Second Opinion on the Genre?

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AlexandraLeigh

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I've been struggling with this for a while now, and I still don't know if it would be considered more romance with a hint of fantasy, or fantasy with romance tied. And if that's the case, I have no idea how to word that.

Basically, my two MCs are "hosts" to the King and Queen of the Fae and the majority of the first part of the novel is them meeting, traveling together, slowly discovering magical things happening. The second and third bits are when the "fantasy" elements finally start to come in. The bad guys show their faces, and Titania and Oberon have to regain their full strength and regain their physical forms before they get killed.

The romance is heavily involved in the plot, since T and O are married and Gavin and Guin have to get to that level with each other before they can fully awaken the Fae. I honestly have no idea what to do with it.

Also I'm really sorry if this is kind of vague or a mess. I've never told anyone outside of my boyfriend what this story is about, so I haven't quite mastered how to do that yet.
 

Filigree

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Without reading more, I'd put it with fantasy romance or paranormal romance, since the relationship is a strong part of the plot. When you query for it, you might want to call it 'fantasy with romantic elements'. That could help narrow down publishers and agents.
 

Calle Jay

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Question, how much of a percentage is the romance? Do you have a full, complete story without the romance? If so, you've probably got a fantasy. If you remove the romance aspect, and have nothing left, you've got a paranormal romance.

If it's a fifty-fifty split, you could probably go either way.

Which forms the backbone of your story?
 

Witch_turtle

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I'm no expert on genre, but might setting be another thing to consider? "Paranormal romance" implies a more contemporary/real world setting to me, while something like "fantasy with elements of romance" would suggest a more traditional fantasy setting (whether in timeframe or alternate world). That's just how I would interpret those terms.
 

gingerwoman

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I'm no expert on genre, but might setting be another thing to consider? "Paranormal romance" implies a more contemporary/real world setting to me, while something like "fantasy with elements of romance" would suggest a more traditional fantasy setting (whether in timeframe or alternate world). That's just how I would interpret those terms.
Yes I thought my novel was fantasy erotic romance because it had fae in it. In fact Ellora's Cave were considering it for their Xandau line for that reason, but when I chose to go with Samhain they classed it as paranormal because it occurs in a human world.
Unless the romance is the number one focus and the couple being united as lovers is a major focus at the end of the story then you need to call it fantasy with romantic elements. If the romance is a really central focus and the major climax of the ending then it's fantasy romance
 
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