they didn't get an agent or publisher even after many, many tries. So I would not say that not accepted = sucks. I'd just say if trade publishing is your goal, just keep going. Put that one aside for right now, and write another one. Good luck.
 

Curlz

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I have a strong voice and distinct style that no one seems to like.
Are there any particular comments somebody has made about that style, or is that your own opinion based on the rejections? Because in order to find what's wrong, you'll need to hear outside opinions. Find a critique circle of some sorts, let people read an excerpt from the novel and see the query. Eventually you may see a pattern in the "fault finding" and voila! mystery of the rejections solved :snoopy:

It's never the "genre" that is dead as such, but rather there is a story pattern that gets exhausted and at some point the submissions start looking all the same. Also, there are a lot of little things beyond "strong voice and distinct style" that are important. Critiques help a lot in finding those.
 

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I'm working on a book series, a murder mystery/cop drama/romantic suspense set in 1930's Hollywood. I queried agents earlier this year with no luck. Got one full manuscript request and was ultimately rejected. I've queried about 50 agents.


Don't write more than one book in a series until you've sold that first book. Work on something new.

If you only got one request for a full, your query probably needs work.

It seems as if all the books anyone wants are young adult, fantasy, and/or dystopia novels.

You know this isn't true, right?

I have a strong voice and distinct style that no one seems to like. I had one agent say they liked it but it wasn't for them. Another said it had promise but wasn't for them. I'm guessing they were form responses. I've queried agents that take my genre. I've followed guidelines perfectly.

Those were probably form rejections. Work on your query.

I haven't sent out a query letter for a while because of this and I'm re-working the opening of the first book and working on the second installment. Every time I look at the books at the library or on Amazon, I lose hope that mine will join them there someday.

There's nothing in the rejections your book has received which indicates the style of your book is the problem here. If you think it needs strengthening then by all means, work on your book: but if you genuinely think it's good as it is, work on your query too.

Not sure what to do in this situation. I REALLY want to be traditionally published but I don't think it's going to happen because of the genre/style of my story.

I've looked into smaller presses that make unsolicited manuscripts but haven't sent them anything yet.

Any advice for handling this situation?

My advice is for you to stop making assumptions.

Stop assuming that publishers only want books in genres other to yours. Stop assuming that it's the style of your book that's at fault.

Instead, make sure your book is as good as it can be; make sure your query is as good as it can be.

The way to do these two things is counter-intuitive. Spend a lot of time giving critiques to other writers, and you'll be surprised by how much your own writing improves. Get yourself off to our Share Your Work rooms and critique everything you can find there. Everything. Don't restrict yourself to the genres in which you write. Be kind, be thoughtful, and you'll begin to notice patterns emerging: people overwrite (I do!), people explain to much (I do that too!), people repeat themselves. The more you critique other writers' works, the more you'll recognise faults in your own work. It's a brilliant way to improve, and you'll be helping others as well as helping yourself.

Once you have at least fifty posts here, you'll be able to put your own work up for critique. Although you can only post a small portion of a novel here, you'll be surprised by how much the comments you get on it will resonate throughout your book. And if you've given loads of thoughtful, helpful critiques, those writers will remember, and are going to be much more inclined to help you out when you need it.
 

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I don't see a correlation between your not getting anywhere and that it's because you're writing the wrong genre. You say you're querying agents in your genre. Why would they go and tell you they want something else? And then you also say you have a writing style that "no one likes." Then it's your writing style, not the genre, that is offputting. Although this also sounds like it's a guess on your part.

Honestly, it sounds like you're reading a bit too much into the form rejections. Nowhere does it sound like you were specifically told it was the genre. Frankly, there doesn't seem to be any mention of it, except from you. It does, however, sound like your query and/or book needs further work. So, as some mentioned above, get another pair of eyes on them, then fix.
 

Fantomas

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Agree with most of the points in this thread. Trends come and go but universal stories stick around. Your story sounds like there is already a built in audience for it, so maybe it's your query and perhaps the manuscript itself. Crime/political intrigue set in the 1930s is right up my alley so I'd be happy to give your first chapter/query a beta read if you'd like.
 

Polenth

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Agents and editors aren't shy about saying what's at saturation point. When I was querying, many agents were publicly saying they had too much urban fantasy in their slush piles. One said urban fantasy with creatures was too hard to sell now, and she only really wanted to see human magic users. When I went to a conference, almost every example agents/editors gave at a panel on what they see too much of was an urban fantasy example. The only exceptions were general thing like people not following submissions guidelines.

