Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors Review discussion
Your genre of choice
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What do you write and why?
Doesn't Amazon simply take the author/publisher's word for which genre a book fits into? I don't think there's anyone looking at each book and assigning it a genre.Sounds, Matthew, like sci-fi to me. Ascribing consciousness to large animals (e.g. whales) is borderline reasonable. As long is it had no magical powers. In the same ballpark as Anne McCaffrey where she had dragons that talked, but a backstory of gengineering to create them, rather than explicit magic.
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Yes, quite possibly. It's rather a moot point now anyway. The book has been out for a year and seven months and sales have more or less tailed off completely, so whatever I do now is unlikely to turn things around.There's the question of finding the genre that fits the book most accurately, and a possibly different question of identifying the genre that helps a book find the readership best suited to it. I would have thought that anyone who enjoyed the Temeraire books would enjoy Daedalus, but there doesn't seem to be a 'real history + monsters' category on Amazon.
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It also doesn't help that the categories are not consistent across borders either. The US market definitely has the most, but I ran into a situation with Going Green where the UK actually has a dark comedy genre, which is a perfect fit, and the US does not. Or didn't at the time. Who knows? The list changes every time I go look at it.
I must admit, although I'm still a couple of months away from publishing my first novel, the topic of choosing the 'right' book categories is one that has me quite anxious. While I doubt getting it right will ensure success, getting it wrong would likely ensure failure, and as Matthew says - there is the category that best fits the book versus the one where the readers most likely to enjoy it may lurk; not necessarily the same. So, where to categorise it....
I recently read a book that was a Wild West/fantasy/steampunk/detective/adventure (Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson). I think it was marketed as fantasy, which is both true and insufficient. There really should be something like a checklist in which you can mark all the boxes that apply. :-)
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In a way, there is. On certain categories like fantasy and scifi, there are check boxes for character types and themes. But again, it's all going to come down to who is actively looking for these combos.
Christina wrote: "In a way, there is. On certain categories like fantasy and scifi, there are check boxes for character types and themes. But again, it's all going to come down to who is actively looking for these combos"Are those on Amazon? I don't think I've ever noticed them. I have seen subsets of science fiction and fantasy (such as steampunk, adventure, and general), but I didn't know it went deeper than that. I probably missed it.
I wish there was a "Literary Science Fiction" category because too many readers seem disappointed with my first novel that it's more about the character and his development than it is about the background, the interplanetary war, and the psychological problems that set up the story. It's a character study, but the closest choices I have are Military, High Tech, Adventure, or Space Opera. I'm rewriting the blurb yet again, and doing some revisions, so maybe that will help.
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Thanks, Christina. I'll have to look for them. I assume you can tailor them from KDP.
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https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A...
Ah, I THINK I found it and I did know about these. You can only select two. I checked one of my books. It has it as:FICTION > Fantasy > Epic
FICTION > Science Fiction > General
It's better than just calling it science fiction, but doesn't drill down much.
I am currently writing a fantasy-cum-quasi-sci-fi where schools and hospitals are well-funded, the people are mostly content, and when one of the protagonists reveals she was abused as a child, it shocks the entire society to the core.
My writing is a reflection of my reality. *not winking*
My writing is a reflection of my reality. *not winking*
Can't believe I missed this-better late than never.I write horror- not to get it twisted with the same 'cookie' cutter horror so many people are forced to read these days. My horror- I cover all aspects of it as fear of the unknown, the shocking truth and the terror of smart evil. Majority of my work now is sci-fi adult horror, mainly for an adult audience not only it scares you also my work makes you think.
What I am doing now is outlining/ plan of attack for the third book of my series. I already finished the codex of how Supernaturals got their power-historical fact-according to one the male Psychic character in my series. After I have to work the novella Witch hunt-technically its 87 pages deep. But it was written 3 years ago, therefore I have to go back re-read and highlight stuff that works and stuff that doesn't.
Why does horror speak to me?
It's easy I am at piece with my own darkness and nasty side to be honest. Also I don't like this generation of horror writers at all-from my prospective they always do the same clichés and use the same over the hill monsters-protagonist and antagonist all the time. To be clear I love the genre because I really enjoy what I write. But I hate my genre because every author I see on the bookshelves copy cat each other and I am just tired of seeing demons, angels, were wolves and anti-masculine vampires period.
