Transgressive Fiction: Who or where?

mkmacy · Jan 9, 2015

Not completely sure if this is the right forum for this.

I was trying to do some research to find agents (small presses as well), who are interested in transgressive fiction. I've used the method of looking at authors and finding who their agents are, but am not finding a whole lot.

Was curious if anyone on here knows agents or small presses who are looking for transgressive fiction? Only two agents come up on agentquery.com, one of which I've done heavy research on and is a total dud.

In addition, if anyone thinks that I will have better luck with transgressive fiction and going straight to small presses and skipping over agents?

Thanks for any help!

Old Hack · Jan 9, 2015

Transgressive fiction isn't a genre you see on bookshop shelves, so you might be better off working out where on those bookshop shelves your book would fit, and then looking for agents who rep that genre.

If you don't feel able to do that, google the term. Find out which books are considered transgressive, and who represents the writers of those books. Bingo! There's your list of agents to submit to.

mkmacy · Jan 9, 2015

The trouble is that I've read multiple definitions of transgressive fiction and its the first time that my book has fit exactly into a genre classification without the need for a sub-genre qualifier. Haha. Just my luck that its not highly sought-after.

Thanks for the advice. I'll do more work on researching authors and their alternative genre placements and possibly their agents.

Old Hack · Jan 9, 2015

mkmacy said:
The trouble is that I've read multiple definitions of transgressive fiction and its the first time that my book has fit exactly into a genre classification without the need for a sub-genre qualifier. Haha. Just my luck that its not highly sought-after.

Thanks for the advice. I'll do more work on researching authors and their alternative genre placements and possibly their agents.

I think you're looking in the wrong direction. You don't need a "sub-genre qualifier" (whatever one of those is!); you want to find as many agents as possible who might be interested in your book, so you want to find the broadest genre it fits into.

While we're speaking, could you please remember that we don't like multiple threads on the same subject here at AW, and bear it in mind next time you're considering starting another thread? So far you've started four threads at AW, and all but your first has been variations on this one. Don't worry about it now: but just be more careful not to duplicate yourself in future, ok? Thanks.

Fruitbat · Jan 9, 2015

What are some commonly used terms the agents use that your book does fall under then? Maybe just mainstream or contemporary? I wouldn't say transgressive fiction is not sought after. More that it's just not a genre classification.

mkmacy · Jan 9, 2015

Sorry for starting so many threads, just thought that they all belonged in different places. I won't do it again. But thanks for the thoughts.

Treehouseman · Jan 10, 2015

Here's a guide for (as the Blues Brothers would say) "Not Lies, Just Bullsh*t! whne querying a novel broadly:

If it happens in the last 20 years: Call it Contemporary or Literary

If the action happens 20 years or more ago: History or Literary

10 years or more in the future? Call it Science Fiction

Magic? Weird things? Myths? Legends? Fantasy.

Someone gets killed? Goes missing? A Secret? Mystery or Crime.

The President is mentioned? Nuclear bomb? Thriller

Those genres will get you the biggest return for your buck in terms of agent query searches. They are rough and innacurate, sure, but will get your book into a marketing ballpark. Most stories, less face it, will have more than one genre.

Ken · Jan 10, 2015

Transgressive = experimental. Typically, limited market. Not much agent interest.

Might wanna try publishers, directly. Of course there's a chance agents might still--

Depends on:
a. how good it is
b. how transgressive or out there

G'luck.

mkmacy · Jan 10, 2015

Thanks for the tips! I was finding more out there as far as small presses go than agents, so I may be considering that route.

Old Hack · Jan 10, 2015

If you do consider small presses, make sure you've exhausted your agent search first--at least for the book you're currently querying. It's very difficult to go back to looking for an agent once you've started querying publishers yourself.

Ken · Jan 10, 2015

ps You are in France. Agents/markets may differ there. So yeah. Keep searching. And try a more geographic agent source. If they have it one that lists agents in France. They may be more open to literary transgressions than in the USA. (Agentquery lists a lot in the US and a fair number in the UK.)

Transgressive Fiction: Who or where?

mkmacy

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

mkmacy

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Fruitbat

.

mkmacy

Treehouseman

Ken

mkmacy

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Ken