My cousin has a new job selling irrigation systems. He understands this product and even bought one from the company himself.
I know what an irrigation system is but that’s about it. Could I sell an irrigation system based on this knowledge? Well, I could try; but I’d have to do a lot of research and then only sell it based on abstract knowledge, not experience. My cousin understands the product and, based on that alone, is a much better prospect for irrigation-system sales than I am.
So what does this have to do with book publishing? Nothing and a lot. The point is, when presenting a book proposal, part of the job is to identify your book so marketing people understand how to sell it and before that, the editor knows how to pitch it to the Publication Committee.
For instance, when you say, “romantic suspense,” then Marketing knows exactly what approach to take. If you say, “memoir” then they know what to do.
What if your book doesn’t fit into a niche? Then I recommend using some identifier anyway. You know whether your book is fiction or nonfiction. Then where does it go? Is it a mystery? Women’s fiction? Adventure? Self-help? Try to narrow it down and choose something close, so those reviewing your work have an idea where they’re going before they begin reviewing.
You may say, “But if I identify my book and the editor isn’t looking for that, then doesn’t it make the proposal DOA?”
As an agent, I know what categories where I’m fully stocked and what holes I have on my list. However, I’ll still look at proposals where I’m fully stocked; and if I’m blown away by what I see, I may miraculously find a place for you. This can happen at some publishing houses, too. So it’s better to identify your book clearly than try to lure in your reader with a nebulous title.
When approaching agents, do your best to identify your work even if you’re unsure. Then, once you begin working with an agent, they’ll give you sage counsel.
Your turn:
What category of book are you writing?
Are you having trouble categorizing your book? Why?
What’s Your Writing Playlist? (Part One)
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Amazing! This article comes on the day when I was rewriting a proposal for my non-fiction book about health care. After reading the article, I revised the second sentence. Thanks for posting the article, Tammy. It was
tailor-made for me. I also have my eye on “Book Proposals I’d Like to See by Tamela Hancock Murray. (LOL)
Whoo hooo! I look forward to hearing from you, Lillian!
Great post. I struggle with it, too.
Clearly, fiction. Clearly Christian (though my fMC is not a Christian and taunts her love interest by telling him she doesn’t get it). She has retrograde amnesia. Realistic. However she has Jason Bourne-ish capabilities –not so much realistic.
How about Christian/romantic/Jason Bourne? Or John Wick? In a cozy mystery? With suspense?
It’s done, cleaned up, made more realistic, but I wonder, how much belief can we suspend to make our mysteries work? I mean, research galore has taken me into interesting realms.
Should I make it dystopian zombie Amish to allow for that total suspension of the brain to move the cozy into the realm of someone hooked up to a gazillion devices to keep the brain alive and activate muscles? How many books do we read that are wrong? I mean, bleach does not clean blood BTW so we have moved into suspension of that belief… oh gosh. See, if I put that in there how many FeeBees will land at my doorstep saying I just gave the bad guys the real means to clean up DNA?
Should I make my homicide detective Amish carrying a gun? Well.
You can see my dilemma.
Mercy.
It will be interesting to see where you finally land!
Tamela, I have been working on a contemporary romance suspense novel series that is set in Annapolis, Maryland. The fly in the ointment is that I have angels and demons in it, which seems to make it speculative. There’s the rub: trying to categorize that!
I recommend simply saying it’s speculative.
Very helpful. My children’s book was published last year. But, I continue to write Christian romance and also, non-fiction. I am a multi-genre writer. 🙂
Glad you liked the post!
Good post, Tamela. All my stories are romances, either contemporary or historical. I’m trying my hand at cozy type mystery with older characters ala Ben Matlock and Jessica Fletcher or Miss Marple. Because I’m a senior citizen well past 55, I like to add older characters to my stories because I know them. Too many people stereo-type seniors. I think it would be fun to have a senior citizen category for MC’s past the age of 50. But then, the audience for that would be rather small. l
I like that concept. I’m well over-aged.. however my younger (ie 35-40) protags use similar concepts in at least one of my novels. I do know of a Christian writer who has a series with amateur sleuths of 60 and older.
Hey. I’ve got a leading man who’s 130 years old, but that’s kind of cheating because the story is set in early Genesis and everyone is living past 200.
love it. It would be interesting to see a Biblical fiction from Enoch’s wife, when he went missing… okay, j/k there.
Thanks, Martha! You are ageless!
Hullo Tamela,
Your article makes so much sense! As for what I’m writing, after 7 women’s fiction novels, I’m changing it up and giving it a go with contemporary romance. Of course, I have to complicate it with double MC’s – identical twin sisters!!
Twin sisters can be very compelling, especially when written by an author who knows at least one set of twins!
Tamela-
Love this… learned at ACFW in Sept that while I thought I was writing contemporary (a modern day bible story- Ruth), I was actually writing a romantic suspense loosely based on/inspired by Ruth. I am also working on romantic suspense series I’ve decided has elements of speculative (a supernatural element) but I wonder if it makes sense to say this when mentioning it?
Yes, you need to say what you’re writing. I don’t know of an agent or editor who’d want to think they were settling in with a romantic suspense novel, only to find it’s speculative. Or the other way around!
Thanks Tamela-
I think it is more romantic suspense, but will include the small speculative nature. Would never want to mislead anyone. Thanks for the insights as always.
Of course! I realize you would never want to mislead anyone. But the appearance of any otherworldly beings is likely to place it in the spec category, in my view.
Tamela-
Good to know… maybe I keep them this worldly then. I think Romantic Suspense is my sweet spot so I’d like to stay there. Again, you’re the best – thanks!
I think my novel would be considered “contemporary literary fiction.” Is that genre specific enough? My protagonist is confined to a monastery as he is forced to come to terms with his daughter’s death, his guilt for killing the man he believes is responsible, and other issues. This non-denominational “monastery” is unlike the any monastery we would know and the reader follows the protagonist’s arc from nominal belief, to belief, to totally trusting God.
A writer friend thinks it is dystopian because the monastery is so unusual, but I disagree. While unique, it is not outside the realm of possibility in this world.
Not a thriller, not a mystery (although there are some questions about these “monks.”) We follow the spiritual journeys of two other “prisoners” in the monastery. I have no idea what genre this would be other than literary fiction.
I would label it contemporary fiction unless you are targeting literary houses. The story sounds marvelous!
Good points to remember as they go with knowing how to do an elevator pitch. Which brings me to a question for Tamara and others…What is your impression with twitter pitch parties? Two writers I know have received agent representation for their picture books, but I don’t have any feedback for full length novels.
If a company is running a Twitter pitch and they are looking for what you write, go for it!
My last book in a CR series releases tomorrow, so I feel like I’m starting over with new characters and situations, which is tough, I’m finding! I recently pitched my current WIP and was told that my story seemed to straddle two genres – Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense. Too much romance and fun for suspense, too much mystery for CR. Is this just the case with “category” romance publishers, and will mixing a little bit of both (without going full-on cozy) acceptable in general?
It’s best to define the genre clearly and stay in those boundaries when writing strictly genre.
Tamela,
Clearly identifying the genre makes so much sense, but isn’t intuitive, is it? As writers who create with words, I think it’s hard to set aside our creativity enough to stay within genre boundaries; after all, life isn’t that cut and dried, so why must our stories be? But sometimes doing that is exactly what is required if we want our words to ever reach readers. It’s part of the art/business dichotomy. Thanks for making it so clear.
Well put, Linda.