Be it dragons, dark academia or distant planets, genre fiction is an exciting market in publishing that just keeps going from strength to strength. Here are five tips on how to make your novel stand out from the crowd.
Think about your elevator pitch
You need to be able to pitch your story in a way that’s succinct and exciting – think about what’s at the heart of your story. What is the key conflict/challenge? What one sentence is going to entice the reader the most? Have a look at other books in this space and what they lead with. Your elevator pitch should capture attention, underling the stakes and hinting at the world your work offers.
Make sure it’s not too difficult to follow your worldbuilding.
Now that you’re able to succinctly pitch your story, flesh out your magical world so that agents and any future readers can dive right in without having to double check your premise to understand what is happening. There’s nothing wrong with high concept fantasy or sci-fi, just remember that agents aren’t as familiar with your story as you are! Think particularly about how the magic system (if there is one) works and what stakes are at play.
Consider your comp titles.
Don’t choose titles just because they are popular, or because it’s what you think that we want to see. Imagine that your book is on a table in a bookshop – what would be your dream books to sit alongside yours? Do they share similar tropes, writing style, themes? Be purposeful and clear in your choices.
Be inspired by popular titles without trying to recreate them.
It’s a tricky balance, but make sure your work will appeal to readers of whatever genre you’re writing, be it epic fantasy or the next big thing on #BookTok, without falling into the trap of genericism. What makes your plucky heroine with a dagger or brooding man different from existing ones?
Don’t be afraid to play!
There is so much fun to be had in SFF writing, pushing the boundaries of storytelling to create whole new worlds, concepts and magical creatures. It’s often the submissions that do something out of the ordinary that are the ones we’re still thinking about days or weeks later. There are no limits in genre fiction, so have fun!
