Determining most appropriate category for a story (Fetish or Romantic Love?)

I'm working on a submission that involves two people (heterosexual human beings of roughly the same age and ethnicity (which I note to narrow down the potential categories)) who form an erotic, romantic connection, but their attraction stems from the notice they first take in one another based on their exotic physical differences (relative to one another). I want to ensure I submit this story for publication in the most appropriate category, thus I would like advice on where the boundary exists between fetish and romantic love.

Anyone feeling charitable enough to help this blind squirrel better orient himself toward the proper genre-acorn?

Counter-question: How much 'fetish' are we talking? If celebration of the fetish is the core of the story, as opposed to the romantic elements, then you'll be safer in the 'fetish' category. If, like you said, the 'fetish' thing is merely the hook, the thing which gets the ball rolling and it's romantic lovey-dovey stuff from then on, you might go over well in 'romance'. Variety is the spice of life and a good hook can make the story.

Good luck!

Hello Blind Justice,

Thanks for your reply! Hard to say (er, write, in this case), as the distinctions at work between the two protagonists is an ongoing source of attraction; that is, even after the first wild bit of exotic sex, there are still those "wow, as she walks into the room and I see her, I feel my breath catching in my throat and my blood racing as I notice again [the features that intrinsically make them so different]" kind of moments... It continues to serve as the baseline for their attraction (as well as their enjoyment of their attraction in spite of their differences), even as they develop and their relationship moves toward a more profound basis of romantic love...

Worst case scenario, (based on the preponderance of reader feedback) I put the story in the wrong category; any advice on which constituency is more forgiving?

Thanks again for your reply!

v/r,

--tj

So what's the fetish?

So far, you have mentioned a hetero couple with similar ages, so if it's a fuckorama with not much intimacy and emotion, there's Erotic Couplings. If it's candles, moonlight and seduction, then Romance. If there was a big age difference, then Mature (but you say same age, so that's out).

Exotic sex (define exotic) doesn't necessarily equate to fetish unless, well, it's fetish.

Seems to me, don't be coy, define what you mean by exotic and fetish, and we might have some better suggestions as to a sensible category

Hi electricblue66,

Thanks for your reply! I don't like discussing my story too much before it's finished (feels like a jinx), but to be more specific, the male protagonist is an establishment type while the female protagonist is decidedly an anti-establishment type, and it's their manner of dress, personal expression (through body art/lack thereof) and professional backgrounds that are so dichotomous when juxtaposed against one another.

And yet, in spite of she not at all resembling the women he's used to, nor he conforming to the archetype she's found attractive thus far, they each complete the other's circuit, romantically. At first, it's fuckorama, but even then it's built upon the foundation of their deeper, underlying spark that they suss out over the course of the (hopefully, somewhat entertaining) prose.

So, inclination to genuine romance and love would, I believe, rule out the (still very worthy) 'erotic couplings,' genre, but as they see the differences in each other every time they open their eyes/come up for air/consider where they're at in the relationship with this "other," there's always the underlying (and perhaps only now recognized, latent) attraction to those features that made them each so relatively exotic. Thus, the ever present 'co-pilot' aspect of fetish...

Any idea as to which segment of readership would be (at least) forgiving were I to improperly categorize this story, is most helpful.

v/r,

--tj

If there's enough fetish to make you think - than the safest bet is fetish category, and you can mention romance in your tags.

Thing is, the fact that your characters are doing fetish doesn't mean they can't be romantic about it, and people expect that. No one would even think twice to see it in a romantic category.
But no romance will hide that your story has strong fetish themes, and some people get distracted by that.

There's another approach. If your story is mainly about romance and relationship, and sex is really not a crucial element - then perhaps you can put it in a romance category and slap a fetish tag on it, or put in a short disclaimer in the beginning telling your readers to expect this and that.

Think of the main entertainment value of your story. Can you completely remove sex scenes without hurting your story in any way? Is the relationship of characters engaging and entertaining in and on its own? Then it's mostly romance.
If without sex scenes, however, your story turns into bland generic thing that no one would really want to read - then it's a titillating sexual story, and then if those sex scenes offer a lot of fetish - then it's a member of fetish category.

In literature the lines between genres are blurry. In fact, you'll find that any movie, book, or even video game that's worth a dime has elements of several genres at once. The trick is knowing the core element of your story, the selling point, so to speak. Who will buy it? A fetishist, or a romantic person? Only you or someone who read it can tell.

Good luck!

Something to keep in mind is that Romance has a relatively big readership. So if you can put it there, you should. You'll get more readers. So as long as it fits the romance category, you should put it there even if it has some elements of other categories.

If it's more about the sex than the romance, you might want to put it somewhere else, like erotic couplings if it's sex without anything distinctive about it, or fetish or something else if it has a specific kink.

It would be a fetish if he has an unusual attraction to her toes, for example. Or if he was attracted to her because she had six fingers, or because she collected Ninja Turtle action figures. That's fetish. Being attracted to someone who is different and exotic to you is not, by itself, fetish.

The way you describe it, it doesn't sound like a fetish story. It doesn't sound like an interracial story (interracial also gets many readers).

I recommend romance as long as it's sweet enough and romantic enough to fit there.

Thank you, SimonDoom,

In reading your post, then looking back on my last reply, I agree with your assessment and very much appreciate your advice. Romance it is.

tj_shades said:

Thank you, SimonDoom,

In reading your post, then looking back on my last reply, I agree with your assessment and very much appreciate your advice. Romance it is.

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Good call. I couldn't see any fetish in what you described.

Also, don't be afraid of dropping some graphic sex into Romance - provided you include emotion, intimacy, or tears, as well, the readers will lap it up.