I'm finally caving...I've been sending out queries for a few months now, and I'm finding that I'm changing the genre description in almost every single one because I just don't know what is best to describe my novel. Is it NA or Adult? Is it fantasy or speculative fiction? Is it magical realism? I don't know!!! I'm getting conflicting data from websites I've checked and from people who have critiqued.
First, the New Adult/Adult/YA conundrum. My novel's MC is 27 years old, so I figured, New Adult. However, it is NOT erotica/romance at all (there IS romance, but it's clean, focusing rather on the character development and a deep plot). I recently found that a lot of agents, when they hear "New Adult", automatically think it's gonna be all sexied up. So should I just stick with "Adult"?
Second, the subject matter. Pretty much everything happens in the real world, in contemporary times, and focuses on the conflict between the encroachment of humans into our world's last wild places, at the expense of nature (particularly wildlife species and pristine wilderness areas). The idea is that humanity NEEDS these things still, that it's part of our DNA, and we'll kill ourselves if we kill Nature.
Where the "fantasy" aspect comes in is the idea that Nature actually has a force of its own, and that humanity used to be able to feel it, but lost that ability a long time ago.
So basically, the fantastic or magical elements are incorporated in such a way as to suggest that it's not magic at all, but something that was once real, which we lost. Again, everything important that happens in this novel happens with character choices, and non-magic battles/escapes...except for the end, which is somewhat further-fetched, but very symbolic.
So, I was thinking...magical realism, right?? Or is it speculative fiction? Or just fiction? or just straight fantasy?
First, the New Adult/Adult/YA conundrum. My novel's MC is 27 years old, so I figured, New Adult. However, it is NOT erotica/romance at all (there IS romance, but it's clean, focusing rather on the character development and a deep plot). I recently found that a lot of agents, when they hear "New Adult", automatically think it's gonna be all sexied up. So should I just stick with "Adult"?
Second, the subject matter. Pretty much everything happens in the real world, in contemporary times, and focuses on the conflict between the encroachment of humans into our world's last wild places, at the expense of nature (particularly wildlife species and pristine wilderness areas). The idea is that humanity NEEDS these things still, that it's part of our DNA, and we'll kill ourselves if we kill Nature.
Where the "fantasy" aspect comes in is the idea that Nature actually has a force of its own, and that humanity used to be able to feel it, but lost that ability a long time ago.
So basically, the fantastic or magical elements are incorporated in such a way as to suggest that it's not magic at all, but something that was once real, which we lost. Again, everything important that happens in this novel happens with character choices, and non-magic battles/escapes...except for the end, which is somewhat further-fetched, but very symbolic.
So, I was thinking...magical realism, right?? Or is it speculative fiction? Or just fiction? or just straight fantasy?