I'd really like to know the genre/market for when it comes to querying. It is literary fiction and allegory as a Platonic apology for alcoholism.
What is the market for literature that revolves around alcoholism or drugs?
- Thread starter MothAnkles
- Start date
- Status
As a casual reader with no facts or figures, I think the addiction and recovery memoir market is pretty good. My sense is there are a lot of titles that sell okay and only a few that sell really well. Not sure about the type of book you're describling though.
Thanks for reply, but memoir/bio/nonfiction is not a fit. It's interstitial in that it blends literary fiction with maybe a touch of magical realism but uses the punch of allegory to frame and ultimately put forward an apology for alcoholism. I just didn't know if there was a "Booze lit" or "Drug lit" genre that agents can specialize in.
A lot of agents have little blurbs on their websites that explain what sort of stories they like in particular. You could check some of them out and see if anyone mentions that they're really into stories that center around alcoholism/drugs.
Otherwise, I would market it as literary fiction. I've seen more than one literary fiction story have a taste of magical realism without being pigeon-holed into a specific genre. Literary fiction is very much about the way the story is written, not necessarily the content. Since you mentioned there's a strong allegorical element to the story, then yeah, that sounds like literary fiction.
Otherwise, I would market it as literary fiction. I've seen more than one literary fiction story have a taste of magical realism without being pigeon-holed into a specific genre. Literary fiction is very much about the way the story is written, not necessarily the content. Since you mentioned there's a strong allegorical element to the story, then yeah, that sounds like literary fiction.
- Status