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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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Happy fall to you, and welcome
to our Tuesday Forum
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about genres
today, because that confuses a lot of novice writers, whether they're
writing novel lenght or short form.
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mary rosenblum
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And actually, it is a fuzzy
designation. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Genre is more to benefit the
bookstore owners and market people than anything.
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mary rosenblum
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But it does matter and it does
help to understand how it works and what it means.
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mary rosenblum
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Genre is a label that tells
readers and bookstore owners...this book is more like this than something
else.
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mary rosenblum
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The broadest genres are
mainstream, literary, mystery, SF, fantasy, horror (which are grouped
together sometimes as 'speculative fiction'),
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mary rosenblum
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romance, thriller...
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mary rosenblum
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I think I've got all the main
ones.
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mary rosenblum
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They get further subdivided
into a host of 'sub genres'...
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mary rosenblum
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mystery and romance have a LOT of sub genres...
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geezer
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Christian
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks Geeze. I knew I was
leaving something out. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And that also has a host of
sub genres. Since you have Christian plus all the other genres...Christian
romance, Christian mystery...etc.
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lear4752
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Are short stories a genre unto
themselves, or do they just fit into the others?
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mary rosenblum
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No, lear, short stories just
mean 'short'.
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mary rosenblum
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They fall into all the same
genres as novel length works.
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janecj333
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Is commercial the same as
mainstream?
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mary rosenblum
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Commercial is a fuzzy term
that generally is used as a synonym for 'genre' meaning 'not literary'.
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mary rosenblum
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You will often see authors
divide fiction up into 'literary' and 'genre'...meaning literary and
mainstream versus everything else.
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mary rosenblum
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As with many terms in the
writing world, they tend to have a wide range of meaning, rather than one
precise definition.
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megger
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Do history and biography mainly
fit under mainstream or literary, or does that depend?
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mary rosenblum
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Biography is considered
nonfiction, megger. Unless you fictionalize it...then it's biographical
fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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That and historical fiction
tend to be subgenres of mainstream, unless you really alter the history or
biography and then you end up as 'alternative history' and find yourself in
the 'speculative fiction' realm.
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mary rosenblum
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Confused yet? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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That's why I'm doing this
Forum.
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mary rosenblum
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It really can be confusing
when you're trying to decide just where to send that novel or story!
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heal
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Where does personal essay fit in
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mary rosenblum
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That's nonfiction, heal.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm talking strictly fiction
here, today.
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mary rosenblum
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Personal essay, or personal
narrative is considered 'creative nonfiction'.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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onepozy
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Define literary
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heal
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Define what they mean by
literary
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, that's always a toughie.
Again, no precise definition exists, but I have been talkign with a number
of writers...
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mary rosenblum
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about where the boundary
between 'mainstream' and 'literary' lies...
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mary rosenblum
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and our main agreement seems
to be that in 'literary' form is as important as what you are writing
about.
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mary rosenblum
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It is...in my opinion...more
toward the poetry end of the writing spectrum...
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mary rosenblum
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in that the words you chose,
the way you use form and rhythm, and language matters as much if not
more...
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mary rosenblum
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than the story itself or the
characterization.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why it's very important
to read an issue or two of the many fiction journals out there that call
themselve literary/mainstream...
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mary rosenblum
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so that you get a feel for what
that editor is looking for.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu won't find dramatic arc in
a lot of literary fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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You won't find the conventions
of plot/conflict/characterization.
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mary rosenblum
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This is probably the broadest
and blurriest segment of 'genre'...and it very much depends on what a
particular editor wants.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Short fiction is a lovely
place to play with genre.
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mary rosenblum
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If you write a story that
'falls between the cracks' -- in other words, it fits more than one genre
-- you can try it...
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mary rosenblum
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with various magazines or
e-markets and see which genre it ends up in.
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mary rosenblum
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If it doesn't sell, it's no
big deal.
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onepozy
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So mainstream would be stories
that do not fit mystery, SF, romance etc.
