Genre Classification

[TulipMama]

Hey folks,

I'm starting a work that is outside my usual wheelhouse (trying my hand at romance-ish) and I'm not as well versed in the tropes, plot points to hit, and the like. To that end, I'm trying to find books in the genre I am aiming to write, but initial research has me a smidge worried.

Broad strokes: Grim-Dark LGBTQ+ romance with tragedy at the end.

I'm decent at action, so I was aiming for a romantic thriller so I'm not COMPLETELY out of my element. BUT! I'm told romance doesn't have a tragic end, it ends happy. If my book isn't ending happy, she's not a romance.

So, if I'm looking for something similar to read, or research to go through, should I look for:


Grim-Dark Romantic Thriller

Grim-Dark Tragedy

Something else entirely?

Additional details I don't think will help but may:


Amnesiac MC
EMPEROR OF MANKIND style BBEG
Hyper industrial future setting
You're too pure for this world love interest
Main plot is trying to uncover MC's backstory. That's goes horrendously sideways

 

[Brigid Barry]

[deleted because the OP already said what I said here] Sorry!

 

[lizmonster]

Psychological thriller, maybe?

 

[CMBright]

The advice I keep seeing is what would the books next to yours on the bookshelf be? For example, if those books are trillers, that's your genre. Future sounds sci-fi.

 

[Unimportant]

Love story? I think that is how Romeo and Juliet, or indeed Love Story, are categorized.

Eta does the tragic ending involve the demise of one of the romantic couple? Or do they stay a couple despite tragedy occurring? (In which case try Suicide Watch by Kelley York)

 

[TulipMama]

Love story? I think that is how Romeo and Juliet, or indeed Love Story, are categorized.

Eta does the tragic ending involve the demise of one of the romantic couple? Or do they stay a couple despite tragedy occurring? (In which case try Suicide Watch by Kelley York)

In this instance, it's sort more Romeo and Juliet, but I prefer the trope of a pair who knows the end is coming, and choose to spend those last fleeting moments in each other's arms.

 

[Unimportant]

Ah, in that case I'd probably call it a tragic SF love story or something, but not use the word romance when describing genre.

And if the names/pronouns of the characters show it's L or G, then that plus a "this is an #OwnVoices story should clearly convey the rainbow aspect; if not, you may need to be more explicit in the query. (Assuming we're at the query stage.) (Which we probably aren't.) (Yet....) (But when the time comes, if it comes, and you post the first scene in SYW, I'll be actively looking for it.)

 

[Brigid Barry]

Just a thought - if you're looking for comps maybe update your title? Some people are rock stars at finding comps and may not click based on your title.

It came to me in a dream that VC Andrews (I only read two of her series eons ago, Flowers in the Attic and Ruby) that it's all tragic romance. Way too old for comps, but Amazon or Goodreads may have "people who liked this also liked this" (with the caveat that Janet Reid disapproves of this method).

When I was looking for comps for my fantasy novel, I had a tough time because most of the fantasy I found was high fantasy of big hairy dudes killing everything or if it had a female protagonist it was a romance and probably YA. Mine was none of those things. I started with an internet search that led me to Reddit that I followed to Amazon and I went through the seven levels of the candy cane forest and through the sea of swirly, twirly gum drops to Goodreads and somewhere at the bottom of an abandoned well I found my comp titles.

 

[Lil]

In this instance, it's sort more Romeo and Juliet, but I prefer the trope of a pair who knows the end is coming, and choose to spend those last fleeting moments in each other's arms.

Sounds like Aida or Antigone. Why not just call it a tragedy if that's what it is?

 

[TulipMama]

Sounds like Aida or Antigone. Why not just call it a tragedy if that's what it is?

Hey, ya, if this is a tragedy, then I'm happy to call it that. I'm really shooting far afield of my usual murder mystery fare, so finding the exact right terms to pigeon hole this work into has been a bit of a hasstle I wasn't expecting. I don't generally read tragedies, or love stories, so I don't know what I'm looking for.

Just a thought - if you're looking for comps maybe update your title? Some people are rock stars at finding comps and may not click based on your title.

It came to me in a dream that VC Andrews (I only read two of her series eons ago, Flowers in the Attic and Ruby) that it's all tragic romance. Way too old for comps, but Amazon or Goodreads may have "people who liked this also liked this" (with the caveat that Janet Reid disapproves of this method).

When I was looking for comps for my fantasy novel, I had a tough time because most of the fantasy I found was high fantasy of big hairy dudes killing everything or if it had a female protagonist it was a romance and probably YA. Mine was none of those things. I started with an internet search that led me to Reddit that I followed to Amazon and I went through the seven levels of the candy cane forest and through the sea of swirly, twirly gum drops to Goodreads and somewhere at the bottom of an abandoned well I found my comp titles.

The only issue is I'm not really looking for 'comps' perse, though comps would be great. I want to read some works in the general wheelhouse I'm looking to write so I can get my 'vibe' right.

I think I'll go with sci-fi tragic love story and see what I get off Goodreads.

Thanks all!