Categories have been a hot topic in Romanceland recently. There has been some talk about books being in the ‘wrong’ category or ‘polluting’ categories.
Categories simply are groupings of books by genre, theme or other aspects. They are designed to help readers find books they might like.
Any reader looking in the Romance category, for example, is seeking a book that prominently features a romantic relationship and has a romantic happy for now or happy ever after ending. That’s important to Romance readers.
If the story listed in the Romance category doesn’t feature a romantic relationship, readers will be disappointed. Disappointed readers might not buy and read another book. No one wants that to happen!
Books In Multiple Categories
Books can be in multiple categories. I write SciFi Romance, for example. My books have aspects that make a Romance reader happy (it features a romantic relationship and has a romantic HFN/HEA ending) and aspects that make a Science Fiction reader happy (it features science – often evolutionary biology).
Amazon and other booksellers know most books belong in multiple categories. That is why they allow us to put our books in two of them. That’s the norm for books.
Even though we all know this, some writers will still argue if a book has aspects of one category, it can’t be in another category. If the story features a romantic relationship, for example, it can’t be in Science Fiction. This is nonsense and often discrimination against that other category. Many Science Fiction novels are also Thrillers or Horror stories or Futuristic Who-Done-It Mysteries. I rarely hear anyone complaining about THOSE stories.
(As an interesting aside: When Amazon temporarily displayed where readers came from, readers of my books were almost perfectly split between Science Fiction readers and Romance readers. My books make both types of readers happy. I LOVED discovering that information.)
Which Category Should Your Book Go In?
Since the purpose of categories is to help readers find books they’ll like, you should put your book in a category frequented by readers who will love it. This sounds simple but it can be difficult to do.
I list the bestselling books my stories are similar to. Then I look at which categories they are in. Readers of those books will likely enjoy my books also.
You might choose incorrectly. Maybe your alien shifter romance should have Paranormal Romance rather than Science Fiction for its secondary category (its first category is definitely SciFi Romance). That’s okay. You can change it.
Putting Books In The ‘Wrong’ Category Deliberately
Some writers put their books in tiny categories merely to more easily get that orange bestseller tag. I don’t advise doing this. NO ONE searching that wrong category is buying your book.
And you might turn off readers who are searching in the right category. I look at BOTH categories when I’m considering buying a book. If the book is in a category I don’t read, I will think longer about purchasing it.
Books Somehow Ending Up In The ‘Wrong’ Category
Amazon often puts books into categories on its own. It uses keywords writers/publisher choose, keywords in blurbs, keywords in titles.
I had a post-apocalyptic romance called Assassin’s Haiku. Amazon put it in poetry. NOTHING I did would convince them to take it out of that category. I emailed them multiple times. They wouldn’t move it.
Should I Complain About A Book Being In The Wrong Category?
If a book is clearly in the wrong category, then, yes, mention this to the bookseller. I would have been grateful to you if you had told Amazon my post-apocalyptic romance didn’t belong in poetry. I REALLY would have appreciated it if you had told Amazon my demon-themed extremely erotic short story didn’t belong in Inspiration. (shakes head) It took me a while but I eventually convinced Amazon to move THAT story.
What about a man titty cover Romance in the Science Fiction category? Should you report THAT? Unless you’ve read the story and are certain it doesn’t contain any science or have ANY of the other expectations of a Science Fiction story, no, don’t report it. Judging a book by its cover is about as cliché as we can get.
Why You WANT Cross-Category Books In Your Category
As writers AND readers, we WANT cross-category books in our categories. That is the easiest and quickest way to grow a category. The multitude of cross-category books is one of the many reasons why Romance is such a healthy genre. There are Romance books that mesh with almost every other genre available.
A cross-category book brings new readers into the category. Then they might buy other books. This is what we want. It keeps the category healthy and strong.
Categories are powerful for both readers and writers. How do you use them?
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Dark Fire
What the Beast wants, the Beast gets.
Dare’s savage nature has made him an outcast among his kind. The silver-scaled Dracheon warrior can’t control his inner beast. It’s too strong. When his primitive instincts told him his destined mate was on Carinae E, he had no choice. He had to travel to the outlaw planet. There, he hoped to meet a female powerful enough to survive his Drache.
He finds Faylee, a delicate little human.
Faylee is the best thief on the planet. Everyone she encounters mistakes her for a young boy…except for a tall, shiny warrior from off-planet. When she gazes into Dare’s flame-filled eyes, he makes her feel, for the first time, like a desirable female. The fire-breathing male has her yearning for hot kisses, fierce embraces, and a future filled with love. She doesn’t realize mating with him might be the last thing she ever does.
Dare’s beast isn’t the only danger on the planet. An enemy from the past has returned and he’s determined to stop Dare and Faylee…permanently. They’ll need luck and the assistance of every warrior in the Refuge to stay alive.
Dark Fire is a STANDALONE SciFi Romance set in a gritty, dark world.
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