Genre Jackets
By Rosina Lippi | June 25, 2009 |
One of the regular commenters on my own weblog asked me recently to write about genre. She wanted to know if an author starts out with a particular genre in mind, and if so, how is such a thing planned? How do you write yourself into a genre?
I’ve been thinking about this for days, and getting crankier by the minute (which has nothing to do with the person who asked the question; she just hit one of my buttons). Genre is not one of my favorite words. Before I go on, a confession: I know what I’m wishing for is impossible.
This is what I want: abolition of the idea and practice of genre in writing and shelving fiction.
Think about this for a moment. You walk into a bookstore because you want the latest Walter Moseley or Eloisa James or A.S. Byatt, and you head straight for the section where you’ve found those authors before: hard-boiled crime, romance, literary fiction, respectively. Once you get there, you pause to have a look at what else is new in that section, and then you pay and leave.
On the way out you may be passing a novel you would fall in love with, but you don’t see it. You’ve got genre blinders on, and it doesn’t occur to you that there might be something worth reading in science fiction or horror or historical fiction. I can almost feel you shifting uncomfortably in your seat. You’re thinking: but I don’t read horror. Horror is for … other people. I read serious fiction. I read fiction with literary merit.
You know it’s true: Many people will simply refuse to browse in the horror section (or crime, or romance etc) because they’ve been told that so-called popular fiction is inherently less valuable, and they don’t want to be seen there. Theoretically, of course, a novel sitting in the horror section could be very serious, and even fulfill some of the self-aggrandizing characteristics of literary fiction. It might have both complex, evolving characterizations and plot.
Genre is a marketing convenience; it is also a straight-jacket for creativity.
The idea of genre is deeply seated in the way we think about and handle fiction. If you wander through the millions (and I mean that literally) of on-line conversations about books, you’ll find that a huge proportion of the discussions — and an even bigger portion of the arguments — have to do with the idea of genre. Which genre is most worthy? Where does this particular novel fit into Genre X? What’s wrong with Genre Y? Why you should concentrate on Genre Z, or avoid it like the plague. A lot of these arguments have to do with power and authority. The proponents of so-called literary fiction like to claim that they are the final, ultimate authority. In fact, literary fiction is just another genre, with an intended, targeted audience and a number of conventions that shift over time. For the last thirty years or so we’ve been in a no-pain-no-gain literary cycle, where the happy ending is seen as Not Being Serious. This has not always been the case.
Genre can be a terrible straight jacket for any writer. Publishing is in crisis, and it’s harder than ever to get a novel into print; from that it follows that it’s very difficult NOT to think about the marketing people, who will have a say — and not a small one — in whether or not your book is bought or booted. And marketing’s primary currency is genre. Given the current culture, most writers do start out with a genre in mind. They’ve been trained to. Jo says: I’m writing science fiction, when in in the first line, Jo is telling a story. Story is the heart of the matter, but we’ve got tangled up in this need to group and categorize and cubbyhole.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to say that genre has caused me some trouble in my publishing career. More than once I’ve heard (through my agent) that the marketing people “don’t know how to sell” a particular novel. And it’s true, my work often straddles more than one cubbyhole. The Wilderness novels are called ‘romance’ by Bantam, but I have seen them shelved in romance and general fiction both. I’ve heard them called historical fiction, historical romance, action/adventure. I’m happy to be shelved in romance, but romance authors will tell you that I stand on the periphery because the Wilderness series is not primarily about the evolution of a romantic relationship. I am neither fish nor fowl. And of course this influences my position on this subject.
Down with genre, say I. Story First! Who will join me?
photo credit: goodnight_photography
I’ll say this. I do exactly as you say. I head only to new fiction and new non-fiction. I peruse teen and children’s books because I’m writing for that market. But that’s it. Period. Except online when I’m fixated on either a theme or an author.
But not only is there pleasure to be gained by diversifying; there’s also lessons to learn for writers, too. I just read an urban fantasy romance (not even really sure of the monikers here) and was stunned at the wallop this woman packed into the book. Tension everywhere. Couldn’t barely breathe while reading the book. Finished in two days. LEARNT something from her as a writer. AND, I loved the book.
