The “Your Questions Answered” Series

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I’d love to learn more about the system behind categorizing books, specifically fiction. I want to write a book that fits well in a category and make sure a book I’ve already written fits into a definite category, but I feel like I’m missing a lot of specifics.

Also, I’ve learned from this blog that it’s important to stick to a genre so your readers know what to expect from you. What are acceptable parameters for staying “in your genre”? Are deviations like from fantasy to post-apocalyptic or romance to historical fiction still too different?

 

I see this question as a marketing challenge that is in place to help readers buy the books they want to read. As an avid reader, I’ve tossed aside novels that didn’t hold my interest after a few pages. Life is too short not to enjoy what I read for leisure.

The writer has to keep me engaged. And the writer has to give me what I expect. For instance, if I open a book expecting a romantic suspense novel but end up with a suspense novel with no romance, I might keep reading but will be sorely disappointed by the lack of promised passion. Likewise, if I don’t have any desire to engage in a romance plot that I think takes away from solving a crime, I’ll be aggravated by dealing with a couple’s romance on top of the crime-solving procedure. Further, if the book promises romance and suspense, but the crime itself doesn’t intrigue me enough to care whether or not it’s ever solved, I’ll be a disappointed reader. I hope this illustrates the “why” of categorizing books. That’s not to say that readers won’t buy a book that defies categorization, but those books have to be so special and unique that the publisher markets them in a way that emphasizes they are on top of a mountain, alone.

However, most writers create within a category. The author’s goal is to deliver on the premise. The name of the genre reveals all. For example:

Romantic suspense: A couple falls in love while solving a high-stakes crime where the clock is ticking, and they may be in danger.

Thriller: Characters solve a high-stakes crime where the clock is ticking, and they may be in danger; but no romance develops between them. The reader may get a glimpse of the characters’ home lives, which may include insights into their relationships, marriages, and parenting challenges. None of this will have anything to do with their crime-solving partner.

Cozy mystery: The crime, usually a murder, has already taken place offstage, and the present characters are generally not in peril. Rather than focusing on a couple, the story revolves around a personality who solves the crime. This category presents a puzzle for the reader to unravel along with the crime-solver, who may be an amateur. This method can be a set-up for a long series featuring a particular detective whom readers come to know and love.

Historical romance: The story takes place in the past, and love between the hero and heroine is front and center.

Historical: The story takes place in the past, with little or no romance present.

Contemporary romance: The story takes place today, and the love story is front and center.

Contemporary: The story takes place today, with little or no romance plot.

Fantasy: The story takes place in a world created by the author, that cannot happen as we know it today. The elements may include magic and wonder.

Science fiction: The wonders of science and technology offer the basis for the story, rather than fantastical elements. Usually set in the far future, but not always.

Post-apocalyptic fiction: A natural or human-made disaster decimated the world as the characters knew it, and the story is about how they must function within what fragments remain.

As for deviation, I believe an author can deviate within the genre as long as the story is fresh, as outlined in one of my previous blog posts, Inside or Outside the Box?

Just make sure to deliver on the promised tale.

Your turn:

Please offer any of your definitions of fiction genres I may have missed.

Out of the genres listed, what is your favorite title in a genre you enjoy reading?

For the entire series click here: “Your Questions Answered.”