Genre

[ohheyyrach77]

Somehow I've become one of the many masses who doesn't know which genre to stick her novel into. Writing it was simple, but now that's I'm preparing a query I need to decide on what genre best places and sells the book.

So it's definitely not horror,paranormal, or post-apocalyptic.

It's a trilogy, set it modern day times, definitely romantic. All three books circulate around one couple. But the male MC is in the mafia so the books are packed with action, drama, violence, and sometimes foul language.

I feel like labeling the genre a romance would give off the impression of a happy couple meeting, falling in love and riding off into the sunset and that is definitely not this novel. This isn't love, happiness, and romance. It's danger, frustration, reckless infatuation. Yes, the characters do fall in love and that is the biggest part of the story but I don't feel like chicklit or simply romance fits with all the other components. I've also heard some people argue that trilogies and HFN is less common in romance as well. If we're being frank the first book doesn't even end HFN, the first book ends actually on bad terms, HFN comes later, and HEA comes even later still.

So...where do I place this one?

 

[Filigree]

Contemporary thriller?

 

[TheWordFairy]

Definitely not romance if the first book doesn't even end on good terms. Romance has a particular formula that readers (and agents and editors) expect, and while that can be bent and played with, breaking it will make people angry.

I'd agree that "thriller" is probably a good bet.

 

[RKarina]

I had a book crossing similar boundaries - my publisher called it women's contemporary, sub genre thriller. My MC was female, definitely female perspective. Without that, I'd say thriller.

 

[arcan]

I had a book crossing similar boundaries - my publisher called it women's contemporary, sub genre thriller. My MC was female, definitely female perspective. Without that, I'd say thriller.

I wouldn't go for "women's anything" or "men's anything" for that matter. Thas the kind of category I find offending for a book, meaning that it's only meant for men or women to read it. If it's a thriller, it doesn't matter if the MC is male or female. You wouldn't categorize Patricia Cormwell's work as Women's thriller?
If most of the scenes are about romance, then it's a romance. If it's filled with action, and so on, it's a thriller, and so on.

 

[BethS]

So...where do I place this one?

I would say contemporary suspense with romantic elements.

 

[Jamesaritchie]

I wouldn't go for "women's anything" or "men's anything" for that matter. Thas the kind of category I find offending for a book, meaning that it's only meant for men or women to read it. If it's a thriller, it doesn't matter if the MC is male or female. You wouldn't categorize Patricia Cormwell's work as Women's thriller?
If most of the scenes are about romance, then it's a romance. If it's filled with action, and so on, it's a thriller, and so on.

For good or ill. "man's" and "women's" matters greatly. It's not saying who can or can't read it, but what the large majority of readers will be because it's what they most like to read. Many books are meant primarily for one audience or the other. This doesn't mean it's only meant for them, but it's still a crucial distinction.

It yoo really want to piss a huge number of reader's off in a serious manner, take away terms that let them know how likely they are to want a given novel. It's just not as simple as you seem to think. Categorizing novels this way is good for readers, and there's nothing offensive about it. In fact, I might well categorize Patricia Cornwell as women's mystery. It's not about having a female protagonist, it's about how the books are written, how much romance is in them, and a number of other things.

This much I know; a thriller is not simply another thriller, regardless of how it's written, who the protagonist is, and all sorts of other things. Categorizing novels matters to everyone, including you. No one wants to buy books, only to find out they aren't what they expected. Some books simply are men's adventure, and some books are women's fiction, and always will be.

 

[Gilroy Cullen]

I'd just place it in contemporary fiction. It crosses so many genres it might make it the easiest sell.

 

[RKarina]

I wouldn't go for "women's anything" or "men's anything" for that matter. Thas the kind of category I find offending for a book, meaning that it's only meant for men or women to read it. If it's a thriller, it doesn't matter if the MC is male or female. You wouldn't categorize Patricia Cormwell's work as Women's thriller?
If most of the scenes are about romance, then it's a romance. If it's filled with action, and so on, it's a thriller, and so on.

I have mixed feelings about the genre as well - but no matter what I think of it, it is an industry standard (arguably something that can/should be changed - but that's a completely different post)

As for the OP - Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, Suspense - all work.

 

[arcan]

@ Jamesaritchie
Except for romance, I really don't care about Man's or Woman's. I read and like Patricia Cormwell, but "woman's thriller" would have prevented me from buying her books. It's just thriller. It's not because there's some romance in it that it's "Woman's". More books would fall in that category otherwise (Maxime Chattam too for instance).

I forgot to answer the question... :smaks head:
I'd say it's action thriller.

 

[ohheyyrach77]

Is there such thing as a romantic thriller? Lol.

