Thursday, September 06, 2012

Genres and Titles



If you're a writer, what genre do you write? Do you write in only one genre? Or do you cross lines, maybe writing a horror book, then switching to a comedy? Or perhaps you tend to write scary Romances, combining Horror with Romance.

As most of you already know, I've published a Women's Fiction with a bit of suspense. My next book, which I'm in the process of editing will be Suspense. The lead character is a woman, but this one will be suspense from beginning to end.

Different genres have different paces, different topics, different types of covers, even different titles.

My Women's Fiction is titled Angel Sometimes. In my mind, that's a "soft" title. In this case, it's the protagonist's name.

While Angel Sometimes has suspense, my next book, Dismembering the Past will be a total suspense, from beginning to end. On the title alone, you could probably have guessed it was Suspense, although that could possibly have been the title of a Horror.

Think about your title. Does it fit the genre?

The cover for the e-version of Angel Sometimes is a picture of a flower garden. The garden is significant to the story. It's also "soft". It probably wouldn't appeal to men, but then, it's Women's Fiction.

The cover for the print version of Angel Sometimes will  not be a flower garden. It will be, I'm thinking, a water scene since Angel is a mermaid at a bar/restaurant. That will still "say" Women's Fiction.

I don't yet know what the cover will be for Dismembering the Past, but it won't be "soft".

Spend time deciding what your cover will look like and what it will convey to a possible reader.

Does your title fit the book and the genre?

18 comments:

  1. You know, sometimes mine do, sometimes not! I was a little surprised at what the artist came up with for "Hickory Smoked Homicide" last year. It looked kind of gritty to me, as opposed to the softer covers earlier (and the story, of course, wasn't!) I liked the cover, but it was a little different from the rest. It seemed to work out well, but then the whole series was already branded as a cozy series...so that's probably why.

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    1. Elizabeth, I really like the cover for Hickory Smoked Homicide. It does look a bit more "gritty" than the others, but it really gets your attention.

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  2. I think the titles and covers for mine have fit well, especially the second one.

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    1. Your covers really do convey the story, Alex. Perhaps we need to do a post where everyone names their cover artist, whether it's them or someone else!

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  3. I'm always careful with my titles, even for short stories. I like them to be an extension of the story.

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    1. I think titles are not always easy, Laurita. Mine tend to change over the course of writing. But sometimes it seems like I find the perfect title and stick with it.

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  4. I usually put photographs on my covers depicting where the story is set. An English harbor for A Graceful Death, Bluebonnets for Storms and Secrets (Texas)and a beach scene in High Tide. Genres are getting so muddled these days. I'm not really sure of the difference between thriller and suspense. The lines are very fuzzy.
    I'm glad you're getting all those wonderful stories on paper. I'm sure you have been thinking of them for a while.
    Ann

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    1. I started writing Dismembering the Past years ago. Surprisingly, it was easy to get back into it when I looked at it earlier this summer.

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  5. I think my titles work well. The title comes to me after I start writing but before I finish.

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    1. Mine tend to work that way, too, although I sometimes change the title long after the work is written.

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  6. I have a hard titles with titles! If they come to me immediately, they're great. If they don't, it takes me a long time to find one that conveys the right message. Good advice!

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    1. And mine often change, Jemi. Angel Sometimes became the title long after the book was done.

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  7. The title of my YA series fit well with me, but it just didn't resonate elsewhere. I've never thought of something better, though.

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    1. Titles can be really difficult. Sometimes they come right to me. Other times, they change a lot. And even when you think you've got the perfect title, you never know what readers will hook on to.

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  8. I don't think everyone realizes what goes into picking the right cover for a book. You are so right about the difference between a "soft" cover and one that implies a harder-edged story. Love the title of your new book, too. Can't wait to read it.

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    1. I've hired a cover artist to redo the Angel Sometimes cover for print. I think what she's done is fabulous. We'll see if readers agree.

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  9. I have a terrible time with titles but covers are pretty easy (in my head, anyway).
    Dismembering the Past sounds suspense, thriller, horror - any of those. It's a great title. :)
    I write in different genres but also blend them in each story, never quite knowing what catagory they belong to. coloring outside of the lines for grown-ups, I guess.

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    1. Laura, you must have stories running through your head constantly because you seem to have books coming out on a regular basis - and they're all good!

      I've been calling Dismembering the Past a suspense, but I really need to research the difference between suspense and thriller.

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