What's My Genre?

by Jane Welch
(British Columbia, Canada)

Question: I am not sure what genre my novel is categorized in. It's target is for young people ages 7 to 21, it is non-fiction and involves the discovery of a lost city with futuristic applications. It involves a lots of history and archaeology going back to Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte, WWII and ending with a departure to the stars.

Answer: Doesn't sound like non-fiction to me, unless you have some special knowledge no one else does.

The age group makes it Young Adult. The subject matter sounds like Science Fiction to me (possibly Fantasy), in the style of Jules Verne or some of the early pulp novels.

There may be a more precise sub-genre, but I can't see why you would need a more precise term. If you are marketing it, a one-paragraph summary in a query letter would give an agent or publisher a much better idea of what the book is about than saying it's a ____ genre book.

Ultimately, every truly unique book is its own genre anyway.