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I cannot figure out the exact genre (and target audience) of my book
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For more than three years, I've been writing and re-writing my novel involving immortal characters.
Now I'm finally gathering courage to write a query letter and begin searching for agents. My problem is that I don't know what kind of agents to contact, as my book seems to fall somewhere in between genres.
Without actually getting into the plot, my book is an ensemble piece involving seven immortal characters, some who have lived merely decades, others centuries or millennia. The setting is contemporary (2018, mostly inside a hotel). The book borrows a lot of tropes from the mystery genre, especially from traditional mysteries (a murder in a confined space where all the characters know and suspect each other, lots of red herrings, a fair challenge to the reader where all the clues are presented throughout). The central question is not a whodunnit, however, but a whydunnit and it involves something related to the characters' condition as immortals (not the origin of immortality itself).
Here's the difficult part. These immortals are simply long-lived characters who come back to life upon death; nothing sets them apart from normal people besides their prolonged existence. They don't have any special powers. There is no magical system inside the story. There are no other paranormal beings inside the narrative (think ghosts or vampires or werewolves). Thus this can't fall into the paranormal mystery subgenre.
I've turned to fantasy too, but most subgenres that seemed somewhat plausible (contemporary fantasy or urban fantasy, for example), seemed to be quite heavy with the supernatural elements; my book isn't. If anything, it has a pretty rational approach to the issue of immortality.
Somebody in my writing club suggested magical realism. The problem is that this genre is about the complete opposite of my book in terms of tone (since it involves a certain mysticism, languid pace and flowery prose). My book is fast-paced, full of snappy dialogues and does actually treat immortality as something special, rather than a natural occurrence.
I'm afraid if I pitch my book as just a mystery, most agents/publishers/mystery readers will be turned off by the supernatural element. If I pitch this as fantasy or paranormal mystery, they will be expecting magic and paranormal beings. I don't know enough about SF subgenres to see if there's anything that fits, as I've only read a bunch of classic SF novels. Thus, I can't seem to figure out my audience either.
Thoughts? Also, are there any other books that fall between similar genres that you could tell me about (mystery with a slight supernatural twist)? It might help me tremendously, as I'd have a starting point in seeing what kind of audience these books attracted.
Edit: My book is somewhat similar to Death Note in that the supernatural element is more of a plot device/means for the mystery to happen, not the mystery investigated itself. If you suspend your disbelief and accept that Shinigami/Death Notes (or in my case, immortality) exist, then the mystery itself focuses on a (series of) murder(s), involving humans and caused by humans. That's one of the extra reasons why I hesitate to call this fantasy.
publishing marketing genre readers agent
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For more than three years, I've been writing and re-writing my novel involving immortal characters.
Now I'm finally gathering courage to write a query letter and begin searching for agents. My problem is that I don't know what kind of agents to contact, as my book seems to fall somewhere in between genres.
Without actually getting into the plot, my book is an ensemble piece involving seven immortal characters, some who have lived merely decades, others centuries or millennia. The setting is contemporary (2018, mostly inside a hotel). The book borrows a lot of tropes from the mystery genre, especially from traditional mysteries (a murder in a confined space where all the characters know and suspect each other, lots of red herrings, a fair challenge to the reader where all the clues are presented throughout). The central question is not a whodunnit, however, but a whydunnit and it involves something related to the characters' condition as immortals (not the origin of immortality itself).
Here's the difficult part. These immortals are simply long-lived characters who come back to life upon death; nothing sets them apart from normal people besides their prolonged existence. They don't have any special powers. There is no magical system inside the story. There are no other paranormal beings inside the narrative (think ghosts or vampires or werewolves). Thus this can't fall into the paranormal mystery subgenre.
I've turned to fantasy too, but most subgenres that seemed somewhat plausible (contemporary fantasy or urban fantasy, for example), seemed to be quite heavy with the supernatural elements; my book isn't. If anything, it has a pretty rational approach to the issue of immortality.
Somebody in my writing club suggested magical realism. The problem is that this genre is about the complete opposite of my book in terms of tone (since it involves a certain mysticism, languid pace and flowery prose). My book is fast-paced, full of snappy dialogues and does actually treat immortality as something special, rather than a natural occurrence.
I'm afraid if I pitch my book as just a mystery, most agents/publishers/mystery readers will be turned off by the supernatural element. If I pitch this as fantasy or paranormal mystery, they will be expecting magic and paranormal beings. I don't know enough about SF subgenres to see if there's anything that fits, as I've only read a bunch of classic SF novels. Thus, I can't seem to figure out my audience either.
