Are
You Reading Your Genre?
By Brad R. Cook
It seems like every time I pitch at a
conference, I get hit with the infamous agent gotcha question. For those who
haven’t pitched, here’s the way it goes, you've practiced your pitch over and
over until you know everything you’re going to talk about. As the two of you
discuss the book, a question comes from the agent for which you don’t have a
beautifully crafted response. The palms sweat, the mind races back-and-forth, as time slowly ticks by in deafening silence.
Every agent must go to a seminar on how
to ask the nerve numbing gotcha questions, because they are better than HR Reps.
My favorite question from this last
round of pitches – What else had I read in this genre, and how did my book
compare to those books? Another agent asked me what novels did my book compare
to and why?
First, I told myself to breathe and
tried not to show my anxiety level rising.
I know some of you are thinking – those
aren’t that bad – and sure if we were sitting in a coffee house letting the day
slip away, I would love to get into this discussion. But I had five minutes and
already used two. My mind sped through hundreds of titles and their plots,
comparing each one to mine. I wish I could say I came up with some crazy
comparison but in truth I grabbed the first thing that made sense and luckily
came up with a descent answer. I had an ace up my sleeve though – I’d read my
genre.
We all read what we want, what we love,
and most writers I know read their friends books, but are you reading your
genre? One can call it research, or scouting the competition, but reading your
genre is really more about staying current in your profession. Doctors keep up
with the latest in medicine, lawyers keep track of every change to the law, and
architects keep up on the latest building innovations. As writers reading your
genre not only keeps us up to date on the industry, but also on the latest
trends, what publishers have bought and what agents have sold.
I also believe in reading the history
of your genre. You have to know where your genre’s been to know where it can
go. So, if you want to write science fiction or are writing sci-fi, start off
with Jules Verne, check out Clarke, Asimov, and Adams, maybe even a couple of the
Star Wars novels, then move up to Card, Gaiman, or even T.W. Fendley’s Zero
Time. To name just a few…
What genre are you writing and what
books do recommend in that genre? Let us know in the comments section.
I’ll start,
Genre – Steampunk
Check out 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld,
or Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Never stop reading, never stop writing,
and be part of your genre.
Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy
author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com , follow me on Twitter @bradrcook https://twitter.com/bradrcook
,
or my tumblr page Thoughts from Midnight http://bradrcook.tumblr.com/
You are so right, Brad. "Read what you write," has always been my first advice to any would be writer. Reading great books will keep you aware and updated on developments and trends in your genre. But there is an added bonus for me. Reading inspires me to write, motivates me to put pen to paper. I read every poetry book I can get my hands on. Garrison Keillor publishes "Great Poems," a collection of poetry read on the Writers Almanac, and I also recommend Ted Kooser, especially his book, "Delights and Shadows."
ReplyDeleteYour essay is quite a wakeup call. My only question is, should I read my genre before or after I read my how-to books?
ReplyDelete