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly, pozy.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's not mystery/sf/romance
etc..it's mainstream.
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mary rosenblum
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Now...that said...
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mary rosenblum
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you have some 'mainstream'
books like Handmaid's Tale, for example, that fit quite nicely into another
genre...
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mary rosenblum
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speculative fiction in that
case...
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mary rosenblum
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but they have been marketed as
'mainstream' because the mainstream audience is the second largest reading
audience out there...I think it's still not quite as large as romance but I
could be wrong....
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mary rosenblum
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It's a LOT larger than the
speculative fiction audience, that's for sure.
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mary rosenblum
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So those 'genre' labels are
very mutable, depending on what the marketing department chooses to do.
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geezer
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So if we have no dramatic arc,
we can cal it literary? :-)"
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I wouldn't say that a
lack of dramatic arc makes your story literary, geeze. :-) That's hardly
the only criteria. But many if not most literary stories...
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mary rosenblum
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do lack a clear dramatic arc.
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janecj333
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Can you explain magic
realism...I'm thinking of The Milagro Beanfield War.
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mary rosenblum
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That's another 'eye of the
beholder' label.
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mary rosenblum
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The original Magic Realism
included a small cadre of South American writers writing in the fifties (I
think fifites...).
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mary rosenblum
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It has since broadened to
include stories and novels that contain fantastic elements that derive from
the culture and people in the story...
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mary rosenblum
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rather than from external
sources...ie fairies, a Harry Potter 'world of magic'.
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mary rosenblum
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It is a VERY fuzzy boundary.
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mary rosenblum
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I have sold mainstream stories
to 'magic realism' anthologies. I have sold fantasy stories to 'magic
realism' antholgies.
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mary rosenblum
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I have sold magic realism
stories to mainstream and fantasy anthologies. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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One person's mainstream story
is another person's magic realism, and another person's fantasy.
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mary rosenblum
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But essentially, the magic
arises from the real world, not from a separate fantasy universe.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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kems
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would a novel with the age of
the characters being around 18 and 19, entering college be considered YA or
regular adult fiction? It's chick lit.
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mary rosenblum
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You've answered your own questions,
kems.
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mary rosenblum
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Chick lit is a separate genre
these days.
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mary rosenblum
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It has grown out of the
romance and the women's fiction (mainstream) markets and sort of merged.
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mary rosenblum
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And this is the only...the
ONLY reason genre matters...
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mary rosenblum
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it matters because it helps
you find a publisher who is likely to publish this story or book.
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mary rosenblum
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Genre is more than just
'idea'.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, if it has rocket ships in
it, it's probably SF. (not always).
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mary rosenblum
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And if it has fairies in it,
it's probably fantasy...a murder, it may well be mystery...a ghost, it
might be horror.
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kems
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I was wondering if I should make
my characters older, maybe enter teachers college or something. But okay.
Looks like my original will work. Thanks.
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mary rosenblum
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Go for chick lit, kems. It's a
growing market. But I would sure read some of it before you decide.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the issue...
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mary rosenblum
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that genre includes 'reader
expectation', and 'reader acceptance'.
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mary rosenblum
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People who read in a genre
READ in it.
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mary rosenblum
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They read a lot of stuff in
it.
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mary rosenblum
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They pick up a sense of how
things go, they get tired of certain plot cliches...
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mary rosenblum
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and if you 'walk into' a genre
that you don't read in and try to write a novel in it...or a short story
for that matter...
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mary rosenblum
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you are likely to make
'mistakes'.
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lear4752
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Is there a "most
popular" genre, one that tends to sell the best or have the most
volume? If so, I would assume it is realistic fiction?
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mary rosenblum
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It's romance, lear.
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mary rosenblum
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That is the biggest seller and
the authors that make the most money per book are Romance authors.
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kems
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This is my favourite genre to
read. My idea seems fresh but I wasn't sure if the age would be too young
for others to be interested.