The only founders of horror are Poe and Lovecraft. These men attempted to get other writers to follow horror into a new direction. Unfortunately from what's around me in book stores-I don't see it happening. Not giving off the vibe that I'm going to be a savior for horror-not me at all. I learned something from Lovecraft which is horror is like 31 flavors of ice cream. Translation- I bombard the reader with all the evil ice cream i can throw at them.
The place I would like to escape or visit.
Sadly no place on this over populated planet- I just wish my horror world I am 3 books deep in existed. Talk about all the fun I would have.
Other Genres'
None just terror-I mean horror. Other books I read is occult books to psychology. When it comes to reading for fun- I really don't have a genre- either I am researching or reading Lovecraft and Poe on some occasion.
I am weird like that and love it..
Brian wrote: "I like what you say spec fiction allows us to tackle societal injustices while also exploring our own prejudices, and even teases them out of us as we write them. If done right, it should be a new perspective for both the reader as well as the author. "I agree on this too. My first book was more of a niche autobiography that explored all my opinions on a variety of topics, but my real love is writing speculative fiction. I love it because you can explore those topics in a safe way, and you have so much room to explore your ideas. In my newest book of short stories, I didn't necessarily set out to give moral lessons or anything, but I think as writers our opinions and passions really show through our writing.
Jumping into this thread, as I find it all interesting. I myself am a new author with one book published and working on another. My genre of choice is Fantasy, though I like reading both Fantasy and Science Fiction of all kinds. I may try my hand at sci-fi in the future, but beginning I went with fantasy. This is mostly due to the fact that I had some stories, or parts of stories, in my head for a long time, and when I decided to start writing, that is what I began with. Fantasy is definitely my favorite genre, however. Within fantasy, I like heroic and adventurous tales, epic fantasy.
So far, I tend to highlight some social problem somewhere in my stories. My first book seems to tackle anger issues, while the one I am working on now tends towards dealing with stereotyping and prejudice. These themes are not the main plot, but highlighted within the story and character development.
I agree with you, Charles, that it is inevitable that my writing will show the issues I feel deeply about in the real world. I don't plan that, it just happens. :)
I really like the action genre, and most subgenres associated with it; comedy, noir, thriller, etc. I especially love those with dark stories and plenty of over-the-top action sequences. I think my favourite formula for telling an action story is by having a somewhat light-hearted tone near the beginning, only for the story to gradually get darker with the stakes shooting higher as it progresses to the end. I think my favourite examples of this story-telling method are the Lethal Weapon movies because all four of them are practically comedies in the first half and then get drastically dark and high-stakes in the last half (especially the first two).I get a lot of my inspiration from action films that came out between 1971 and 1997. Another main source of inspiration is anime. :)
A lot of my own style comes from these, but I tend to go a more unrealistic, surreal, silly, over-the-top routes with my stories (with SOME grounds for realism, at least!) while maintaining a really dark edge most of the time. I try to have something lurking in the background, you know? And I enjoy making fun of real-life social issues I find ridiculously stupid with fictional versions of such issues, though I don't do this too often. I don't know how to describe it without writing a freaking 8-page essay on this forum. LOL. I'll try my best: over-the-top (and plentiful!) violence and action, profanity-laced dialogue from the 'rougher' characters (which, by the way, I seem to be the only one to like those types of loud, violence-prone, short-tempered characters with itchy trigger fingers and an arsenal of profane comebacks at their disposal, so maybe I'm just catering to myself LOL), dark-ish background themes, morality versus amorality, etc. I think my favourite theme to work with is the 'heroism is dead' point of view of the characters. Also a disturbingly taboo (sometimes!), often violent, ironic, and dark sense of humour. Satire. And lots and LOTS of cynicism.
I grew up on superhero cartoons and anime, so there you go. Frank Miller is a god. Shirow Masamune is another god. John Woo is yet another god. Paul Verhoeven... you get the point. LOL.
