On Writing: When a Book Doesn't Fit Into a Genre

“Woman writing” by virtusincertus is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Every agent and publisher I queried about The Camel and the Scorpion took a pass on my book, probably because it is a hybrid.  It doesn’t fit neatly into one genre, such as women’s fiction or political thriller. As a result, I believe the agents and publishers assumed the book was unpredictable, and sales would be too.

In hindsight, I understand their reluctance. I, too, crave predictability in fiction if there are major stressors in my life. I want to escape into a specific genre, say, a legal thriller by John Grisham. I need to know that Grisham’s primary character will be an attorney, a major crime will be committed, and the perpetrator will be brought to justice.  Knowing those things brings the world back into balance again.

But what if my life is purring along, and all the dragons have been slayed?  Predictability is the last thing I desire.  I seek expansion and genre-bending books that burst from their red-ribboned packages.  Books like Benjamin Percy’s “Red Moon” or Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.” No doubt, it is harder to market and sell books that fail to be shoehorned into a specific genre. But that doesn’t mean authors should stop writing them and challenging the status quo.


For another perspective, consider author Leah Kaminsky's 2016 article, On Being Genre Fluid, in Women Writers, Women's Books