Books like your wip?

[Perpetual Man]

There is a funny thing about fitting a novel or a story into the market.

Many (many) years ago I completed my second novel, a massive story coming in at over 1000 pages. I did a second, then third draft and left it for a while. (This is about 20 years ago now) and submitted to a publisher.

I had a very nice letter back saying it was well written, was a lot of fun, but they did not think it was marketable. Y'see one of the main story lines was a romance between a human in his late teens/early twenties and a 300 year old vampire.

Apparently that kind of thing would never work.

Ever.

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by Glitch

In my opinion I think we, as aspiring writers, should aim to write the story as we need to tell it; to do otherwise is going to feel forced and won't be as good.

Yes, that's true when you're writing the book - but we're talking about the stage when you've finished the book and are submitting it to agents and/or publishers. At that point you need to have your business hat on, not your artist one.

@Hex - I didn't query mine, as I pitched in person to an editor and it got picked up from there, but I described it as similar in flavour to Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie but less testosterone-soaked

To find books similar to yours, Google for book review blogs - there are loads of them, covering many of the upcoming SFF releases. And there are still a few of those old-fashioned things called book shops, where I believe you can look at new books for free and read their back cover copy...

[I, Brian]

Originally Posted by Hex

Hi everyone (I know -- I'm failing to be on holiday -- don't mock me too mercilessly)

I am aware that it's useful to be able to situate one's work in the context of recent books that have come out so that it's clear what market you're aiming at (or something along those lines)

How do you do that?

You look what's on the book shelves, buy a few examples; check Amazon charts for bestsellers in your genre; see what books in your genre people on chrons are posting about that are relatively recent.

[David Evil Overlord]

Originally Posted by Perpetual Man

There is a funny thing about fitting a novel or a story into the market.

Many (many) years ago I completed my second novel, a massive story coming in at over 1000 pages. I did a second, then third draft and left it for a while. (This is about 20 years ago now) and submitted to a publisher.

I had a very nice letter back saying it was well written, was a lot of fun, but they did not think it was marketable. Y'see one of the main story lines was a romance between a human in his late teens/early twenties and a 300 year old vampire.

Apparently that kind of thing would never work.

Ever.

Read a story written by Steve Uttley (IIRC). His character spoke at length about the questionable ethics of those who cloned dinosaurs. Steve was told no story about cloned dinosaurs would ever be successful. Apparently that kind of thing would never work.

Ever.

Several years later, a writer named Michael Crichton...

[Venusian Broon]

Jules Verne in the 1860's got told by his editor:

"In this piece, there is not a single issue concerning the real future that is properly resolved, no critique that hasn’t already been made and remade before. I am surprised at you ... [it is] lacklustre and lifeless."

In this work ("Paris in the Twentieth Century) he predicted:
-Mutal assured destruction
-Skyscrapers
-Petrol-powered automobiles
-High-speed trains
-Calculators & Computers
-A worldwide "telegraphic" communications networks (Internet-ish)
-Electric chairs (criminals "executed by electric charge")

Also, I believe it predicted the soul-numbing boredom of modern work as well.

So he put it in a safe and forgot about it
.
.
.
It eventually got published in 1994 when it became fact, more or less..

[David Evil Overlord]

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

Jules Verne in the 1860's got told by his editor:

"In this piece, there is not a single issue concerning the real future that is properly resolved, no critique that hasn’t already been made and remade before. I am surprised at you ... [it is] lacklustre and lifeless."

In this work ("Paris in the Twentieth Century) he predicted:
-Mutal assured destruction
-Skyscrapers
-Petrol-powered automobiles
-High-speed trains
-Calculators & Computers
-A worldwide "telegraphic" communications networks (Internet-ish)
-Electric chairs (criminals "executed by electric charge")

Also, I believe it predicted the soul-numbing boredom of modern work as well.

So he put it in a safe and forgot about it
.
.
.
It eventually got published in 1994 when it became fact, more or less..

So, it was published as a prediction of the past? Well, I guess anyone can predict the future.

[Warren_Paul]

We see so many cases of where opinions overrule sound judgement. I have to wonder if those people who turned the books down kick themselves afterwards?

[Hex]

@Anne Lyle -- thank you. That's exactly what I was looking for. Hearing the comparison makes me look forward to April 5th even more.
@I, Brian too -- I can't believe I didn't think (and I really really didn't think) of proper book shops.

@WP -- What's the difference between an opinion and sound judgement? (You have an opinion, I have sound judgement, he has a prejudice? )

[Warren_Paul]

Yes, maybe prejudice is more the word.

What I was meaning was: being able to tell what's good, regardless of what you personally like. I think sometimes people let their own personal tastes get in the way, and say something is terrible, just because they personally didn't like it.

Just because you don't like something, doesn't make it bad.


For instance: I don't like sci-fi, but I'm not about to go saying all sci-fi is rubbish, because I know there are some very good sci-fi writers out there, just not what I want to read. If I was to say that, I'd get half a dozen people jumping up in arms at me.

says the person who is writing a sci-fi novel on the side...

[Triceratops]

I have a werewolf book coming out in May that is very much like the movie Splash (substitute characters, of course). It also has a Beauty and the Beast theme, with the genders reversed.

Chris

[Dante]

Publisher's Marketplace

Also, ask your readers what books your work reminds them of.

[Hex]

Perfect, Dante. Thank you.

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by Dante

Also, ask your readers what books your work reminds them of.

Which is great, until they say "I've never read anything like it before". Sigh.

Then you have to go and find readers with a wider experience of your genre...

[Dante]

Originally Posted by Anne Lyle

Which is great, until they say "I've never read anything like it before". Sigh.

Then you have to go and find readers with a wider experience of your genre...

It's not perfect but it's a good source of feedback if they can offer it. If you look for avid readers specifically in your genre(s), the chances of them relating it to a current work on the market is higher than if you ask a friend who normally doesn't read your genre to critique.

[Anne Lyle]

This was someone who reads fantasy, but evidently not the kind I write! I think she's more into Anne Rice than GRRM...