Dana Kaye
I was talking with the wise Jon Jordan yesterday and we got into a discussion about branding. For promotion and sales, it's very important that authors have a brand, that buyers have a sense of what they're going to get when they pick up Author Doe's book. Elmore Leaonard's brand is good guys who aren't all that good and smooth, fresh dialogue. Michael Crichton's is high-octane, techno-thrillers. Going off brand is running the risk of disappointing and potentially losing readers, but creating a solid brand is creating a solid audience.
So what happens when you mis-represent your brand as an author? I've heard so many authors hand me a book and say, "Check out my thriller!" and when I read it, the book is actually a mystery. It's not that I don't love mysteries, I do, but because it wasn't what I expected, I was turned off.
I'm stealing Jon's eloquent definitions since he said it better than I ever could:
Mysteries are reflective, the story takes place after the crime and the plot centers around figuring out what happened.
Crime Fiction is in the present, readers are with the characters as the action is taking place.
In Thrillers, the crime hasn't happened yet. The plot is centered around stopping a crime or dramatic event from taking place.
Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, but whether your pitching a book to an agent or selling your book at Borders, it's important to know what category you fall into. Don't say you wrote a cozy mystery if there is blood and sex anywhere on the page. Don't say you wrote a thriller if your main character is a P.I. investigating a crime. It'll turn readers off and, if you're not published yet, may turn an agent off as well.
When in doubt, don't call your book anything or say it's a novel of suspense. Because whether it's a mystery or thriller, cozy or hard-boiled, there better be some suspense.
