Dear O'Abby, I Have an Agent, But...

Dear O'Abby,

I got an agent around two years ago after querying a YA romance.  It sold to a publisher and will be releasing early next year.  Now my agent is asking me for a new book and while I have written two more, they are both adult sci-fi novels, which is what I actually love to write. That YA was something I wrote in two months, pretty much just to see if I could.

I have no real desire to write another YA romance, but my agent isn't interested in my sci-fi at all.  This is really disappointing because I queried two sci-fi novels before I wrote the YA and never got more than a handful of requests.  I'm not sure what to do now.  I felt like I'd made it when I finally got an agent, but now I feel like I'll either be stuck writing books in a genre I'm not that interested in, or back in the query trenches.   Do you have any advice?

Sincerely,

Maybe Agented

Dear Maybe Agented,

First up, let me congratulate you on your upcoming release.  That's exciting news and you should celebrate it.

In terms of your problem, did you tell your agent when you had your initial call with her that YA romance wasn't your primary genre of choice?  Did you let her know your other books were adult sci-fi and writing those books was your passion?  When looking for agents to query with that YA, did you look for agents who also rep adult science-fi?

It's important that your agent knows these things.  If you didn't mention them in your call, is it something you talked about later?   If not, it may be time to have a frank conversation with your agent.

Some authors who write across genres have two agents, one for each type of book they write.  If you think there's a possibility you might write more YA romance, you could stay with your current agent for those books, and ask if she would be happy for you to query your adult sci-fi and find a different agent to rep that.   There may even be another agent within her agency who reps sci-fi and could take on selling those books for you.

But you do need her blessing to do this.  You can't go out and query your sci-fi novels without telling your current agent.  And if you really feel strongly about not writing more YA romance and this is what your agent specializes in, you need to have that conversation.  It may be time for you and your agent to part ways.  There's no benefit to either of you in staying together if you're not writing what she sells, and she doesn't want to sell what you're writing.

Hope this helps!

Good luck with the upcoming release.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: I Don't Know What Genre My Book Is

Dear O'Abby,

I'm getting conflicting advice about what genre I should say my book is, and as I get close to querying, it's beginning to stress me out because I need to start thinking about which agents to target.  I thought I'd written a supernatural horror, but several of my readers tell me they think it's a thriller, an urban fantasy or even magic realism.

How do I know which it is?

Yours,

Jittery

Dear Jittery,

At the end of the day, you're the one who knows your book best and if you believe it's supernatural horror, then it probably is.  Maybe it has thriller and fantasy elements, but is still primarily a horror story.

That's okay.  Most books aren't 100% one genre or another.  The key is to identify its primary genre and call it that.  A good way to do this is to go to a bookstore and look at where books similar to yours sit on the shelf.  If they are mainly in the fantasy or thriller section, then maybe your readers are correct.  If they're in the horror section, then you are on the right track and you should query the book as a horror.

That said, if the thriller elements are a big part of the plot, you could also query agents who specialize in thrillers too, by just tweaking your query a little.  What is really important is that you pick one genre.  Nothing screams unprofessional noob more than someone querying a novel that's a YA historical suspense thriller mystery.

Good luck with the querying.  Do let us know how you get on.

X O'Abby

Why Writing Both Fiction and Non-Fiction is Awesome - with the Fabulous Christine Fonseca

I first met Christine almost 2 years ago through our mutual friend and CP, Elana Johnson. We quickly discovered we were total soul-twins. I have been extremely lucky to not only get to be friends, crit partners, and agent sisters with this fabulous lady, but I also share with her the strange and awesome distinction of being a multi-genre writer - we both write fiction and non-fiction.  

I asked Christine if she'd stop by today and share with us why she thinks navigating both these worlds is so awesome.

Writing in Multiple Genres – Why I LOVE it!

First off, I’d like to thank Michelle and the fabulous peeps at OPERATION AWESOME for having me here today. When Michelle first approached me about writing a guest post and we talked about a topic, she said she wanted to talk about why those of us who write both fiction AND nonfiction do it. I thought, Sweet! A chance to talk about writing in both domains. Awesome.

Writing both fiction and nonfiction is an interesting endeavor. For me, it is a way to meet two very distinct and separate creative needs – the need to help people related to my work as a school psychologist, and the need to create stories that hopefully help in a completely different way.

As you can imagine, writing nonfiction and fiction requires different skill sets entirely – both with their own rewards and challenges. For me, this means that I get to engage more aspects of my creative mind, and meet more needs internally. All pretty amazing things!

The nonfiction side of my writerly life pulls on the more logical aspects of my brain. I research heavily for my books, doing traditional types of research, as well as focus groups and interviews related to the specific topic of my book. The voice of my works is my own, so in many respects it is like the presentations I prepare, the classes I teach and the counseling I do. It all originates directly from me.

The fiction is different. It appeals and draws on the creative side of my brain. The research I do doesn’t feel like I am conducting research for a doctoral thesis, the way it does with nonfiction. This research usually involves things like using google.earth to “visit” my setting, researching the meanings of names or certain symbology, and studying legends that will come into play in the stories. When I sit to craft a story, I get to lose myself in some other character’s voice. I get to disappear and “be” my characters, functioning as their storyteller.

Both are awesome endeavors. Both deeply satisfy a part of me. Both work to define different aspects of who I am.

I will say that it is hard, at times, working in both fields – like having two distinct careers in addition to the actual jobs I have. But the payoff is worth it as I feel more than a little blessed to be able to write in two specific genres and fulfill two distinct parts of who I am.

It is AWESOMENESS defined, I feel so fortunate to be part of both worlds.

What about you? Have you ever tried writing in such different genres? What do you like about it?
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll stop by to answer.

Christine Fonseca is the author of EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN GIFTED STUDENTS (Prufrock Press, 10/1/2010) and 101 SUCCESS SECRETS FOR GIFTED KIDS (Prufrock Press, May 1, 2011). In addition to writing books related to giftedness, she writes fantasy and contemporary novels for teens. If you would like to learn more about Christine, please visit: www.christinefonseca.com.

LINKAGE!

Website (you can find info on her fiction here as well)
Blog
Find me on Facebook or Twitter
Order Emotional Intensity in Gifted Children here.
Read the first chapter here.
Preorder 101 Success Secrets here.