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mary rosenblum
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If you read it, you're
probalby fine. But the readers of chick lit are from ninth grade or younger
through whenever. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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writermom
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so what is it if you are
combining a murder mystery and some historical fiction in a contemporary
setting
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mary rosenblum
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This is where you have to do
some reasearch, writer.
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mary rosenblum
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It may fit the historical
fiction markets. Mystery plots work quite nicely in all genres. I have yet
to write a SF novel where at least a few reviewers didn't use the word
'mystery' to describe the plot. LOL
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mary rosenblum
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Doesn't hurt me at all. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But if it's predominantly
mystery in 'form', you might sell it to a mystery publisher rather than a
historical fiction publisher.
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lear4752
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Very interesting ... romance
isn't the answer I would have guessed! It seems so "not
literate", but then again it tells us a lot about our society (and I
don't mean that necessarily in a bad way, just as commentary)
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, literary fiction is
outsold by mainstream thrillers, too, lear. :-)
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janecj333
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Some romance authors are writing
a book a month...it's hard to believe they can make much per book for such
throwaway literature
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mary rosenblum
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Well, it's cheap and easy to
badmouth romance. You have a wide range of quality in what is available in
fiction...in all the genres.
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mary rosenblum
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You have books that are very
thin in plot and what I would call 'poorly written', but they sell well
enough to make the company money.
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mary rosenblum
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The writers who are writing
three category romances a year...or military SF thrillers, or what have
you...
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mary rosenblum
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are not making big money at
all. :-) Nora Robers, IS.
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dim writer
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What genre is Nora Roberts?
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mary rosenblum
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Romance. She earns more than
Stephen King.
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tarsus
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Would a talking dog and a
Bigfoot creature fall into the speculative fiction genre? They only have
one paragraph at the end; rest of the story is about an elderly man
wondering what's in the woods behind his house.
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mary rosenblum
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It entirely depends on the
rest of your book, tarsus. They would fit fine into a mainstream book. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Again, this is why 'genre' is
such a slippery and confusing concept for new writers.
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mary rosenblum
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The answer to most questions
is a frustrating 'maybe'. :-)
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gwanny
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Mary how much of the genre
slotting has to do with writer style?
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mary rosenblum
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A lot, gwanny.
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mary rosenblum
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The biggest style boundary
lies between literary and everything else.
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mary rosenblum
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If you write something with a
very traditional genre plot...say mystery or romance...and you use a
literary style...
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mary rosenblum
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you may have trouble selling
it. Your style may not appeal to the traditional romance reader...
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mary rosenblum
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and your romance dramatic arc
may not appeal to the literary reader.
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janecj333
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Well, I guess I could badmouth
erotica, too...
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mary rosenblum
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Even there you run the gamut
from stuff I call porn to some very elegant literary fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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The best student I've ever had
writes breathtaking literary erotica.
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gwanny
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It seems that we are borrowing
the styles of the authors we most enjoy reading. And that this is why we
read what we long to write.
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mary rosenblum
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Or vice versa...you write what
you read, the way you'd like to read it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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And that is my strongest
strongest piece of advice for novice writers.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are writing short
fiction, play around. Try everything. Short fiction is a much more eclectic
playground than the novel arena.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you're contemplating a
first novel, by all means, write in the genre you read in.
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builder guy
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Is the children's book genre a
lucrative one?
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mary rosenblum
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Childrens literature covers as
many genres as adult literature, builder...
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mary rosenblum
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even more, probably, because
you have various age levels.
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mary rosenblum
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How much you earn there
depends entirely on what you write and who publishes it.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are trying to decide
where to publish your book...
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mary rosenblum
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the only way to know which
publisher publishes that type of book is to put in some homework time in
the bookstore.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't use the library, because
publishers keep changing what they do.
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mary rosenblum
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The imprint that published
cozy mysteries two years ago may now be publishing hardboiled only.
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kems
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I have an idea for a non-fiction
self-help book. Do you happen to know what the average word count is for
this category?