Right now I'm writing my Dark-Boy: The Final Apocalypse Saga series, which is almost pitch black when it comes to 'doom and gloom' cynicism and violence. But in between volumes, I try to go for slightly more lighthearted, shorter stories that still fall into the above categories in some way. Maybe it's just my sick sense of humour, but for some reason I like writing about characters that are struggling to survive a hopeless situation (it's even funnier when they're the cause of the situation in the first place), and then act surprised and freak out when things go from bad to worse. I try to end my shorter work on a comedic note. ^-^ But again, maybe I'm the only one who finds it funny.
I'm never working on one thing. Right now I've got , a short story for an indie publisher's upcoming dystopic/romance anthology, and three other stories on the assembly line, all of which are action novels (well, except the short story, but even that one has action elements and some of the aforementioned warpness in it).
I'm telling you right now that I wouldn't want to live or even visit the worlds of my stories. Not really because they're dark, manic places to be (although there is that), but because I probably wouldn't survive! LOL.
I read and re-read my stories and fix as many mistakes I can catch. It takes me two or three reads before I'm satisfied, but sometimes I still find mistakes here and there and it really frustrates me. Admittedly, when I go through these editing processes, I continuously add stuff, and one of the things I do beyond excess is tweek around with the action scenes to the point where they're long and as wild as I can possibly manage to make them. At one point I even set a goal for myself to surpass the total estimated body count of
John Woo's entire filmography (estimated to be about 1,500 or more) with only about three or four novels (LOL. Yeah, right). I don't think anyone reading this would be surprised by the fact that I'm constantly causing concern for my father.
After these projects are done and out of the way (not that they're strenuous tasks or anything), I have a document with about 80 other story ideas and premises written out for future reference, and I'm constantly adding more to the list so that when I don't have anymore projects to work on, I simply go to the list and pick out whichever one appeals to me at that time.
Anyway. I've rambled on for far too long--way more than I originally intended (sorry about that). Thanks for taking the time to read this. ^-^
Fantasy. Cause then when everything gets slow and boring all of a sudden...DRAGONS!But no, to be honest, I've only written in fantasy so far because I'm familiar with it the most and what constitutes as 'fantasy' is so vast that you could pretty much stay with it and never write the same thing twice. For instance, I have completed the first draft of a paranormal YA, which in my head is urban fantasy because of the magical creatures. I also have outlined a future series which may or may not be sci fi but is definitely fantasy maybe.
So yeah. Fantasy. Just because it's slightly more descriptive than 'fiction'.
I love that Kay, and I couldn't agree more. That is why I will pretty much stick with fantasy. There are so many directions you can go with it. Even with dragons, there are so many ways you can do it, and I for one am enamored with dragons lol.
K.S. wrote: "Fantasy. Cause then when everything gets slow and boring all of a sudden...DRAGONS!"That is a good reason. :-)
What I write generally falls under the Speculative / Sci-Fi / Fantasy umbrella with Action / Adventure / Romance / Suspense as a sub-genre depending on the book in question.******************************************************
The world of my Regeneration novels (two released, two awaiting editing and cover art):
Pleasure Machines, Soulless Killers, or People?
The ‘simple’ line between what we consider either machine or life form can be blurred when our eyes can’t tell the difference. When the machine is more human than its original creators the line between machine and life form can vanish. In a world where corporations are considered ‘artificial entities’ with more rights than human beings, who decides where to draw the line between pleasure machine, soulless killer, and person?
Regeneration: Gina’s Journey
In A World Where Security Had Become Paramount Over Freedom...She was designed to be a soulless killer, but an eccentric man with vision started her on a very different path which would lead either to her becoming human or to her death. Would placing herself in harm's way to protect a willful child be her salvation or destruction?
Regeneration: Capturing Shadows
In A World Where Security Had Become Paramount Over Freedom...Twin sisters woke up without the knowledge of who they were and it wasn't long before they had to wonder not only who they were but what they were, pleasure machines turned deadly or people. Would those who hunted them ultimately prove to be their salvation or damnation?
The world of my Mono-Earth novels (one finished and awaiting editing):
Animals, Monsters, or People?
The ‘simple’ line between our reality when awake and our nightmares when asleep can be very thin. In our fiction we are the innocent victims of monsters intent upon taking everything from us, including our lives. In a world where corporations and governments work together to find ‘new frontiers’ to strip for a profit, who decides if a creature from another world is an animal, a monster, or a person? What happens when ‘we’ are the monsters another species has very good reason to fear?