Thoughts? Also, are there any other books that fall between similar genres that you could tell me about (mystery with a slight supernatural twist)? It might help me tremendously, as I'd have a starting point in seeing what kind of audience these books attracted.
Edit: My book is somewhat similar to Death Note in that the supernatural element is more of a plot device/means for the mystery to happen, not the mystery investigated itself. If you suspend your disbelief and accept that Shinigami/Death Notes (or in my case, immortality) exist, then the mystery itself focuses on a (series of) murder(s), involving humans and caused by humans. That's one of the extra reasons why I hesitate to call this fantasy.
publishing marketing genre readers agent
asked 1 hour ago
undecided
64
New contributor
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
If I look at something like the highlander books which is somewhat close to what you are aiming for, except the beheadings and "There can be only one" stuff. This is just called fantasy. If you have some sort detective element. Why not just call it a detective fantasy novel?
– Totumus Maximus
55 mins ago
@TotumusMaximus Fantasy, as a genre, carries a strong connotation - I'm guessing undecided will rather avoid that.
– Liquid
9 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
For more than three years, I've been writing and re-writing my novel involving immortal characters.
Now I'm finally gathering courage to write a query letter and begin searching for agents. My problem is that I don't know what kind of agents to contact, as my book seems to fall somewhere in between genres.
Without actually getting into the plot, my book is an ensemble piece involving seven immortal characters, some who have lived merely decades, others centuries or millennia. The setting is contemporary (2018, mostly inside a hotel). The book borrows a lot of tropes from the mystery genre, especially from traditional mysteries (a murder in a confined space where all the characters know and suspect each other, lots of red herrings, a fair challenge to the reader where all the clues are presented throughout). The central question is not a whodunnit, however, but a whydunnit and it involves something related to the characters' condition as immortals (not the origin of immortality itself).
Here's the difficult part. These immortals are simply long-lived characters who come back to life upon death; nothing sets them apart from normal people besides their prolonged existence. They don't have any special powers. There is no magical system inside the story. There are no other paranormal beings inside the narrative (think ghosts or vampires or werewolves). Thus this can't fall into the paranormal mystery subgenre.
I've turned to fantasy too, but most subgenres that seemed somewhat plausible (contemporary fantasy or urban fantasy, for example), seemed to be quite heavy with the supernatural elements; my book isn't. If anything, it has a pretty rational approach to the issue of immortality.
Somebody in my writing club suggested magical realism. The problem is that this genre is about the complete opposite of my book in terms of tone (since it involves a certain mysticism, languid pace and flowery prose). My book is fast-paced, full of snappy dialogues and does actually treat immortality as something special, rather than a natural occurrence.
I'm afraid if I pitch my book as just a mystery, most agents/publishers/mystery readers will be turned off by the supernatural element. If I pitch this as fantasy or paranormal mystery, they will be expecting magic and paranormal beings. I don't know enough about SF subgenres to see if there's anything that fits, as I've only read a bunch of classic SF novels. Thus, I can't seem to figure out my audience either.
Thoughts? Also, are there any other books that fall between similar genres that you could tell me about (mystery with a slight supernatural twist)? It might help me tremendously, as I'd have a starting point in seeing what kind of audience these books attracted.
Edit: My book is somewhat similar to Death Note in that the supernatural element is more of a plot device/means for the mystery to happen, not the mystery investigated itself. If you suspend your disbelief and accept that Shinigami/Death Notes (or in my case, immortality) exist, then the mystery itself focuses on a (series of) murder(s), involving humans and caused by humans. That's one of the extra reasons why I hesitate to call this fantasy.
publishing marketing genre readers agent
asked 1 hour ago
undecided
64
New contributor
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
For more than three years, I've been writing and re-writing my novel involving immortal characters.
Now I'm finally gathering courage to write a query letter and begin searching for agents. My problem is that I don't know what kind of agents to contact, as my book seems to fall somewhere in between genres.
Without actually getting into the plot, my book is an ensemble piece involving seven immortal characters, some who have lived merely decades, others centuries or millennia. The setting is contemporary (2018, mostly inside a hotel). The book borrows a lot of tropes from the mystery genre, especially from traditional mysteries (a murder in a confined space where all the characters know and suspect each other, lots of red herrings, a fair challenge to the reader where all the clues are presented throughout). The central question is not a whodunnit, however, but a whydunnit and it involves something related to the characters' condition as immortals (not the origin of immortality itself).
Here's the difficult part. These immortals are simply long-lived characters who come back to life upon death; nothing sets them apart from normal people besides their prolonged existence. They don't have any special powers. There is no magical system inside the story. There are no other paranormal beings inside the narrative (think ghosts or vampires or werewolves). Thus this can't fall into the paranormal mystery subgenre.
