This (the part I bolded) makes is SF (speculative fiction).
This. Or SF (science fiction). Either way, that element moves it toward the SF/F shelves.
EXCEPT!
With a teen protagonist, it becomes a YA, which trumps the lesser classification. How? Well, let's go through that for a moment. Unless it's a large footprint store (square footage often dictates how many shelving classifications exist) there are the following bookstore sections, in fiction:
General Fiction, which is a dumping ground of novels that have contemporary, dramatic, crisis, suspense or humor elements, sorted alphabetically. You can find literally anything and everything in this section but there's no set group of elements in the plot that would make you automatically go to that shelf to find another like it---like a humorous mystery, or a warm romantic story.
Young Adult/Teen. This includes any books, of any genre, that are identified by the publisher as being FOR YA/teens.
Childrens. This includes picture books, early chapter books and middle grade (unless the book has become a major bestseller, like Harry Potter, and is now in general fiction)
Mystery. The mystery shelves include cozies, procedural, true crime and a lot of thrillers and suspense. Now, some thrillers (especially the bestsellers) will make it to the general fiction shelves, but not generally at first unless the publisher thinks it will have wider appeal than genre readers.
Romance. This includes ALL the subcategories of romance, including: romantic suspense, contemporary, erotica, paranormal, time travel, science fiction, urban fantasy, category, etc.
SF/F (Science Fiction/Fantasy). SF/F is another dumping ground that often includes speculative fiction, time travel, futuristic, sword-n-sorcery fantasy, urban fantasy (yeah, I know--I put that in romance too. It depends on both the publisher and store where they put those. I'm in both places in most stores), dark fantasy and some horror.
Horror. Fewer and fewer stores have an actual "horror" section. Often it's lumped in with the SF/F offerings because the lines have become so blurred. And sometimes what's spine classified as SF/F are shelved in horror because that's where that store's readers look. It's very subjective.
Literary/Classics. Literary fiction plus a lot of formerly genre books that have stood the test of time can be found here. For example, Isaac Asimov was a SF/F genre writer (among many other things.) But you can often find some of his classics in the literary section. Same with Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind) which was general fiction at the time, etc. Another dumping ground.
Western. Again, a lot of stores on the east and western coasts don't even have a western section. They're lumped in with general fiction. But in the midwest and south, it's a very large section of the store with a lot of deceased writers (Kelton, Grey, etc.)
Now, certain classifications "trump" other classifications. Children's trumps pretty much anything else. Make the child the star, or include talking animals (notwithstanding "Animal Farm") and you'll probably find it in children's, regardless of the plot. You can have a thriller plotline or adventure, or SF/F or western and it's still Children's. Same with YA. It trumps the plot elements. SF/F often trumps lesser genres, unless it's romance, when the romance aspect trumps everything else.
When you mix genres, you start both the publisher and the bookstore asking, "Where are the MOST readers to be found for this book? Where's the
big money?" Thrillers are big money. No question. But Thrillers often involve military, spies, chemical or death threats. "Adventure" isn't really in there without risk of total loss.
SF/F novels are big money because of the current paranormal craze. You can find Jim Butcher, Frank Herbert, Mercedes Lackey and Isaac Asimov here.
But in your case, you want to embrace calling your book YA because of the protagonist's age. This genre is the darling of the moment (which moment comes and goes over the years.) Publishers love a good YA and despite the market being glutted, the readers keep on buying. The classification doesn't preclude adults from buying the novels, and many adults do, in fact, haunt the bookstores for new YA and Middle Grade (in the children's section.)
You'll do well to call it YA until a publisher tells you different. That does happen. Our first paranormal romance was written as SF/F. The publisher thought otherwise. Same book. Different shelf. And the readers responded. We earned a Career Achievement Award from a major romance magazine for what we
thought was SF/F.
We're having the same issue with our new series (the fourth cover is pictured below. We consider it adult urban fantasy and that's how it's selling in the U.S. But it turns out teens are loving the series and now international publishers are picking up the series for translation rights in their
YA lines.
So hey, what do we know? Any of us?
Does this help any?
