Since today is Indie day, I'm going to let myself get controversial.
I've been writing for four years now, and I still can't fit my work into a genre. If I did, it would be something like this: paranormal, militaristic, romantic, suspenseful thriller. Quite a mouthful. And then there's the question of length. Not for my first three books, they are all the "correct" word count of approx. 100,000 words. I'm talking about Erron, the book I'm releasing September 3rd. It's 56,000 words, which is technically too short. I tried to add to it, but it didn't need it. So that brought up the question--why? Why was I trying to add words to a story I loved? Why did I even care? And then, even more importantly--who? Who is the one who made up all these silly rules? Why can't I publish a 56,000 word book, or a 34,000 word book? And why does my writing have to be pigeon-holed into a genre? It doesn't make sense, for any of us. Why not write what makes us come alive? I don't know about you, but (almost) every book I've picked up recently looks, feels, and reads exactly the same. Where are todays Dickens? Or Austens? Or Poes? I want to read that. I want to read something alive, something unique, and more importantly, that's what I want to write.
Feeling Indie anyone?
My books clock in around 70,000. Guess my publisher doesn't play by the rules either.
ReplyDeleteI talked about genre naming on my blog today. I also heard that shorter novels, novellas, sell well here in the states but not so much in foreign markets. My books are ranged from 70K to 104K. Ebooks makes it easy to be flexible with size.
ReplyDeleteIf it's an eBook only, I think you have a lot more flexibility with the length. The shorter ones do seem to be selling better now. All those short attention span readers.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem with narrowing down my genre for my unpublished series. I usually refer to it as a supernatural-thriller even though romance could be added to that. I've started calling the first book a commercial thriller in my queries, hoping that would sound better to agents. As for the word count, both of my books have been under 50,000 words and they were only made into eBooks because, according to the small press I publish under, 65,000 words or more qualifies you for a book in print.
ReplyDeleteI always loved Jane Austen; I wonder what she would think of all the "continuations" of her characters from Pride and Prejudice in contemporary novels today. It's difficult for me to stay within a particular word count, especially because I want to keep everything rather than edit it. I know I have to edit, though.
ReplyDeletePeople always seem to want to know just what, exactly, it is that they're sampling. Heaven knows I've had enough nasty surprises when I take a chance on reading something. On the other hand, with all the online sellers having 'look inside' features, and brick and mortar bookstores having real live books to open and flip through, there is no reason to get a nasty surprise. I have, however, seen people post snarky reviews of 'shorts', but those are ones where the length of the book wasn't all that obvious. Hm.
ReplyDelete...well, I'm off to write more on my magic-less fantasy, alternative history mystery with a romance woven in there somewhere WIP (s)...
I think the pigeon holing is all about how to sell the work. They look a the work and then at they potential buyers. Somewhere the two have to come together happily. I suspect that the rules are supposed to help find that common ground.
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
It would be wonderful if there wasn't a requirement to fit our work into a tidy little category that fits on a sign in a bookstore. I can see the reasons for it, but it can be frustrating.
ReplyDeleteGreat points, all of them. Ease of shelving is what started most of that. But hey, we don't have to worry about that anymore. I love the covers to your novels. Besides, you can always publish the shorter ones as "novelettes." Those are getting popular. Or, on Kindle, they have what they call "Kindle-shorts." You could try that too... I wanted to contact you because Alex sent a list to the A to Z Challenge co-hosts with names of those folks he knew who would like to be "minions" this year in April. If you aren't already signed with someone, would you like to be on my team? I would love to have you. We have five others as of now and would like to have a total of 10 so the work is spread easily. Please, let me know if you'd like, or not, to join us. Thanks, Lisa celticadlx@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteYou bring up great points, Melanie! Why do our books have to fit into a specific genre? That has been the hardest thing for me as I query my novels—deciding which genre they fit into. I say away with genres! :)
ReplyDeleteYou bring up great points, Melanie! Why do our books have to fit into a specific genre? That has been the hardest thing for me as I query my novels—deciding which genre they fit into. I say away with genres! :)
ReplyDelete80,000 seems to be my sweet spot. I guess genre designations are more useful for the reader than for the writer. That way you can figure out if you are likely to enjoy a book before you invest too much time in it. Some readers get tunnel-focused on only one genre. Myself, I like it when there's crossover, mashup surprises.
ReplyDeleteI don't fit easily into a category either. Many of my books are a blend of sci-fi and fantasy. There's nothing wrong with a 56K book. Don't add to it just to get the word count up. I like shorter, honestly. Untethered Realms / MPax
ReplyDelete