While all this was happening, there was a whole string of urban fantasy authors who had their series cancelled due to poor sales.

In other words, you will know if you're in a saturated genre. Not because of the rejections you get, but because people in the industry will keep talking about how much they don't want more of those books, and authors will be talking about how much they've been struggling. It sounds like you're assuming genre is the issue based on getting form rejections, but you wouldn't need to assume if it were the case. You wouldn't be able to turn around without hitting someone saying your genre was dead.

Either way, the answer of what to do is the same. All any of us can do is write something different and hope.
 

WeaselFire

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I have a strong voice and distinct style that no one seems to like.

That's not an issue that's genre dependent. That's writer dependent. You may need to rethink your voice and style. Or you may have to work harder to find an agent who can work with your voice and style. Find books that are similar to your voice and style, in any genre, and contact the agents who represented those books.

Jeff
 

kenpochick

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I agree with the others. You have no reason to assume it's the genre and contrary to what you wrote, dystopia would be a VERY hard sell in today's market. All you're getting are form requests with only one full request so your query is weak. Once you get up to 50 posts get your query looked at in QLH and post some chapters in SYW (Share Your Work).
 

Laer Carroll

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I have a strong voice and distinct style that no one seems to like.
As Old Hack said, stop making assumptions.

What you describe is rarely a minus. More likely it's a plus. Can't say without a sample.

But generally it's aspects like this which distinguish you from the herd, make your writing fresher than those jillion others who adopt a style like those of the several top writers in a genre. James Patterson's style, for instance, works for him. It may not work for many others.

On the same topic of freshness, an unusual setting can also mark your work as different and (we hope) fresh. Hollywood in the 1930s HAS been done, especially in the 30s - 50s hardboiled detective fiction of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and their like. But there hasn't been a lot of that lately. If that is your inspiration, maybe it's time for it once again.

Even if it's just the setting that inspires you, that could be good, especially if you research it enough so that the historical period comes alive for your readers.

You have done everything right. Finished a book, planning on writing others, researched and queried agents, and joined AW to become part of the greater community of writers.

Don't give up hope. You have just begun.
 
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gingerwoman

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I think we're living in an age where a book in any genre can break out, but maybe not with the the Big Five publishers whose acquiring habits still probably go through cycles. But I really don't think historical mystery is OUT.
 
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Jamesaritchie

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Not sure what to do in this situation. I REALLY want to be traditionally published but I don't think it's going to happen because of the genre/style of my story.

?

I doubt the genre is what's stopping you. A really good, well-written novel sells. And self-publishing is not going to make your style anymore appealing.

I don't know how many novels you've written, or what success you've had in other types of fiction, but the primary reason stories don't sell is because they simply aren't good enough.

An awfully big bunch of writers out there somehow believe that the first novel they write is good enough to sell, good enough to make people want to read it. This is almost never the case. The same is true with second, third, fourth, and fifth novels.

Writing a publishable novel is, for the great majority, a long, uphill climb. da Vinci didn't get his first paint right, or even his hundredth painting. Very, very, very few writers get their first novel, or their fifth novel, or even their tenth novel, right, either. And they don't get better because the writer self-publishes.


If you really want to be a good writer, you need to write more novels, write different novels, and perfect your style. That's just how it works. You have to LEARN how to write a publishable novel, and genre is almost never a barrier, if the novel really is good, and well-written. If it isn't good, and if it isn't well-written, you have two choices. You can quit, or you can learn how to write a novel that is good, and that is well-written.
 

gingerwoman

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I'm working on a book series, a murder mystery/cop drama/romantic suspense set in 1930's Hollywood.

It seems as if all the books anyone wants are young adult, fantasy, and/or dystopia novels. The time period may not be popular and they may think it doesn't have enough of a wow factor. You should maybe try digital first or self publishing if you just can't get a bite from agents. Two of the Big Five have mystery digital first lines.

?

I think your mistaking "all anyone wants to read" with what has been made into a huge movie with merchandising which are not the same things. I keep hearing mysteries and thrillers are what's selling more than any other genre.

I'm working on a book series, a murder mystery/cop drama/romantic suspense
Those are actually three different things? It's not romantic suspense if around half the book isn't focused on the romance. It's not romantic suspense just because it has a small romantic subplot. I've never queried agents myself but I'm guessing you need to choose one of these that is the main thing your novel is for a start.
 
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