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Friday, January 18, 2008

CROSSING OVER GENRES - WHEN IS IT TOO MUCH - OR IS IT EVER?

Hi all

there are so many genres out there in the book world today, and so many are crossing over genres.

So what genres, exactly, can you cross over? You see contemporary/fantasy romances, sci-fi/futuristic romances, time travel (okay, some say it's a genre on it's own, but isn't it really a cross over of contemporary and historical, or contemporary and futuristic? LOL). Oh boy, I think I just let myself open for some raging debates on that one!

Anyway, I reckon there is no limit to cross over genres now. If you can make it believable, I say go for it. And you know what? I reckon you'll see the main cross over of genres first with small publishers, and then the big markets will pick them up.

So come on, share your thoughts on genres. Do we cross over too much or not enough? Should genres never be crossed? What genres can you think of that have been crossed?

I'll be checking back to see if anyone has an opinion on it!

cheers
Angela

4 comments:

Kathy said...

So many authors are crossing genres. I think one reason is because romance authors in particular don't just read in their own genre. We read other genres because we like a good story just like everyone else.
I can't see myself crossing over right at the moment. It's taking all my energy right now just to get my first book published. But if I were to cross over, I'd either go to mystery/suspense or historical.

Kathy Elbinger
Frequency, a short contemporary romance, out Feb. 1st by Wings
kathyelbinger@mac.com

Barbara Edwards said...

Since nothing I write is strickly one genre, and often can be placed in two or more, I have to decide what it is. This doesn't help with getting published. many editors respond this is to much this or that and not what I ecpected. That's why I like ebooks.
Barbara edwards

W.H.Russeth said...

I resist the categorization of authors into specific genre. It is like stereotyping. To some extent you have to disregard genre when you write, if you are going to be "true" to yourself. To some extent, what comes out - comes out. As soon as you start to write to please a specific segment you are selling out. Oh, have I opened another topic?

Infogypsy said...

I'm someone floating about in the multigenre airless environment myself. Having written firstly and secondly romantic suspense, I found with my 3rd and 4th books, I've moved into some area suspended between romance and women's lit and maybe even the dreaded world of 'literary' fiction - ugh - I hate that word. Why I say 'literary' is I am now committed to being the Hemingway of the 21st century - editing and deleting all the slush from my writing to find the perfect word and sentence. Not that I succeed very often, but it's my focus and I'm sticking to it - judi
www.lynnromaine.com and www.ecosuspense.blogspot.com