Mono-Earth: The War of the Egg is the first of three books.
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The two novels I have released I will send a free e-copy to anyone who messages me, with no expectation of ratings, reviews, or requests for me to show up dressed in a clown suit at kid's parties -- I detest clowns.
I will also send an e-copy of 'Mono-Earth' with the same aforementioned expectations as well as the proviso it's not completely edited. I ran out of time right before my daughter was born and just haven't gotten a round tuit. Offers to send edits, while appreciated, I'll have to pass on as I'm working in an entirely different world at present and if someone reads 'Mono-Earth' they should just enjoy it. The novel is quite readable as is and has sucked a few readers into the world of the Waenstil and prototherians who are actually much more advanced than we are.
Have a great day, and hopefully Her Grace will nap an hour or two so I can get some writing done.
**Added 11:28 CDT**
I almost forgot the reason I write: because I must. The characters who keep bugging me to tell their stories are verging on harassment and it's easier to write than deal with their constant nagging.
Ciao
I'll write in any genre that I can, if I have something that inspires me to write.I enjoy exploring the dark side of everything, tragedy, the grittiness...how there is something always dark and decaying beneath the surface. I love incorporating moral dilemmas and drama into my work whenever I can. I like unforseen complications. For my work, I believe that even the must unrealistic scenario or plot must be plausible, the characters realistic in their emotions, greed, jealousy, guilt, etc.
I believe in the 3 act system as well. Love it. Live by it. Use it every chance I get when planning out my work.
I work in science fiction, horror, fantasy mostly, and usually a blend of one or more. I try to incorporate politics and mystery in when I can. I have no patience for romance though. Not that it isn't an element in my work, as long as it adds something to the story or the value of the characters.
Above all, I try to make my work enjoyable for readers, even though I feel I've failed at that more often than not.
I enjoy writing sci-fi horror. I have this twisted love affair with the occult, supernatural beings and the problems they face-mortal and supernatural. I do two things with my work-show the reader is fantastic to have supernatural powers...But here are the negatives of being a divine being...You run a 96 percent chance of not coming home alive.On that not when supernaturals in my work have a problem people(s) or supernatural(s) coming for them-they can't call the cops-they can't help you.
Furthermore what I add realism/ history to my work. As for the characters ( all supernaturals no humans) they have their imperfections, problems and other stuff they have to deal with. Making all of them 3 dimension and some what believable. However I do make it clear in my work at times the reader can relate to the character. And sometimes they can't because people are not divine beings...That's the hard reality of things to me.
I mostly write fantasy and sometimes sci-fi but, really, with me just about anything goes. One of my stories might be light and fluffy and another dark and gritty. Some of my stories are geared toward the YA market - like my current published novel - while others may be aimed at adults - such as the novel I'm currently working on. One story might be about dragons and wizards, another about ghosts in a modern day setting. Basically, whatever my imagination wants it gets, and sometimes it can be a little demanding. What I love about fantasy, though, is that it allows me to really challenge my imagination. I love trying to come up with interesting and unusual ideas, and combining concepts that you think wouldn't work and shaping them until they do work. For example, the story I'm working on now I like to describe as Miss Marple meets Shakespeare's The Tempest.
I like the way you surrender to your imagination Melissa. Me too. It makes writing more fun, and interesting.
I write horror stories, because my mind is sick and twisted. I write sci-fi stories, because I like inventing new technology. And I find sci-fi more real than the fantasy genre. Fantasy to me is just plain silly. It's kind of funny, because a fantasy book is what got me started writing, back when I was 12 years old, reading Pawn of Prophecy.
Welcome to Goodreads, Conan. Sorry to hear you've had trouble getting reviews, it does take time. If it's any consolation, I think reviews on Amazon are more important to sales than the ones on GR. I'd recommend a couple of places on here that might help. There's a thread particularly for reviewing cover art, and I can see a couple of things that could be improved in your cover. There's also a feedback thread for blurbs. I found both very helpful in making my books more attractive, lo these many moons ago (last year).Just one minor point. I should mention I'm a hard sci-fi author, and while I like some fantasy, I don't write it. It's the use of 'antimatter' as the name of your bad-guys. In science (what we laughingly call the real world), antimatter is a very strange material that blows up in a nuclear-style explosion whenever it touches normal matter. So combat with an anti-matter person would be short and hazardous. I know you're using it allegorically, but it might cause any sciency readers some confusion!
