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Hello Reader,

How is your writing going this month?

It feels like time is speeding up again as the nights get shorter. My writing is in sync with the grass – it grows in leaps and bounds from late spring and then lies dormant over winter.

This month I have a lot of awesome reading and mini-writing goals – I’m going to check out a queer horror reading group at this bookstore in Glasgow, and I’m taking two writing courses that will give me fresh ideas for my WIP.

Today I’ll talk about one worry I had about my novel, and I have a few editor recommendations, too.

Genre worries

My novel is set in a post-apocalyptic setting with egalitarian groups organized into several biomes. People fluidly adapt to their surroundings, and there’s natural magic, alchemy, and telepathy instead of modern science.

Several times, the book has felt like a crossover between fantasy and science fiction.

At first, I wondered if I simply hadn’t read enough YA science fiction and fantasy when I came up with the idea (yes, even book editors have this worry!). And this is a common reason why genre tropes fall flat or get mixed up with new authors.

But now I realize it's because I've distorted the meaning of what "science" is, taking it back to something close to its early modern roots.

And so, even when the worldbuilding, magic and/or technology are consistent and the story has a clear theme, genre can still be confusing to navigate. In my case, it’s because the worldbuilding is more creative and unusual than compelling (relying on very well-known tropes).

All this also brought up a related question of whether I should stick to setting it on Earth, or to set it in an alternate universe (that's a topic for another day).

If you’re self-publishing, genre partly doesn’t matter, as you have creative control. And genre is more about marketing than anything else, but it's also about audience expectations. These are linked. If you want your book to sell, or if you want to find a literary agent, you definitely need to understand the market and what’s trending.

That’s why having a list of comparative titles is really important.

With this in mind, here are a few editors I love in my niche who can advise on these issues and are very well read.

1) Writer and the Wolf is perfect for YA SFF/H. Siobhán even has a course on nailing your genre! (which I highly recommend)

2) Genevieve Clovis is a great SFF/H editor. She’s based in Canada and is perfect for fantasy and horror especially. I ran a webinar with her on worldbuilding a little while ago, and I hear she’ll be running an EFA course on editing science fiction and fantasy some time soon.

3) Tanya Gold is a perfect editor for speculative fiction, literary fiction and interactive literature. They also translate from French, too. Now, I’m really excited about a DIY developmental edit course Tanya has planned – they teach a revision course for creative writers at Emerson College and will share this wisdom on the DIY developmental edit course.

4) Claire Cronshaw from Cherry Edits has unique experience in self-publishing, as her partner Jon is a prolific self-published author. If you’re looking for a line/copyeditor for fantasy, romance, or women’s fiction, Claire would be a great choice.

Enjoy the rest of the week, and see you soon!

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The Narrative Craft Academy

Editing availability

• One slot left in February
• Slots available from mid-April to mid-June

Upcoming Events

• February 16: Beyond Academia – Publishing Panel; University of Berkeley (online)

Resources

• ​Is Your Novel Editor-Ready (free webinar recording)
• ​Get to Grips with Perspective and Point of View (free mini-course)
• ​Improve Your Worldbuilding: Culture in Your SFF Novel (free preview or paid course, £95)

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