Cross Genre

by Bethany Maines

Cross-genre.  You’ll hear the term a lot in writing circles.  But what is it?  It’s book that melds the elements of more than one genre together.  Books are coded by something known as a BISAC code that allows libraries to appropriately shelve a book and search engines to find it.  The list is extensive and usually books can have two BISAC codes.  (You can check out the list for fiction here: bisg.org/page/Fiction But be warned—it’s extensive!)

My forthcoming book Shark’s Hunt, book #3 of the Shark Santoyo Crime Series, can appropriately be filed under FIC031010 FICTION / Thrillers / Crime, but it’s possible that it could be filed under FIC027260 FICTION / Romance / Action & Adventure or FIC022000 FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General.    Or I could just go for a broad category and label it: FIC044000 FICTION / Women.  Am I the only one who finds it odd that women are a category of fiction?  There isn’t a category for Men.  Or is all fiction assumed to be men’s fiction and we need to let people know that this book over here is just for women? Seems odd, but we’ll just leave that one alone for now.

But beyond the BISAC codes, which while useful, are not the end all definition of a book, there is marketing and that’s where things get persnickety.  An author and a marketer need to be able to tell and sell someone on a book in 30 seconds or less. 

The Shark Santoyo Crime Series is a witty, romantic saga about a violent suburban underworld. Shark Santoyo and Peregrine Hays are the Romeo and Juliet of the criminal set and they are determined to find justice, revenge, and true love. There’s just an entire mob and a few dirty FBI agents in the way.

So from my “elevator pitch” you should know that there’s going to be violence, romance, crime, and a touch of humor.  But all of those things are hard to encompass in a single book description and a cover.   Which is why you’ll see cross-genre books “pushed” toward one genre.  There’s a girl in the book – make it sexy on the cover!  Don’t mention the humor – humor doesn’t sell!  On the other hand, when a book succeeds you’ll hear people knowingly say, “Well, it’s really cross-genre.”  Of
course, it’s cross-genre! No book is ever one thing entirely. It’s as though an author just can’t win. 

On the other hand, if you think cross-genre witty, romantic saga about a violent suburban underworld sounds fun, then check out Shark’s Instinct and Shark’s Bite and pre-order Shark’s Hunt today.

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Bethany Maines is the author of the Carrie Mae Mystery Series, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous short stories. When she's not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some serious butt with her fourth degree black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.