Upon the release of muted,
I had a dilemma. How to categorize it. But I should start off by telling you
that muted is a science fiction,
cyberpunk, dystopian short story written in verse, which means it’s ultimately
a very long poem. So is it poetry? Or is it a short story? I could only choose
two categories on Amazon. If I just put it under poetry and short stories, it
wouldn’t be very discoverable, because really, who searches for those? So I put
it under “Cyberpunk” and “Dystopian” Fiction. You may argue that this is silly,
because ultimately, muted is an epic
poem.
But did you know that
epic poetry stems from the Greek word “epos,” which means to speak or to tell a
tale? Homer’s Iliad is an example of
an epic poem. So is the Odyssey. And
they are stories. For the sake of discoverability I did what I had to do to be noticed.
Muted is a story, despite being written in verse. And ultimately, does it
really matter what category you put your work in? Writing is art. There are no
limits to art.
Do you write in
multiple forms and genres and not know how to categorize your work? If so, just
ask yourself this: Does it evoke emotion? Does your writing keep me engaged?
Does it make me want to read more of it? Does it use vocabulary creatively,
avoid cliché, kick me in the gut and make me want to write like you? Does it
make me email all my friends and tell them to check out this new and upcoming
genius? Yes? Then what have you got to lose?
When the time comes to
release your work, put it where it’s going to be seen (within reason of course—i.e.
don’t put a hardcore science fiction book in the romance category). Be
open-minded. Just because your work is one thing, it doesn’t mean that it can’t
be considered another.
Be creative with how
you categorize your work.
Get noticed.
Get readers.
Get fans.
*For detailed information on how to get your
book categorized in Amazon subgenre bestseller lists, check out Let’s Get Visible, by David
Gaughran. I highly recommend this book!
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