Because I’m me, terrible sad me, I apparently cannot go into the store and find her–I would need a map and directions. But I can lambast my friends for not introducing her to me earlier, or better yet, wheedle more of her books out of them for next week’s reading pleasure.
So maybe the answer isn’t eliminating, as I’m sure you mention tongue-in-cheek to some degree (?) but making sure fiction of all types is prominently displayed so’s that silly geese like myself can make the proper rounds when they peruse bookstores :)
And amen on not wanting to be typecast by genre. :) :)
What I don’t understand is why bookstores can’t stick the book in multiple genre sections? They already put new releases on one table as well as their primary genre section. They also have their ‘theme’ tables where they showcase certain ideas or authors, in addition to the new releases table, the normally filed genre section, and maybe the clearance section for the author’s previous book now available in paperback.
It’s not like a prospective reader will walk through the romance section and see an author’s name there that’s typically associated with action/adventure and say, “oh, no, I won’t pick that up, it’s by an author that only does action/adventure!” More than likely they’ll be piqued if they recognize the name at all, and most will just treat it the same as every other book the section that should be there.
I agree that cross-genre books need to be given more attention, though. There’s a whole set of things I like in a story and often they aren’t grouped together by novelists. Where are all the sci-if/romance/political drama novels?
The best I can ever find is a ‘ten minutes into the future’ action adventure where the ruggedly handsome jobless hero saves a busty ambassador from some unnamed country that produces only hot women and political intrigue and they have sex in the end and pretend that somehow that equates to ‘love.’
Orson Scott Card has some interesting things to say about that in his book “How to write science fiction.” He suggests that it’s easier to switch from being a literary author to science fiction. If you go the other way around, then people will always be asking you to put aliens in your novel.
C.S. left a message under another post, but I’m pretty sure she intended for it to be here, so I’m copying it for her:
I read many genres but cross-genres have to be my favorite. I go for story everytime. Doesn’t matter if the author’s name is familiar to me or not, or whether I expect to find them in a specific section of the library/bookstore or not. Story rules.
I’m with you! This was a topic over at my own blog recently. And to me, there are two ways to look at genre fiction:
1 – It CAN be considered capital-L-Literature.
2 – Genre fiction doesn’t have to be Literature.
A great story’s just a great story. If it entertains, it’s worth it. If it enlightens and makes us think, it’s worth it. Who cares if there are vampires or detectives or girls drinking cosmos?
Genre is a marketing convenience; it is also a straight-jacket for creativity.
I agree completely.
I also agree with your conclusion: Write a good book and don’t worry about what genre it sits in. Cross-genre novels are becoming more and more popular.
I get into genre ruts very easily. So lately I’ve been trying to peruse the other stacks when I’m at the bookstore. My goal is to try a new author in a new genre each time I go.
My novels tend to ignore genre expectations, so potential agents who like the work still can’t figure out how to sell them. I suspect one factor that limits agents to genre thinking is the desire for predictable sales, possibly large, rather than a series of smaller sales to niche markets.
Still, I’m only going to write the stories I want to tell, and I’ve never thought of genre first. It’s only when I’m trying on various straight jackets to query agents that I have to.
Thanks. Pretty much what I thought.
I can’t find much of what I’m after in a book store unless there’s an online catalog to tell me where it’s shelved.
One of the public libraries here has gone genre-shelving. I can’t find what I’m after; so I don’t go there except to give seminars.
I am a story gal. I love a good story. I also challenge myself every time I go to the bookstore or library to try a new author. Sometimes I find a gem. Sometimes I find something I don’t like. You never know what you’re going to find when you step outside your comfort zone and try something new.
Very thoughtful and thought-provoking piece. I was involved in the original discussion that prompted the question on your weblog and I’ve been looking forward to your take on it.
