Disclosing taboo content in query, hurtful or helpful?

That seems like a plot point to be included in the synopsis in a matter of fact way. It is not what I would consider an uncommon feature in fantasy fiction--Eddings, Tolkein, MZB have all written sibcest.

veinglory said:

Eddings, Tolkein, MZB have all written sibcest.

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Tolkein did?

Maybe you mean GRRM rather than Tolkein?

Turin and Nienor in The Children of hurin, it was of the unwitting variety but still sibcest. Also Arthur and Morgaine if you want to go classic.

Ah, how to tell Silmarillion geeks from moviegoers. There's also Maeglin's obsession with Idril.

But yes, if it's a serious plot point, it at least needs to be in the synopsis, and maybe a phrase in the query. SFF is full of this stuff, especially older works from the 60s and 70s. Tanith Lee wrote various forms of incest a few times that I can remember, in both fantasy and horror.

Filigree said:

Ah, how to tell Silmarillion geeks from moviegoers. There's also Maeglin's obsession with Idril.

But yes, if it's a serious plot point, it at least needs to be in the synopsis, and maybe a phrase in the query. SFF is full of this stuff, especially older works from the 60s and 70s. Tanith Lee wrote various forms of incest a few times that I can remember, in both fantasy and horror.

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To be fair, I did read the Silmarillion, it's just been a very long time. (I've read LotR eleven times.) And I don't really care for the films.


And to the OP, yeah, you should probably put that in a query.

Things to consider:

- If you do and incest is an automatic 'no' for the agent, you've saved everyone the time.

- If you don't and incest is an automatic 'no' for the agent, the result is the same, but with added wasted time.

- If you do or don't and the agent reads it and isn't bothered by the relationship and loves the story, but is concerned about the incest element affecting the salability, you might want to think in advance of how you would respond to a request to write it out of the story

It depends on how large a part of the story it is. If it's something that factors into the main plot, or if you feel like you have to go out of your way to avoid mentioning it when describing the story, it should probably be in there. You don't have to worry about spoiling plot twists in the query, as long as you don't give away the ending.

But I don't think you have to mention it. Like other people have said, it's not unheard of in adult fantasy. As long as it's not graphic and not written as erotica, I don't think it would be an automatic dealbreaker for an agent.

In other words, just write the query as you would write it anyway.

The converse point would be that if you emphasize it in the letter they might think it is a bigger and more gratuitous plot point than it is, and reject a work they might otherwise have accepted.

An equivalent might be a romance I have which has a rape scene as an important but not central plot point and not salaciously written. One publisher rejected it based on the mention in the synopsis (so they did have to read the synopsis to reject it) but happily published future manuscripts that I sent them, and another accepted it despite rape being an unacceptable topic for them. I think making the plot point clear in the synopsis was a middle path.

I wouldn't mention it in the query, though I like previous suggestions to put it in the synopsis.

It sounds like too minor a plot point for the query, and as Veinglory said, putting it in the query would make it seem like a big part of the story.