How Do You Classify Your Work?

First of all, I’d like to tip my hat to author Ray Bradbury who has shed his mortal coil at the age of 91.  Three of his works, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man and Fahrenheit 451 are among the list of books I devoured when I first became a serious reader at the tender age of 16. I’d also like to thank Mr. Bradbury for “Something Wicked This Way Comes“. Though I never read the novel, I  am still a huge fan of the film for which he also adapted the screenplay. Your gifts to us were undeniably brilliant. Bravo, Mr. Bradbury!

Ray Bradbury Born 8/22/1920 – Died 6/6/2012

As many of you know, the work of a writer doesn’t end with the completion of your novel. In fact, the hardest part for the creative individual can come when we are set to the task of marketing our work. So when it comes to categorizing your novel, placing it in that niche, where do you go?  For most writers, their works seem pretty straight forward. Horror, Romance, Science Fiction and such. Maybe it takes place in a dystopian society or during the turn of the century. And usually the target audience you have written for was determined the day you set down to write it. But in the realm of marketing that novel, is the obvious category the best choice?

Today I’d like to pose the question. Or questions.

How do you classify your novel once you’ve completed it? 

Let me expand on that. Should you market your work as Y.A. even though it appeals to older readers? And for that matter, where should you place it in the subcategories? Just because you did a lot of historical reasearch for your adventure novel does that mean you should categorize it as historical fiction?

These are questions that I have asked myself on more than one occasion.

What are your thoughts?

Write on my friends.

~ K.L. Parry ~ Author of The Pirate’s Daughter and a King’s Ransom.

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