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Is there such thing as a dead genre?
Ian Nathaniel Cohen
Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2014 12:35 PM

A recent thread I started in the Historical Fiction of the discussion boards last week got me thinking about this.  Trends in what genres are "in" right now are always shifting and changing.  However, is there any such thing as a dead genre?

 

In my own case, I'm finding plenty of agents who represent historical fiction, according to agentquery.com.  However, looking at the books and authors they represent, they don't seem to be interested in historical adventure fiction specifically, unless it's a series.  It all seems to be romances, dramas, or young adult.  Not only that, but for the past few years, I haven't seen much in the way of new historical adventure fiction on the shelves, unless it was a series.  I'm just not sure if it's just not trendy or the moment, or if the swashbuckler's day has come and gone (I feel like the same applies to movies as well).

 

Any thoughts on this?


Mimi Speike
Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2014 4:10 PM
Joined: 11/17/2011
Posts: 1016


Can this be true? Any series has to start somewhere. If I found a good, knowledgable, well researched and (crucial) beautifully written historical novel, I'd be on it. I'm hooked on the Alan Lewrie series by Dewey Lambdin. It's a joy to read the maritime tour-by-tour story, but the first book was satisfying in and of itself. Scrumptious period detail in any piece knocks me out. Superb wordsmithing puts it over the top.

.

I'm sorry I haven't gotten to your book yet. I mean to, absolutely. I've had my hands full with my own thing, but I'm about to send it off to an editor, and I will make time for you.


Ian Nathaniel Cohen
Posted: Sunday, March 30, 2014 4:49 PM
Not to worry - I wasn't fishing for reviews or anything like that.  Just speculating (okay, brooding) about the possibility that the swashbuckler adventure fiction genre is out of vogue for good, as opposed to for the moment.

 

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