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Q&A What determines genre?

Another answer (in addition to my old answer): One approach is that your agent/publisher is going to want to know what other book yours is like, specifically "This book will appeal to readers of Th...

posted 4y ago by Amadeus‭

Answer
#1: Initial revision by user avatar Amadeus‭ · 2020-01-13T18:40:57Z (over 4 years ago)
Another answer (in addition to my old answer): One approach is that your agent/publisher is going to want to know what other book yours is like, specifically "This book will appeal to readers of The Hunger Games", or something like that.

(That can be very difficult for me; I have very limited free time, and I devote most of it to writing fiction, not reading.)

But using plot-summaries, and sometimes movies based on books, I figure out once a year what my book is like, and those are already classified by genre. Like The Hunger Games is Dystopian, but is also Science Fantasy (fantasy without any magic).

The main point, of both genre and comparisons, is to give the Agent or Publisher some idea of the audience. The comparison should be a best-seller, or something made into a movie, something that puts $ signs in their eyes. It is NOT important to get the most accurate match for comparison. You want a reasonably fair comparison, but also an instantly recognizable money-maker.