I've turned to fantasy too, but most subgenres that seemed somewhat plausible (contemporary fantasy or urban fantasy, for example), seemed to be quite heavy with the supernatural elements; my book isn't. If anything, it has a pretty rational approach to the issue of immortality.
Somebody in my writing club suggested magical realism. The problem is that this genre is about the complete opposite of my book in terms of tone (since it involves a certain mysticism, languid pace and flowery prose). My book is fast-paced, full of snappy dialogues and does actually treat immortality as something special, rather than a natural occurrence.
I'm afraid if I pitch my book as just a mystery, most agents/publishers/mystery readers will be turned off by the supernatural element. If I pitch this as fantasy or paranormal mystery, they will be expecting magic and paranormal beings. I don't know enough about SF subgenres to see if there's anything that fits, as I've only read a bunch of classic SF novels. Thus, I can't seem to figure out my audience either.
Thoughts? Also, are there any other books that fall between similar genres that you could tell me about (mystery with a slight supernatural twist)? It might help me tremendously, as I'd have a starting point in seeing what kind of audience these books attracted.
Edit: My book is somewhat similar to Death Note in that the supernatural element is more of a plot device/means for the mystery to happen, not the mystery investigated itself. If you suspend your disbelief and accept that Shinigami/Death Notes (or in my case, immortality) exist, then the mystery itself focuses on a (series of) murder(s), involving humans and caused by humans. That's one of the extra reasons why I hesitate to call this fantasy.
publishing marketing genre readers agent
publishing marketing genre readers agent
asked 1 hour ago
undecided
64
New contributor
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
undecided
64
New contributor
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 36 mins ago
asked 1 hour ago
undecided
64
New contributor
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
undecided
64
asked 1 hour ago
undecided
64
64
New contributor
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
undecided is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
If I look at something like the highlander books which is somewhat close to what you are aiming for, except the beheadings and "There can be only one" stuff. This is just called fantasy. If you have some sort detective element. Why not just call it a detective fantasy novel?
– Totumus Maximus
55 mins ago
@TotumusMaximus Fantasy, as a genre, carries a strong connotation - I'm guessing undecided will rather avoid that.
– Liquid
9 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1
If I look at something like the highlander books which is somewhat close to what you are aiming for, except the beheadings and "There can be only one" stuff. This is just called fantasy. If you have some sort detective element. Why not just call it a detective fantasy novel?
– Totumus Maximus
55 mins ago
@TotumusMaximus Fantasy, as a genre, carries a strong connotation - I'm guessing undecided will rather avoid that.
– Liquid
9 mins ago
1
1
If I look at something like the highlander books which is somewhat close to what you are aiming for, except the beheadings and "There can be only one" stuff. This is just called fantasy. If you have some sort detective element. Why not just call it a detective fantasy novel?
– Totumus Maximus
55 mins ago
If I look at something like the highlander books which is somewhat close to what you are aiming for, except the beheadings and "There can be only one" stuff. This is just called fantasy. If you have some sort detective element. Why not just call it a detective fantasy novel?
– Totumus Maximus
55 mins ago
@TotumusMaximus Fantasy, as a genre, carries a strong connotation - I'm guessing undecided will rather avoid that.
– Liquid
9 mins ago
@TotumusMaximus Fantasy, as a genre, carries a strong connotation - I'm guessing undecided will rather avoid that.
– Liquid
9 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
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up vote
3
down vote
Keep in mind, genre isn't an exact science, it's a marketing tool, and cross-genre books can actually do very well. Neuromancer is science-fiction noir. Star Wars is science-fiction fairy tale. Harry Potter is fantasy/mystery/teen-series.
What reader is most likely to enjoy your story? Overall, your best bet is to pick the genre it best fits and to sell it as that genre "with a twist." So if it's basically a contemporary mystery, sell it as a mystery, "but the hero lives forever." Or, if the immortality plot is really that deep in the background, you might want to de-emphasize it in your query entirely, and just note in passing that the book has "some supernatural elements." Keep in mind, however, that many readers of realistic fiction are resistant to anything supernatural at all, so it may be a harder sell this way than as a fantasy mystery. (It's also worth noting that fantasy mysteries are popular enough that they basically make up their own subgenre.)
If your book is really half-and-half, why not write two queries, one selling it as a mystery with a few supernatural elements, and the other selling it as a fantasy mystery? You'll double (more or less) the potential agents/publishers you're reaching out to, and you'll be able to see first hand which approach gets more traction.
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
Keep in mind, genre isn't an exact science, it's a marketing tool, and cross-genre books can actually do very well. Neuromancer is science-fiction noir. Star Wars is science-fiction fairy tale. Harry Potter is fantasy/mystery/teen-series.