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mary rosenblum
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The nonfiction book market is
its own world, kems.
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mary rosenblum
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You can find out easily
enough.
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mary rosenblum
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Head the the bookstore, hit
the 'self help' section with a tape recorder or notepad...
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mary rosenblum
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and start browsing. Write down
publisher name and page length.
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mary rosenblum
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Usually, when you look up a
publisher in the writers market lists, the will tell you what lenght they
want specifically.
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mary rosenblum
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And it varies widely...
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mary rosenblum
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from 40,000 words to over
100,000 words.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't START with the market
lists.
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mary rosenblum
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All the guidelines sound
alike.
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mary rosenblum
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Start with the bookstore.
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mary rosenblum
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Look for books sort of like
yours.
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mary rosenblum
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Write down the publisher
name...it's non the spine and the inside page.
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mary rosenblum
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Then look up the details of
what that publisher wants in terms of word count, agented or non, etc.
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cj001
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How is the success rate of
self-publishers, even by genre?
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mary rosenblum
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Self publishing means you pay
to publish your book cj.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu won't sell many copies.
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mary rosenblum
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If you just want your book
published, go for it.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want a
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mary rosenblum
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career in that type of
fiction, it is...right now...not a good way to start.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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You need to define your goals
for yourself. What IS your main goal?
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mary rosenblum
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To have a book available on
Amazon.com? Easy. iUniverse will do a nice job for you for about 300
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mary rosenblum
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But no, that's not a direct
route to big sales or reviews in your local paper.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you have a strong niche
market and you plan to do a lot of promotion and advertising, you can make
probably as much money as you might have made from a small advance. It'll
just take you work to get that niche market to know about your book.
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mary rosenblum
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Of course you might spend as
much as you make on that advertising. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The big mistake I see among
novice writers where genre is concerned...
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mary rosenblum
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are the writers who decide to
write for a genre because they think there's money in it.
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mary rosenblum
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Thrillers are big sellers.
They tend to earn large advances from the mainstream thriller publishers,
and a lot of novice writers start there, even if they've never read
thrillers.
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mary rosenblum
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And thrillers have a pretty
consistent style and form.
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mary rosenblum
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If your thriller doesn't fit
that style and form, that's going to count against it when the editor or
agent looks at it...
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mary rosenblum
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and unless it is strong enough
to outweigh that marketing 'negative', you're in trouble.
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mary rosenblum
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Now you CAN sell something
that is not 'traditional', but it has to be strong enough that the editor
will fight the (highly coservative)...
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mary rosenblum
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marketing people for it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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If you read thrillers all the
time, you know how a thriller 'feels' and even if you can't tell someone
exactly what 'makes it' a thriller...
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mary rosenblum
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you'll know when your story
'feels right'.
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mary rosenblum
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As you become more skilled at
novel writing and more aware of technique, you CAN analyze what makes a
thriller a thriller.
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mary rosenblum
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Many professional fiction
writers write for multiple genres.
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mary rosenblum
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But even if you read, say, in
mystery...
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mary rosenblum
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you still need to do a bit of
research when you sit down to write that mystery.
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mary rosenblum
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IN this genre, the boundaries
between the subgenres are pretty distinct.
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mary rosenblum
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Same with romance.
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mary rosenblum
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It's not so true in SF and
fantasy.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't have distince sub
genres, although various publishers will tend to prefer certain types of SF
or fantasy...
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mary rosenblum
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space opera or sword and
sorcery or urban noir
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writermom
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I find that all my story ideas
don't fall into one genre so I have a couple different novels going in
different genres
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mary rosenblum
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Nothing wrong with that,
writer. :-) I do two genres.
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mary rosenblum
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And more than that in short
fiction.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about genres today. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
Now I am not telling you that
you should try to write to a formula in order to sell your novel.
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mary rosenblum
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Except in a limited number of
category romance lines where they DO want very formulaic books...
