Do you know your book’s genre?
That might seem like an odd question for an editor to ask a writer, but there are an array of answers to it.
Many writers would know exactly what to say in response. They knew their genre before they even started writing the book—maybe even before they had thought of it. Writers of defined genres don’t stray from the conventions outlined by that tradition. They become known for writing exactly that genre. In some cases, their books may even have contributed to defining that genre or stand out as frequently referenced examples of it. They are the writers of thrillers, romances, science fiction, and Westerns (and many others).
Not all defined genres are quite so clear cut, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t attached to particular traditions or themes, though such conventions probably aren’t as evident to untrained eyes. Or, they intentionally do not let their work be shaped by the expectations or standards of any particular defined convention, such as literary fiction and contemporary fiction. Some categories incorporate a range of sub-genres.
Hybrid genres are also continuing to crop up. “Romantasy” is a hybrid genre of romance + fantasy.
And there are authors who sort of have a genre in mind, and wrote a draft of a book based on it, but when pressed, they would struggle to say what it’s called. They know they’ve read books like that and wanted their book to be somewhere along those lines—but other than telling you the titles of those books—they don’t know much about how those genres came about or what exactly sets them apart from other similar genres.
I frequently work with nonfiction authors who are writing in hybrid genres that combine elements of memoir and self-help/personal development or memoir/self-help/spiritual development.
My intention with this blog post is not to put you in the hot seat about your knowledge of genre specifics but instead to nudge you toward an ability to articulate your writing. Genres help you discuss your writing and your book coherently.
This is especially helpful when you start working with editors. If you tell a fiction developmental or line editor that your book is a cozy mystery, they will likely say something like, “Ah! Okay, gotcha.” Their editing will then reflect the ways in which you can revise your writing to exemplify what readers will expect of that book when they see that it’s categorized as “mystery.” You would also need to be able to tell them that your book doesn’t follow a particular specified genre—you’ll want to let them know that this is an intentional choice so that they don’t try to fit it into a mold it isn’t meant to fit.
Speaking practically, knowing how to discuss your writing can help you find and decide which editor to work with—like writers, many editors become known for working with specific genres—or working experimentally.
Copyeditors and proofreaders also often specialize by genre, and if you’re writing a book on energetic healing, it could definitely be an advantage to work with a proofreader who is well-versed in the terminology of that genre and knows, for instance, that chi, ch’i, and qi are alternate spellings for the same word.
When you get to the publishing and marketing phases (hint: marketing should be arranged well before publishing), you need to know how to tell your readers something about why it’s the sort of book they might want to read. Genre discussions are the way to let them know that. To catch the attention of your audience, you’ll need to understand which audiences tend to read which books. So, which categories will you select when you upload your book to distributors? What age group will you select? Is your book really appropriate for that age group?
In your book blurb, how will you describe your book and how will you let readers know if it’s of interest to them?
The earlier in your writing phases you can begin to discuss your writing in terms of genre and audience, the more readily you will transition from writing to promoting your book, and the more likely it is to find the audience interested in reading it—and who will recommend it to their friends when they do.