As a writer, I agree. While writing, story should come first, not decisions about genre — unless you really WANT to break into a certain genre or change genres. It is helpful to start off knowing the rules or expectations of genre before you decide whether to follow or break or simply disregard them. This happens, IMO, by reading extensively, studying craft and becoming familiar with the work of other writers. If you love to read it, chances are you’ll have fun writing it. I was making myself crazy for a time, trying to decide whether what I’m writing is a thriller or romantic suspense. Finally decided it didn’t matter (to me). Someone else can figure it out once I’m done. ;)
As a voracious reader, meh, I like to know where to find stuff. I try to stay out of bookstores unless a friend is having a signing (which happens all too often for the well-being of my budget) because I have no self-control. But if I’m in the mood to read a certain genre, I don’t want to check three different sections to find it. In a very real way, books that are written true to a genre are comforting to those wanting that particular reading experience. It’s not always an evil limiting confine perpetrated by marketing departments.
That being said, the library is my place. I go to the New Releases shelves and pick up as many as I can carry, without regard for genre or familiarity. I read it all. I’ve found some wall-bangers, sure, and discovered there are some genres I truly don’t appreciate as much as others. But I’ve also found writers whose voices and stories I love, in genres I might not have considered. One of the best books I read last year I picked up because I decided you just had to be curious about the work of a guy with a name like Per Petterson. It was a good decision.
Ooops. Sorry, my comment is nearly as long as your post. [sigh] Writers. Just can’t let them out in public.
I agree; this is a dilemma I have pondered on before. Genre classifications are to help the bookstores, not the authors and not the customers.
I am guilty of sweeping past certain sections on bookstores myself. For instance, I’ll not usually look at anything in “Fantasy” and yet, one or two of my favourite books of all time can be found there. The same goes for horror. I never will be a fan of horror, but, I can think of one book at least that I have loved that would be filed there. I would never have found any of these books if they hadn’t been recommended to me by others. I would never have looked in the appropriate sections in a bookstore, and would have missed out.
“Genre Blinkers” – perfect description! As much as I read across genres, there are still some that I really never would go out of my way to look for! I guess we can all be a bit guilty of it at times. Bring on the cross genre books.
Thanks everybody for sharing your own approaches and experiences. It can be a sensitive topic. And BCB? No reason to apologize. It sounds as though you’re much better at practicing what I preach.
Being a long standing impoverished reader and now a struggling writer with an all-night day job, I often find money tight (as do most of your followers). I always head straight for the discount book tables of my favorite local book stores where I can get my reading fix without busting the family’s budget.
At those tables I have picked up and enjoyed a huge variety of now my favorite authors: Marion Zimmer Bradley, Charles Frazier, John Connolly, Patrick O’Brian, Elizabeth Kostova, Elizabeth Peters, and many more. I have also picked up what I considered some odd characters and have even enjoyed them as well.
Are discount tables considered a genre? I’m not quite sure where the jury stands on how writers are compensated for those books, and hope I haven’t offended a host of struggling published authors.
‘Genre’ is a rather clunky defining basis. As others have pointed out, there are many cross-genre novels which can be difficult to find in the genre-related sections of a book store. As well, you’re right — it limits what a person may read.
However, I do think there has to be *some* type of categorization. Even with the separated genres, I walk into a large bookstore and find myself overwhelmed at times by the choices.
The fact is, everyone has their preferences. They may not realize that their preferences are *not* genre-specific, but they do want to be able to find the novels they might like.
(This is getting too long. Maybe I’ll post the rest on my blog… )
I’m an aspiring author who cringes at the mere mention of the word ‘genre.’ I was talking the other day to my critique buddies about this question, and one of my friends isn’t sending her book out to publishers because it’s historical fiction and she doesn’t think she wants to be a historical fiction author – she’s decided she might to go the chick lit route.
It’s so frustrating to me to think that someone might write a great book and then not even try to get it published because they’re not a “historical fiction” writer. I’m not saying anything against my friend, by the way! Love her. It’s just the SYSTEM I’m angry at.
Personally, I’m working on a lot of different projects, and none of them are in the same genre as the others. I have a picture book, a fairy tale, a dystopian, a historical fiction, a fantasy, a chick lit, and a women’s contemporary all in the works at various stages of drafts and revisions.
Do I just need to come up with a lot of pen names, or is it possible for a writer to be versatile???