Good luck with your work!
Conan, feel free to PM me about reviewing your work. I have an in-progress sci-fi-fantasy novel I am working on right now, and would be happy to do some review exchanging.
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Eventually I'm going to get around to writing my space opera. When I do, I'm going to have to put up warnings specifically for you, Richard, every time I post about it, lest your head become anti-matter. ;) Since the focus is going to be the characters and politics, I am going to rely heavily on the hocus pocus to get folks around the galaxy.
Christina wrote: "Eventually I'm going to get around to writing my space opera...Since the focus is going to be the characters and politics, I am going to rely heavily on the hocus pocus to get folks around the galaxy...."I look forward to that. I'm a big fan of well-done (or even medium-rare) hocus pocus!
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Christina wrote: "I use the scientifically proven 'purdy words' method. ;)"Yep. I have a degree in that. ;-)
Christina wrote: "I use the scientifically proven 'purdy words' method. ;)"So, you've been to Purdy, Texas, where they use that method. Not many people have heard of the place.
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"So, where ya from?"
"Texas."
"Where in Texas?"
"Justin Texas."
"But what city?"
...
Christina wrote: "Nah, never been to Purdy, but I've always wanted to live in Justin, TX simply for the "Who's on first" style conversation:"So, where ya from?"
"Texas."
"Where in Texas?"
"Justin Texas."
"But what..."
There are some interesting places here to be certain.
I'll be glad to get out into Medina County as Bexar County is a bit too crowded -- humans, can't really live near them, can't keep them off the porch.
Richard wrote: "Welcome to Goodreads, Conan. Sorry to hear you've had trouble getting reviews, it does take time. If it's any consolation, I think reviews on Amazon are more important to sales than the ones on GR...."I quite like the idea of an immortal antimatter warrior. Could make one heck of a mess :-)
I mostly write about shamanism, which intrigues me because it's so deeply psychological. It also encompasses many of my other interests, ranging from pretty normal to pretty out-there: anthropology, Native American culture/religion, mythology, dreams, religion, near-death experiences, the spirit world or afterlife, hallucinogens, mental health, nature. I even managed to include dragons in my first novel. It's just an endlessly fascinating subject. It's kind of a connecting thread between a lot of my favorite authors too, from Dante to Murakami.I'm eager to find out if anyone else here writes about shamanism, or at least has an interest in it?
I definitely have an interest Larissa, and I have a thing for dragons, so the fact that you included them made me happy. I'm a dragon fanatic.
Charles wrote: "I definitely have an interest Larissa, and I have a thing for dragons, so the fact that you included them made me happy. I'm a dragon fanatic."Thanks Charles! The dragons in my book are complicated- they're a sort of invasive species which it turns out was "invented" by evil sorcerers. They have the ability to turn people into dragons if they look them in the eyes, and my protagonist accidentally turns into one (or, she becomes a shapeshifter, she can choose to turn into one at will), which ostracizes her from her tribe. It's more complicated than that- still- but for the purposes of my story dragons represent power, but it's a kind of power that is given to people easily and usually results in evil and destruction. My protagonist has to try to find a way to use that power for good and not succumb to evil (though I'm not going to say if she fully succeeds.)
That sounds awesome Larissa, and a very unique take on dragons to be sure. I have shape-shifters that turn into dragons in my book of short stories as well, but different than yours. In one of my stories the males are the only ones who are supposed to have the gift, and any women who shift are ostracized. The story is all about how the women embrace their gift and prove that they are worthy of the prestige and honor it brings.
Shape-shifting dragons! That's cool. In an early work of mine that sits quietly on my hard drive I had a dragon driven out by the others because he was small. The main character eventually does some wild and crazy magic and accidentally connects souls to the dragon's, allowing him to shift forms after. (Gosh it's been a long time!)For me, I love a good fantasy adventure. I usually prefer a more logical magic system that has a set of rules and limitations. I'm usually irked by the almighty wizard who, in the moment of need, is somehow suddenly unable to cast a spell and has to improvise with a dagger. It's one thing to be tired, but if the wizard can teleport one minute, why not another?