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mary rosenblum
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the publishing industry is a
frustrating mix of wanting the 'safe and same' and at the same time wanting
'new and exciting'.
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mary rosenblum
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Your best bet always...yes,
here's one of those very few 'always' I'll admit to...is to write what move
you.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't worry about where it
will fit or how to make it fit a particular genre.
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mary rosenblum
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What sells a first novel is
the passion that rises from the pages and grabs the editor (and readers) by
the throat.
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mary rosenblum
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You need to feel that passion
before you can get it into the page.
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mary rosenblum
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So write what you care about.
Write it as strongly as you can write it.
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mary rosenblum
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Then. When you're done, figure
out where to try and sell it.
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silkybutterfly12
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I notice that the last few
forums have been geared toward novels is there others for short stories or
can we use the info with shorts as well?
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mary rosenblum
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It's exactly the same for
shorts, silky.
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mary rosenblum
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I've been mentioning novels
specifically, because until we started offering the novel course, I tended
to focus pretty exclusively on short form.
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mary rosenblum
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Ot
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mary rosenblum
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It's easier to cross genre in
short fiction...the short fiction editors tend to be more willing to take
risks with stories...
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mary rosenblum
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because they have less expense
riding on it.
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mary rosenblum
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If readers don't like this story,
well the magazine offers other stories.
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andi
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when can anyone sign up for the
novel course, Mary?
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mary rosenblum
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I don't know, andi. LR is
developing an admissions test, I know.
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mary rosenblum
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Every writer I know, says the
same thing at every workshop, class, or what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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Write what moves YOU.
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mary rosenblum
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Then figure out where to sell
it.
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mary rosenblum
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That is the best and surest
way to break into publishing, whether you write short fiction or novel.
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mary rosenblum
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And do check out the
publishers.
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mary rosenblum
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As you know, the market lists
are full of magazines that publish 'fiction'...
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mary rosenblum
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and they don't really qualify
that.
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mary rosenblum
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One editor's idea of 'good
fiction' is going to be very different than another editor's idea of 'good
fiction'.
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mary rosenblum
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Face it. Rejection slips hurt.
The editor rarely writes back to say, 'this is a very powerful and well
written story, but I just don't publish this type of story''.
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mary rosenblum
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No, the editor generally sends
you a preprinted rejection and it is DARN hard, especially when you are
starting out...
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mary rosenblum
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to avoid feeling that your
story was 'bad'.
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mary rosenblum
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And it might actually be very
saleable. It's just that this particular editor doens' like this particular
type of story.
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mary rosenblum
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There is NO absolute standard
for 'good fiction'.
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janecj333
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I'd rather have the king hire me
as a bard...at least it would be a steady, if modest, pocket o' gold
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mary rosenblum
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Hey, where are patrons when
you need 'em? I always wanted one of those!!!
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mary rosenblum
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Even though it costs you some
cash out of pocket...
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mary rosenblum
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my suggestion to you is to do
some publisher homework.
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mary rosenblum
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if you're writing short
fiction, send away for a sample issue or two and read 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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Get a feel for what that
editor wants and likes.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it's an investment.
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mary rosenblum
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But isn't an acceptance worth
some investment? EVery time you sell a story it makes it easier to sell the
next one. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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If you have finished a novel,
take some time to evaluate your book. How would you describe it?
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mary rosenblum
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Now head for the bookstore and
start browsing the shelves. Read the jacket blurbs.
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mary rosenblum
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When you find a book that's
sort of similar, write down that publisher.
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tarsus
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After receiving how many form
rejections should you consider revising your story? How do you even know if
you shold revise it?
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mary rosenblum
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YOu don't know, tarsus.
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mary rosenblum
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If it's as good as you can do,
if your readers haven't found consistent flaws in it, then I wouldn't
revise it.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't know why it was
rejected.
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mary rosenblum
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When you have tried it with
all the markets you can find, file it.
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mary rosenblum
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New markets open up all the
time. Anthologies open up all the time. It's nice to have something in
inventory when you find a new market.
