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07-02 Know Thy Genre

As a literary agent, I receive anywhere from 400 to 500 submissions each month. In every case, these hopeful writers want me to see potential in their work and help them bring it to market. What they probably don’t know, is that they might be setting themselves up to fail at a very early stage.Most agents, and most publishers, want to see a query at first contact. That is, a one-page letter that describes both the book and the author. There is no single proper way to write a query, but the right information must be there: Author name, book title, genre, word count, synopsis, target audience, and something about you.

One of the greatest frustrations of my job, is that at least a quarter of my submissions do not display a good grasp of the book’s genre. Your genre is not “fiction.” It’s not “Christian.” And it is neither “children” nor “nonfiction” nor “adult.” These are broad categories, not genres, and you need to know where your book fits within that universe.Why is this important?

First, every agency and every publisher (and every individual within them) handles a finite range of genres. You need to be sure that your book fits in with their needs, before you add them to your list.Second, this isn't just about labels or legalistic conformity. If you’re writing (say) a mystery novel, you need to know the norms and expectations for mystery novels. How do you draw in your reader? How do you reveal clues? What is the customary word count range? These are the things you’ll need to know, while you write the book. And certainly long before you start pitching said book anywhere.Third, no agency or publisher handles “fiction.” Rather, they handle specific types of fiction. So if your book is a mystery novel, you’ll need to seek out the agencies and publishers (and the right individuals within them) that handle mysteries. If you skip this crucial step, you’ll waste everyone’s time including your own.So, you intend to self-publish your book? In the absence of a gatekeeper, you might think that the rules don’t matter. And you’d be mistaken. If you don’t characterize your book with the right keywords (including the genre), your readers won’t know how to find you. Sophisticated readers know what a mystery novel should look like, and they will judge you accordingly.Another problem in the don’t-let-this-happen-to-you file: Too many genres. That’s right: I often get submissions with anywhere from three to six genres attached. And I turn them down, unread, every time. Why?Show me any list of three or more genres, and there's a good chance that I don't handle them all.I maintain a list of several hundred editors, and each one handles a finite range of genres. What are the odds that I will find one that accepts mystery and romance and sci-fi? Practically nonexistent. If I can't make a list of twenty places to pitch your book, it's just not worth my time.Bookstore buyers often specialize in a narrow range of genres, so you’re unlikely to find any individual buyer who handles them all.Bookstores shelve their books in sections according to genre. If your book has three or more genres, where would they put it? The most likely answer: nowhere.And lastly, every individual reader has a limited range of tastes. If he seeks out mystery novels, he might lose interest in yours if you also make him read a romance and a sci-fi at the same time.That said, some genre mashups are perfectly acceptable: romantic suspense, or historical young adult. In these cases the reader knows what she’s getting, without straying far from the conventions of either category.When I give this kind of advice in online forums such as Facebook or LinkedIn, I often face stiff opposition from self-proclaimed experts. Apparently they self-published one or two books, ignored every industry norm, and gained a huge following with thousands of sales. Good for them.The trouble, of course, is that such arguments prove nothing. Certainly any approach can and will work at one time or another. These "experts" uniformly refuse to give specifics so that we aspiring scribes might judge for ourselves. At best they have an anecdote, not a reliable business model.

 

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