tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post4734185445102779734..comments2024-03-05T13:51:24.898-07:00Comments on Spacefreighters Lounge : The vexed question of genreUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-32349673037728752462015-05-03T14:35:23.003-06:002015-05-03T14:35:23.003-06:00I don't think you'll get an argument from ...I don't think you'll get an argument from any of us :)Gretahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06011218229698210595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-32763520701850146462015-05-03T08:45:34.494-06:002015-05-03T08:45:34.494-06:00It's a sub-genre of both romance and sci fi. I...It's a sub-genre of both romance and sci fi. I'd like it labeled appropriately- as Science Fiction Romance. The local bookstore was willing to sell a single copy of my SFR, Captured. They decided to stick in in the Sci Fi section. Nobody is going to buy that book out of the Sci Fi section. The market for sci fi is nerds like myself and Big Bang Theory type dudes. <br />SFR needs it's own shelf.Julia Barretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02039544457172725396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-34310048954674839072015-04-30T20:20:12.221-06:002015-04-30T20:20:12.221-06:00> I think electronic bookstores can do a lot mo...> I think electronic bookstores can do a lot more justice to a title than the old brick-and-mortar shelving system.<br /><br />You're absolutely right. Tags can really help.Gretahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06011218229698210595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-1918491047323776692015-04-30T19:09:50.831-06:002015-04-30T19:09:50.831-06:00I like to think (though reader opinions vary) that...I like to think (though reader opinions vary) that my work falls right in the middle of the road with SFR--equal parts Sci-Fi and Romance. As to how I'd tag them, the first three would be:<br /> <br />Science Fiction Romance Space Opera Adventure <br />Science Fiction Romance Near Future Space Exploration Suspense <br />Science Fiction Romance Near Future Alternative History<br /><br />As a reader, I don't pay as much attention to tag as I do blurb. Who's the H&H, what's the conflict and what's at stake? That's what will hook me moreso than the mix of SF/Romance/what-have-you elements. It's the story idea that appeals.<br /><br />I think electronic bookstores can do a lot more justice to a title than the old brick-and-mortar shelving system. Your experience with Linnea's work is a prime example, Greta.L. A. Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01198035351359321392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-74246210652022881712015-04-30T15:59:16.562-06:002015-04-30T15:59:16.562-06:00You're very consistent in your opinion, and of...You're very consistent in your opinion, and of course, that's your right. But personally, I'm not a romance reader, I'm an SF reader, so although I enjoy the romance component, and expect it to be there, I suppose I have a looser definition. And that's fine. As Heather pointed out in her comment, it really depends on point of view.Gretahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06011218229698210595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-55803581740067487642015-04-30T15:55:13.829-06:002015-04-30T15:55:13.829-06:00You're right, Heather. And I think that's ...You're right, Heather. And I think that's why we have these constant discussions about "what is SFR". The answer is something like "it depends" or maybe even "what do you think it is". If the writer's opinion coincides with a reader's, then bingo. If not... well, we both have to wear it as no match.<br />Gretahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06011218229698210595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-23576233481356346352015-04-30T10:20:55.139-06:002015-04-30T10:20:55.139-06:00I'm one of the writer/readers who's consta...I'm one of the writer/readers who's constantly beating the drum to have SFR authors label appropriately. I'm a romance reader, and I want the romance in an SFR taking center stage. I've been lied to about it and promised something I didn't get. It pissed me off. When that happens, I become the Goodreads reviewer no author wants to meet.<br /><br />DO NOT LIE TO ME to sell your book. Unless you like getting angry reviews.Rachel Leigh Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16004728242824462126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-15748862179984353722015-04-30T08:02:04.274-06:002015-04-30T08:02:04.274-06:00>If we're talking online communities of wri...>If we're talking online communities of writers, the definition of SFR is broader than the limitations imposed by Amazon's book categories.<br /><br />Right--and I'd also add to that the online community of readers. :)<br /><br />I always like to make a distinction between marketing labels (created and used by publishers/authors) and reader-driven labels, which can be more detailed than marketing labels. Sometimes they overlap.<br /><br />SFR has been known as futuristic romance, romance, SF, and paranormal romance. Only in recent years have we seen "science fiction romance" show up in metadata, and to my knowledge it hasn't shown up on the spine of a print book. If the market for it suddenly exploded, that could change. But with most SFRs being digital-first releases, that might be a moot point!<br /><br />For the purposes of my blog, I cover romantic SF as long as the romance has an upbeat ending (an acknowledgment of romance genre conventions). But I consider romantic SF to technically fall under the SF umbrella since the amount of romance is often far less than what one would find in an SFR released from romance publishers (in general. There are exceptions since some SF publishers release stories that are at least a 50-50 mix). If someone else blogging about SFR prefers to exclude romantic SF, it's an absolutely valid decision.<br /><br />I also evaluate SFR in these terms: if you remove either the romance *or* the SF elements, the story falls apart. But that's more of a reflection of how much I like the two to be integrated. In the end, anyone can write anything, so in actuality this is a continuum, with romantic SF on one end and romance with SF elements on the other.<br /><br />Labels and especially tags are helpful because they help readers find what they want and also adjust their expectations when starting a story. Since taste is subjective, authors will not always win the label game. It's a risk they just have to take. And they misrepresent or under-represent their books at their peril (when they have the control to do so).<br /><br />Labels have limits. Sometimes a book labeled SF is actually romantic SF and sometimes it's a story with so much romance it's indistinguishable from one released by a romance publisher. And the only way to know for sure is to read the story.<br /><br />Take a romantic SF book, for example. An SF reader might welcome the romance elements and love the book, while a romance reader might become frustrated and stop reading when the romance doesn't happen in enough quantity. Who's right? They both are.<br /><br />A romance reader might cross the aisle to read a book labeled "SF" that actually has a huge romance in it, while the SF reader might stop reading once they realize how much romance is in it. Who's right? They both are!<br /><br />Publishers and authors can market books any way they please, but once the books are published, readers are free to categorize/tag them any way they please. That's the nature of art.<br /><br /><br />Heather Masseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00913459109753829391noreply@blogger.com