Comments on: Genres Explained: Insights, Tips and Definitions From Literary Agents

By: Tonya R. Moore

Tonya R. Moore — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 01:08:48 +0000

This was educational for me. I don't normally give the specifics much thought, since I hate the notion of pigeon-holing my work. But if I'm trying to sell my work, it's good to know what publishers are looking for, so that I submit to the right people.

By: Kim Gottlieb-Walker

Kim Gottlieb-Walker — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 02:01:31 +0000

Yes, thank you! I discovered that my novel is actually Women's Fiction with a strong romance - not technically a romance novel.

By: Earlene Gleisner

Earlene Gleisner — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 01:44:45 +0000

Too bad we all have to be limited by the demands of the public, and then the publishing industry, into boxes. I haven't written mine with a formula as you suggest. The story couldn't be told in that fashion anyway. The closest I can come is the new category of 'Visionary Fiction'. Finding an agent ought to be interesting with this one.

By: Till Napoli

Till Napoli — Thu, 07 May 2015 03:01:45 +0000

Great article Chuck, & interesting responses from bloggers. But I still have trouble with some of the genre chategorising. I have written a novel about a man who struggles to come to terms with his rekindled friendship. It is about two people who were childhood friends. They meet again as adults to find they now live opposing lifestyles. The story involves romance, but I have been told it does not fit the romance guidelines. It involves music, but it is not about the music. The characters travel through Europe, but it is not a story about travel. There is a homecoming which is the outcome of the journey, but it is only the last part of the story. All I have tried to do is write a story about a man who wants to rekindle a friendship and is confronted with many hurdles. It is basically a story of how he deals with the dilemna.

I admit I didn't try to place it into a genre when I started writing. It was only a story I wanted to present to readers. Now I find I need a genre for the story to fit in. All my simple mind can offer is, Romance tinged with music and travel. Alas that is my problem when submitting to agents. I wonder how many good stories go unread because their writers cannot find the appropriate genre for them?

By: Danushka Labuschagne

Danushka Labuschagne — Tue, 05 May 2015 07:23:59 +0000

Surely one can have great stories that ARE mystery thrillers? Based on the definition of both, they can be successfully combined without it landing on some agent's slush pile? I have also come across many romantic stories that have a good dose of mystery in it.
There have also been a few Sci-Fi thrillers, fantasy horrors -I could go on. I do think the success of combining two genres is author dependent. Some get it right and some don't.

By: Carolyn V. Hamilton

Carolyn V. Hamilton — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 12:52:04 +0000

Thanks for this great article. I still meet aspiring writers who have no idea what their genre is. And David, I'd say yes, but if you have crimes in your novel, it might be more dramatic and enticing to the potential reader to say it's a "contemporary psychological crime saga." I think "mainstream" sounds... well... too "mainstream" in the sense of common.

By: David Lloyd King

David Lloyd King — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 06:02:16 +0000

My novel has crimes, racial issues, fundamentalist religion and political intrigue but it's about the psychological issues of, and impact on, the P and A. It takes place over 40 years, so is it a mainstream psychological saga?

By: Carolyn Toms-Neary

Carolyn Toms-Neary — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 20:13:48 +0000

The paranormal in itself is a mystery and the parnormal can indeed be thrilling in a heart-pounding manner. The shark-octopus-bear may not be lurching out of the ocean, but spewing forth from the portals of hell. Add to that a hot romance lacing through my story and I guess my work of fiction is ready to explode!

By: P. A. Morris (Pat)

P. A. Morris (Pat) — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 15:25:29 +0000

samwise ...Spot on about the need to match the genre with the appropriate agent. I still say the first responsibility of the author is not to find the genre for the story, but rather the target market and then identify the corresponding pre-set genre. I think we're on the same page, different mindsets. I also like Ann's "little box" analogy.

By: ralemiller

ralemiller — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 04:46:18 +0000

Chuck did his thing with this article. It was very informative. Keep up the good work, buddy