It feels wrong to not label it romance since the whole trilogy follows this couple and it IS their love story, just not the happy lovey dovey stuff you'd expect when you hear romance.

 

[TheWordFairy]

Is there such thing as a romantic thriller? Lol.

Yes, but that's a whole different style from what's being described.

It feels wrong to not label it romance since the whole trilogy follows this couple and it IS their love story, just not the happy lovey dovey stuff you'd expect when you hear romance.

Regardless, a romantic element does not a romance genre novel make. Is Harry Potter a romance because the series is arguably a long setup for him getting together with Ginny? Of course not. There are romantic subplots in several of the books, but the books are not structured as romance novels.

 

[Marian Perera]

It feels wrong to not label it romance since the whole trilogy follows this couple and it IS their love story, just not the happy lovey dovey stuff you'd expect when you hear romance.

I don't expect "happy lovey dovey stuff" from romance. There are some authors who write dark, gritty romances.

What I do expect is a happy ending. If the first book in a trilogy labeled "romance" ends with the couple not happy or not together, I'd be one very ticked-off reader.

 

[Latina Bunny]

Contemporary suspense, or thriller, like others have said. Or just Contemporary Fiction.

It's not just a HEA, but the romance has to be the main plot point. If the love story development takes up a huge chunk of the book with suspense elements, then Suspense Romance* could be an option. But, the main couple has to be together in the end or have a HFN ending, at least.

*Edit: Oops, Romantic Suspense were maybe the words I was looking for.

 

[Roxxsmom]

I don't expect "happy lovey dovey stuff" from romance. There are some authors who write dark, gritty romances.

What I do expect is a happy ending. If the first book in a trilogy labeled "romance" ends with the couple not happy or not together, I'd be one very ticked-off reader.

Exactly. Romances can be dark and gritty, but if they don't end with a HEA, or at least a HFN, then the story isn't a romance.

A story can contain romance, even a central love story, and not be a romance (in the sense that romance is meant as a marketing and genre category).

Why does this same argument (not aimed at the OP, since he/she was asking) happen every single time a person asks whether or not a story that clearly isn't a romance (because the couple isn't together at the end) is a romance? It's not a debatable point. Commercial fiction genres are not simply what we wish them to be as readers and writers.

Some other genres are more nebulous. I don't know enough about women's thrillers versus thrillers that simply have female main characters to say what the difference would be. Maybe it's going to be similar to the distinction between a book that is YA fantasy versus a fantasy novel that just so happens to have a teen protagonist. But I'm guessing here.

 

[Marian Perera]

Why does this same argument (not aimed at the OP, since he/she was asking) happen every single time a person asks whether or not a story that clearly isn't a romance (because the couple isn't together at the end) is a romance? It's not a debatable point.

Anyone in doubt about what many romance readers would make of such a book should take a look at this thread on the All About Romance discussion board. It's about authors who, to continue a series, sabotage the HEA. So if the hero and heroine ended book 1 together and in love, book 2 would see them split up at the start.

I love many, many things about romances, but one of the most important is that I don't have to worry that the book will end unhappily. I hope these "ground breaking" writers suffer in the pocketbook and this new trend dies a quick death.

 

[morngnstar]

50 Shades of Grey is classified as erotic romance, right? First book does not have HFN. Possibly the rule is being relaxed to HFN or HEA by the end of the series?

 

[Marian Perera]

50 Shades of Grey is classified as erotic romance, right? First book does not have HFN. Possibly the rule is being relaxed to HFN or HEA by the end of the series?

I've seen it called erotica as well, erotica not requiring the HEA that erotic romance does.

Regardless, it's an exception. The rule is still that romance requires a HFN or a HEA at the end of the book.

 

[dondomat]

Maybe this?

[h=3]Romantic suspense[/h] Romantic suspense involves an intrigue or mystery for the protagonists to solve.[SUP][27][/SUP] Typically, however, the heroine is the victim of a crime or attempted crime, and works with a hero, who tends to be in a field where he would serve as a protector, such as a police officer, FBI agent, bodyguard, or Navy SEAL.[SUP][33][/SUP][SUP][34][/SUP] By the end of the novel, the mystery is resolved and the interaction between the hero and heroine has evolved into a solid relationship.[SUP][33][/SUP] These novels primarily take place in contemporary times, but authors such as Amanda Quick have broadened the genre to also include historical timeframes.[SUP][35][/SUP]
Like all romances, romantic suspense novels must place the development of a relationship between the protagonists at the heart of the story. The relationship "must impact each decision they make and increase the tension of the suspense as it propel the story. In turn, the events of suspense must also directly affect the relationship and move the story forward."[SUP][36][/SUP] Romantic suspense novels tend to have more "clean" language, without the "emotional, intimate" descriptions often used in more traditional romances.[SUP][36][/SUP] Because the mystery is a crucial aspect of the plot, these novels are more plot-driven instead of character-driven.[SUP][36][/SUP]
This blend of the romance and mystery was perfected by Mary Stewart, who wrote ten romantic suspense novels between 1955 and 1967. Stewart was one of the first to seamlessly combine the two genres, maintaining a full mystery while focusing on the courtship between two people.[SUP][37][/SUP] In her novels, the process of solving the mystery "helps to illuminate" the hero's personality, helping the heroine to fall in love with him.[SUP][38][/SUP]

 

[Marian Perera]

Romantic suspense is a subgenre of romance, so the same caveats apply.