I have a series, of which book one is coming out soon. I would say it is more of an adventure/sword and sorcery quest. It is meant to be more of a fun and interesting read, though some parts do get a little heavy. (ASOIAF is a bit too dark and gritty for my tastes.) The tag line for book one is: Hailing from two warring kingdoms, three strangers find themselves on a dangerous quest—to locate the scattered shards of the Red Jade, a magical artifact meant to bring peace throughout the land.
Why do I write? I love exploring the possibilities of magic, and as a kid I always wanted to be able to cast spells. As I watched Mr. Wizard's World, I saw that science could explain many things that I thought were magic. Soon, I wanted to be a scientist and I also wanted to teach. Now I sort of do it all. I teach middle school chemistry and physics and I write on the side. My newest venture is diving into groups like this, trying to make some new, like-minded friends.
Charles wrote: "That sounds awesome Larissa, and a very unique take on dragons to be sure. I have shape-shifters that turn into dragons in my book of short stories as well, but different than yours. In one of my s..."That's really interesting, because in my book the main character finds the dragon because she's alone in the woods for a few days during her period (it's kind of an old sort of primitive practice for women to live in an isolated location away from the tribe/village for a few days while on their period). Later in the story it turns out that being a woman saved her from death, but I don't want to say why because it gives away a major plot twist! Basically, the protagonist's "dragon-ness" is a sort of metaphor for a woman with a threatening kind of power, so I think in a way it is similar to yours! Very interesting indeed!
I write YA Sci-Fi because the genre opens opportunities for imaginative plots, but it remains rooted in the real world. Many recent highly successful YA novels have been fantasies, but it is more difficult to suspend disbelief about magical plots than about scientific plots -- and my purpose is to make my plots easy to read for teenagers who do not read much.My books are Hi/Lo (high interest level/low reading difficulty) educational novellas written to entice reluctant teenage readers. World Crash, my most recent release, features a teenage girl who uses her computer coding skills to help counter a hack attack by extraterrestrials.
I write Fantasy, with a strong leaning towards Urban Fantasy, because I have stories to tell and the world could use a little more mystery of the occult these days.
After some experimenting in crime thrillers, I now define myself as a writer of speculative fiction. I love to project what could possibly happen, and how ordinary people adjust to the changes because humans don't essentially change that much. Though I love to build worlds and concepts, the human story and the characterisation should be first and foremost. I'm currently working on a YA dystopian series set in a future society where all disease has been eradicated, until two teenagers get a whiff that all is not as rosy as it seems. I'm interested by characters who are prepared to battle against the odds.
Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors...
Books mentioned in this topic
Pawn of Prophecy (other topics)Daedalus and the Deep (other topics)
War Horse (other topics)
Freedom at Feronia (other topics)
The Never Hero (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Anne McCaffrey (other topics)Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
Sue Perry (other topics)
G.G. Atcheson (other topics)
Turhan Halil (other topics)
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I feel this was a problem with Daedalus and the Deep. The problem as regards genre is that it was based on a real historical event - the recorded sighting of a sea serpent. Now that already pushes you into something other than historical fiction, even though I based the description of the creature closely on the contemporary reports and newspaper coverage of the event. I moved a bit into 'alternative history' when describing what the ship did following the sighting, but explained that in the context of the book in a way that fits with the actual history. (I also provide a POV for the sea serpent, but given the historical nature of the reports, and taking them at face value for the sake of argument, why is that different to writing in the POV of an historical character? Or, say, an animal, as with, say, War Horse.
So the book was written as a work of historical fiction, albeit with some unconventional elements. However, I found that some histfic readers turned their nose up at it and called it a fantasy. OK then, but it lacks most of the known tropes of fantasy and might be a bit real worldy for most fantasy readers.
Sci-fi then? I am, after all, exploring the scientific notion that there might be deep-sea creatures rejected by mainstream science but which can't entirely be dismissed as by the usual 'rational explanations', e.g. misinterpreted phenomena or other animals. But no spaceships and it's set in the past rather than the future. I think Amazon categorised it as 'Sci-fi > mystery' or something like that. It was also classified as 'Fairy tale', which is completely off IMO.
Ah well.