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mary rosenblum
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Take it out then, polish it if
it needs it, and send it out.
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beryl
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My novel is about a widow's
re-entering life with a dash of romance and mystery, I'm throwing my hat in
the mainstream pool, sounc right?
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mary rosenblum
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Probably Beryl. You've mentioned
this a couple of times and to me it sounds as if it's less about The
Romance and more about her, so that would probably take...
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mary rosenblum
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you into women's fiction (a
sub genre of mainstream).
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mary rosenblum
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Oh yes...
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mary rosenblum
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do realize that if you browse
only the big chains, such as Waldens, B & N, Crowne, you will miss the
small press publishers.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to check the
independent bookstores for them. Not many of them distribute widely to the
chains.
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mary rosenblum
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Some do. Many do not.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't overlook them in the
market lists, even if you haven't seen their imprint on the Barnes and
Noble shelves.
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beryl
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thanks, "hen lit" oh,
my
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mary rosenblum
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LOL...that does seem to be
trying to turn into a sub genre. I'm not sure it's quite the same as the
much broader 'women's fiction' though
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janecj333
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I know you have good feelings
about Fairwood Press as a small press pub of sf. No matter how much reading
I do in market lists and on-line, it's impossible to tell if a small press
is worth approaching. Do you recommend any others?
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mary rosenblum
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YOu can check out a small
press publisher in a couple of ways. One is to ask the owner of an
independent bookstore about that publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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They'll usually offer an
opinion of the quality of the output. I'd ask more than one bookstore
owner...
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mary rosenblum
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because opinions ARE opinions.
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mary rosenblum
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The other way is to notice
whether that press has had any award winners.
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mary rosenblum
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Not Pulitzers
necessarily...but every genre offers a range of literary awards.
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mary rosenblum
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A publisher whose books do win
the occasional award is not only selecting quality rather than producing
quantity, but he/she is bringing those books...
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mary rosenblum
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to the attention of award
committees. So that pubisher cares about what is published, isn't just
making money by selling four copies of a legion...
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mary rosenblum
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of poorly written cheaply
published books.
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mary rosenblum
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Eos is good, Jane. Nightshade
books is really up and coming.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd subscribe to the SFWA
Bulletin and read it.
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mary rosenblum
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or even more effective...
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mary rosenblum
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subscribe to Locus for a year
and read it.
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mary rosenblum
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They publish all the books
accepted and published by all the SF publishers, big and small.
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mary rosenblum
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They do not list the quantity
and vanity press publishers.
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silkybutterfly12
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I know when I go to a book store
I tend to check out the
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silkybutterfly12
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authers I know so how do you get
readers to look at yours if
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silkybutterfly12
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new to the scene
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mary rosenblum
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That's always the dilemma when
you're new. There are SO many new books...how do you attract readers.
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mary rosenblum
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You do it several ways.
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mary rosenblum
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A really eye-catching cover
helps.
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mary rosenblum
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Often you have no say over
that, but if you do, work at it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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A catchy title can help.
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mary rosenblum
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Blurbs by well known writers
on the cover will help.
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mary rosenblum
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If readers like that writer
and she/he says this book is great, they may pick it up.
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mary rosenblum
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PR helps.
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mary rosenblum
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Try to get your book reviewed,
be on panels at workshops or conferences, never say no to anyone who asks
you to come talk.
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mary rosenblum
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Word of mouth is your most
powerful sales tool.
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mary rosenblum
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If readers love your book,
they tell their friends. That can be a geometric progression and it gets
you a LOT of readers.
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mary rosenblum
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If you publish with a NY house
they'll do some of that. But the more you do the better.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this has been a fun Oregon hour. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts of
this in the usual place...
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mary rosenblum
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Writing Craft: Forum transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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Genre can seem intimidating,
but don't let it be.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a marketing definition.
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mary rosenblum
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Write what you love. That's
rule number one!
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mary rosenblum
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See you tomorrow, for our
casual chat!
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