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I feel you on this 100%.

My first novel didn't fit nearly in any category, so I had to make one for it and future ones.

You might have to do the same for yours. Maybe Western Speculative Philosophy fiction?

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It's a funny problem to have isn't it? It seems extremely important how you package your novel, but it equally seems like the least important aspect of the whole thing. I've been using chat GPT to come up with different combos, not the most helpful to be honest.

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In the short term it's very important. Most readers shop category first then author (if they're well known), then book. Many skip author and go straight to the book.

Long term it matters less I think. If a book has enough readers it will spread regardless of category (I've read Harry Potter and Hunger Games, even though I don't regularly read YA anything). Just my theory.

I used GPT to help me clarify my ideas around my genre, then used it to come up with the elements that define it. A lot of the ideas were crap. But when I got a good one, it was gold.

Are you planning on self-publishing? Or going traditional to get it out?

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I too have been bitten by the westerns bug. I’m finding that I enjoy the genre so much that when I step outside of the period I feel bored. 🤠

Highly recommend a book called The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones by Charles Neider.

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author

Something's definitely in the air at the moment. I just went home to New Zealand for a wedding and found more than one of my friends had caught the same bug. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll look it up.

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