If You're Writing a Novel, Do You Know Its Category? An Agent's Perspective

One of the writers in my advanced online class posted this article on our weekly classroom discussion.  She asked the provocative question:  what genre are you writing in? 

Fiction, I would've answered five years ago, because they were all fiction writers in this small group.  But her question went deeper than this:  what type of fiction are you writing and how will you present it to an agent or publisher?

Publishing has gotten quite complex at categorizing novels by certain qualities.  Is it award-capable?  Does it have a happy or mixed ending?  Is it a commercial or literary plot? 

It's absolutely necessary to know where your book fits, before you begin trying to send it to an agent or editor.

 

The article she shared summed it up so well.  Here's the link.  It's an infographic, or diagram that shows three main types of fiction--literary, upmarket, and commercial.  Check it out, and see where your book might fit.  Consider any changes you might need to make to fit in one of these categories.