One of the important things in a query letter is having a comp title.
What does that mean?
A comp title is short for a comparison title. What books on the market is your book most like?
For example, with Chase, I used The Scorpio Races and The Chronicles of Narnia as comp titles, and elaborated on HOW my book is like them. It has a dual point of view structure like The Scorpio Races and a fantasy world feel like The Chronicles of Narnia.
Bingo.
Ideally, you should compare your novel to books in the same genre.
I've recently gotten a question about breaking down book categories. If you want to get published traditionally, it's important that you have a clearly defined genre. Granted, houses are getting more lenient with the boundaries.
However, if you're self publishing, then by all means, categorize your piece as a historical sci-fi romance self-help memoir.
Otherwise, you've got to do your research.
First off, let's be clear, an age range is NOT a genre.
Age categorization options (Because it's important to tell your publisher/agent what your target audience is):
- Middle grade, 8-12
- Young adult, 12-18
- New adult, 19-25 (sometimes 30... no one is really sure about this category yet)
- Adult, 25 and over (and right now, a lot of what is being considered "new adult" sits in the younger end of the adult category)
There are variations in age options, too, especially when you get down into children's books. Do your research.
Now...
Genres. Here are the most common ones without all of their sub-categories. I got this fantastic, beautiful list from Rock Your Writing:
- Action/Adventure -- stories including epic journeys, lots of conflict, high stakes, some violence.
- Erotica -- stories of sexual exploration.
- Fantasy -- stories usually involving magic, other worlds, mythological/mystical figures.
- Horror -- stories that invoke fear.
- Literary Fiction -- stories with a focus on the quality of the prose over the narrative arc.
- Mystery -- stories that involve solving a crime, usually a murder.
- Thriller/Suspense -- stories of high tension that can involve either action or mystery.
- Romance -- stories about love/intimacy.
- Sci-fi -- stories usually involving technology, aliens, science-related alternative worlds.
- Westerns -- stories taking place in America's "Old West," often with focus on justice.
- Women's fiction -- stories about women experiencing emotional growth. Primary emotion: hope.
Even if your book isn't an exact fit to these, where is it most likely to fit?
In my opinion, no book is going to fit into these genre lines exactly. Ask yourself who would be happiest to pick up your book, and that's your genre.
In self publishing, pick a genre that's the best fit with the smallest possible category for obviously selfish reasons. Books at the tops of category lists get more attention.
When you're choosing your genre, it's likely that you're going to pick two. Think of one as the car brand and the other as the model. One is going to be broader than the other.
Example...
I write romantic fantasy. Above all, it's a love story. Among the romances, I fit into the fantasy romances. Romance is my brand of car - Porsche - and fantasy is my model of car - 911 (I wish).
It'll be easier for you and your agent/publisher if you keep your genre SIMPLE.
However, for you adventurous self publishers who love crossing genre boundaries anyway, the list can get way more complicated. (That means more fun.)
I'm looking at a list right now that has about 66 sub-genres of fantasy explained with a book example. Don't believe me? Check it out in your browser: http://bestfantasybooks.com/fantasy-genre.php
Sub-genres can get crazy. If you want to go exploring, figure out what your broad category would be first, and then ask Google, your new best friend.
P.S. If you hear about anything "-punk," then it's likely a sub-genre of sci-fi and has to do with technology. The prefix to the "-punk" will tell you what kind of technology is being, well, punked. For example, Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.
Clear as mud, right?
Let the genre discussions begin. :) (Sometimes even the industry pros can't fully agree on them.)
Questions? Thoughts?
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