Choosing my category wrong

[CAZonErotica]

I’d like feedback on category choice for my next piece.

Main character/narrator POV is a ghost.

Dark humor focused, non necro, non gory with a heavy dash of romance (I hope)

I don’t feel it fits into Non Human category, and I don’t feel I do enough world building to put it in Sci-Fi & Fantasy.

Does just having a ghost Narrator immediately drop it into either of these?

Will Lit judges force it into one of them if I put it a different one?

I wish we could overlap categories sometimes. It’s a dark, humorous romance with a supernatural twist.

I appreciate your opinions, thank you.

 

[ElectricBlue]

If it's not horrific, you could drop it into Romance. I've read ghost stories there, some have done very well.

I'd suggest submitting it with a Note to the Editor, saying it's basically a Romance, with a ghost.

 

[CAZonErotica]

Will try that

If it's not horrific, you could drop it into Romance. I've read ghost stories there, some have done very well.

I'd suggest submitting it with a Note to the Editor, saying it's basically a Romance, with a ghost.

Definitely not even remotely scary, I try to keep it super light and more towards dark humor. Thanks! I’ll try that!

 

[NotWise]

I’d like feedback on category choice for my next piece.

Main character/narrator POV is a ghost.

Dark humor focused, non necro, non gory with a heavy dash of romance (I hope)

I don’t feel it fits into Non Human category, and I don’t feel I do enough world building to put it in Sci-Fi & Fantasy.

Does just having a ghost Narrator immediately drop it into either of these?

Will Lit judges force it into one of them if I put it a different one?

I wish we could overlap categories sometimes. It’s a dark, humorous romance with a supernatural twist.

I appreciate your opinions, thank you.

I have a ghost story that made me struggle with category. I really wanted to put it in Romance because it was a sentimental story, but it really wasn't a Romance. There were two femaie main characters who were both ghosts and it was questionable if the Romance readers would connect with them. I finally sought advice from one of the most established writers in the genre and her advice put a nail in the idea of publishing it in the romance category. The ending, which I'd always seen as HEA, was actually pretty bitter-sweet.

I put it in Novels and Novellas instead of Romance or NonHuman. The score is good. The feedback is good. It just hasn't had anything like the exposure it would get in the Romance category, but I still wish I knew how it would have worked in Romance.

Ask yourself the same questions, and roll the dice.

 

[CAZonErotica]

I have a ghost story that made me struggle with category. I really wanted to put it in Romance because it was a sentimental story, but it really wasn't a Romance. There were two femaie main characters who were both ghosts and it was questionable if the Romance readers would connect with them. I finally sought advice from one of the most established writers in the genre and her advice put a nail in the idea of publishing it in the romance category. The ending, which I'd always seen as HEA, was actually pretty bitter-sweet.

I put it in Novels and Novellas instead of Romance or NonHuman. The score is good. The feedback is good. It just hasn't had anything like the exposure it would get in the Romance category, but I still wish I knew how it would have worked in Romance.

Ask yourself the same questions, and roll the dice.

Thanks for the input! Man, it’s not easy.

 

[RejectReality]

I put my ghost stories in Non-Human, and never had any quibbles from the readership. I don't know why you wouldn't consider it an appropriate category.

 

[GuessImJamie]

I have a ghost story that made me struggle with category. I really wanted to put it in Romance because it was a sentimental story, but it really wasn't a Romance. There were two femaie main characters who were both ghosts and it was questionable if the Romance readers would connect with them. I finally sought advice from one of the most established writers in the genre and her advice put a nail in the idea of publishing it in the romance category. The ending, which I'd always seen as HEA, was actually pretty bitter-sweet.

I put it in Novels and Novellas instead of Romance or NonHuman. The score is good. The feedback is good. It just hasn't had anything like the exposure it would get in the Romance category, but I still wish I knew how it would have worked in Romance.

Ask yourself the same questions, and roll the dice.

Seemed romantic to us, but not sappy. Full bodied with a pleasant aftertaste...

 

[RetroFan]

I wrote a story involving a ghost once in Romance, although it was ambiguous whether this dead all along character was a true ghost or a figment of the imagination of her heartbroken fiancee.

The readers mostly seemed to like this theme, although one negative reviewer stated that there was no place for ghosts in Romance.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

It shouldn’t be a problem putting it where you want, provided it generally fits into that category.

My Moving Day story was in Romance and (spoiler alert) two of the main characters turned out to be ghosts.

If it gets changed, you can always go to Laurel and argue to have it changed back.