 

[LJackson]

I just want to say that thank you for opening this thread, as mine seems to suffer the same fate as yours, and I have had the same perplexity as you do. How can a book focused on a couple's relationship not be a romance? The couple does not have HEA nor HFN at the end of book one, but does at the end of series.

I think the issue stems from that what we thought of "romance" is different from the romance "genre". For example, I myself would definitely call "The English Patient" a romance novel, though it is not in the romance genre.

I guess what I am trying to say is, don't worry that it is not labeled as "romance." Evidently plenty of very romantic novels are not labeled as romance. Kind of weird, but that is what it is.

 

[Latina Bunny]

I just want to say that thank you for opening this thread, as mine seems to suffer the same fate as yours, and I have had the same perplexity as you do. How can a book focused on a couple's relationship not be a romance? The couple does not have HEA nor HFN at the end of book one, but does at the end of series.

I think the issue stems from that what we thought of "romance" is different from the romance "genre". For example, I myself would definitely call "The English Patient" a romance novel, though it is not in the romance genre.

I guess what I am trying to say is, don't worry that it is not labeled as "romance." Evidently plenty of very romantic novels are not labeled as romance. Kind of weird, but that is what it is.

Yes, the genre Romance, is different than love stories. Romance, in novels, is the fiction genre in which readers expect a HEA or HFN.

You can have romance elements in a story, but in the book world, you can't label it as a Romance-with-capital-R, unless you have a HEA/HFN.

Erotica is a gene where a HEA/HFN is not required. I would consider 50 Shades of Grey more as Erotica, but I don't know how bookselers would label it as...In my bookstore, I've seen it near the General Fiction (near Romance, but not directly in Romance).

 

[Marian Perera]

I just want to say that thank you for opening this thread, as mine seems to suffer the same fate as yours, and I have had the same perplexity as you do. How can a book focused on a couple's relationship not be a romance?

Because the definition of romance is that it's focused on a relationship and ends happily.

Not "ends happily in the last book of the series", but "ends happily at the finish of the story."

 

[Roxxsmom]

50 Shades of Grey is classified as erotic romance, right? First book does not have HFN. Possibly the rule is being relaxed to HFN or HEA by the end of the series?

Wasn't it self published initially as Twilight FF?

I'm guessing that the exact genre restrictions and classifications don't apply to books that are runaway bestsellers in any case. If a book sold a million copies, who's going to quibble over where it should be shelved in a bookstore? They'll shelve it in five different places if need be, and the romance readers can be as annoyed as they want by the ending.

Sort of like how Harry Potter was children's fantasy, but it segued into YA fantasy as the series progressed (not something that's usually encouraged), and also ended up in big piles next to the checkout stand in most bookstores (a place where children's books and fantasy rarely show up.

I guess what I am trying to say is, don't worry that it is not labeled as "romance." Evidently plenty of very romantic novels are not labeled as romance. Kind of weird, but that is what it is.

It's only weird to people who don't read genre romance or understand how marketing categories work. It's a bit like saying, "GoT has all these kids in it. So it's strange it's not a children's book."

What people out on the street most often mean by "romantic" and what the publishers at romance imprints like Harlequin, Avon and so on mean when they say a book is representative of the romance genre are not the same thing. The genre definition is more restrictive, because it describes a specific type of story that represents an agreement with readers who go to that particular section in the bookstore to buy their book.

The argument that word X means Y in normal everyday conversation is really irrelevant here.

Do you think your book would be at home shelved in the section of the bookstore where many of the books have covers with shirtless dudes and ripping bodices, or would it be more likely to connect with its target demographic in the general fiction section?

 

[LJackson]

Do you think your book would be at home shelved in the section of the bookstore where many of the books have covers with shirtless dudes and ripping bodices, or would it be more likely to connect with its target demographic in the general fiction section?

Haha. I think this is the key here. I think my book is very romantic, and I suspect OP's is too. So initially the "obvious" genre in my head was "Romance." But then I cringe to think that it would sit next to bunch of books with half naked dudes. Simply does not fit. That makes a lot of sense. Do they have a genre of "general fiction romance?"