What reader is most likely to enjoy your story? Overall, your best bet is to pick the genre it best fits and to sell it as that genre "with a twist." So if it's basically a contemporary mystery, sell it as a mystery, "but the hero lives forever." Or, if the immortality plot is really that deep in the background, you might want to de-emphasize it in your query entirely, and just note in passing that the book has "some supernatural elements." Keep in mind, however, that many readers of realistic fiction are resistant to anything supernatural at all, so it may be a harder sell this way than as a fantasy mystery. (It's also worth noting that fantasy mysteries are popular enough that they basically make up their own subgenre.)
If your book is really half-and-half, why not write two queries, one selling it as a mystery with a few supernatural elements, and the other selling it as a fantasy mystery? You'll double (more or less) the potential agents/publishers you're reaching out to, and you'll be able to see first hand which approach gets more traction.
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Keep in mind, genre isn't an exact science, it's a marketing tool, and cross-genre books can actually do very well. Neuromancer is science-fiction noir. Star Wars is science-fiction fairy tale. Harry Potter is fantasy/mystery/teen-series.
What reader is most likely to enjoy your story? Overall, your best bet is to pick the genre it best fits and to sell it as that genre "with a twist." So if it's basically a contemporary mystery, sell it as a mystery, "but the hero lives forever." Or, if the immortality plot is really that deep in the background, you might want to de-emphasize it in your query entirely, and just note in passing that the book has "some supernatural elements." Keep in mind, however, that many readers of realistic fiction are resistant to anything supernatural at all, so it may be a harder sell this way than as a fantasy mystery. (It's also worth noting that fantasy mysteries are popular enough that they basically make up their own subgenre.)
If your book is really half-and-half, why not write two queries, one selling it as a mystery with a few supernatural elements, and the other selling it as a fantasy mystery? You'll double (more or less) the potential agents/publishers you're reaching out to, and you'll be able to see first hand which approach gets more traction.
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Keep in mind, genre isn't an exact science, it's a marketing tool, and cross-genre books can actually do very well. Neuromancer is science-fiction noir. Star Wars is science-fiction fairy tale. Harry Potter is fantasy/mystery/teen-series.
What reader is most likely to enjoy your story? Overall, your best bet is to pick the genre it best fits and to sell it as that genre "with a twist." So if it's basically a contemporary mystery, sell it as a mystery, "but the hero lives forever." Or, if the immortality plot is really that deep in the background, you might want to de-emphasize it in your query entirely, and just note in passing that the book has "some supernatural elements." Keep in mind, however, that many readers of realistic fiction are resistant to anything supernatural at all, so it may be a harder sell this way than as a fantasy mystery. (It's also worth noting that fantasy mysteries are popular enough that they basically make up their own subgenre.)
If your book is really half-and-half, why not write two queries, one selling it as a mystery with a few supernatural elements, and the other selling it as a fantasy mystery? You'll double (more or less) the potential agents/publishers you're reaching out to, and you'll be able to see first hand which approach gets more traction.
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
Keep in mind, genre isn't an exact science, it's a marketing tool, and cross-genre books can actually do very well. Neuromancer is science-fiction noir. Star Wars is science-fiction fairy tale. Harry Potter is fantasy/mystery/teen-series.
What reader is most likely to enjoy your story? Overall, your best bet is to pick the genre it best fits and to sell it as that genre "with a twist." So if it's basically a contemporary mystery, sell it as a mystery, "but the hero lives forever." Or, if the immortality plot is really that deep in the background, you might want to de-emphasize it in your query entirely, and just note in passing that the book has "some supernatural elements." Keep in mind, however, that many readers of realistic fiction are resistant to anything supernatural at all, so it may be a harder sell this way than as a fantasy mystery. (It's also worth noting that fantasy mysteries are popular enough that they basically make up their own subgenre.)
If your book is really half-and-half, why not write two queries, one selling it as a mystery with a few supernatural elements, and the other selling it as a fantasy mystery? You'll double (more or less) the potential agents/publishers you're reaching out to, and you'll be able to see first hand which approach gets more traction.
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
edited 6 mins ago
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
answered 12 mins ago
Chris Sunami
25.5k33196
25.5k33196
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
undecided is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
undecided is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
undecided is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
undecided is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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1
If I look at something like the highlander books which is somewhat close to what you are aiming for, except the beheadings and "There can be only one" stuff. This is just called fantasy. If you have some sort detective element. Why not just call it a detective fantasy novel?
– Totumus Maximus
55 mins ago
@TotumusMaximus Fantasy, as a genre, carries a strong connotation - I'm guessing undecided will rather avoid that.
– Liquid
9 mins ago