Genre-busting Novels
At Pulp Lit Press, we’re hunting for novels that straddle the intersection of sharp wit, emotional truth, and accessible storytelling. We love the acerbic suburban mystery of Liane Moriarty, the heart-tugging warmth of Jojo Moyes, and the unflinching humanity of Marian Keyes. Give me the brutal brilliance of RF Kuang, the genre-bending apocalypse of NK Jemisin, the magical suffrage of Alix E Harrow, the alt-history feminism of Mary Robinette Kowal, and the hilariously neurotic robots of Martha Wells. (This list could go on forever.)
As writers, whenever we’re pitching our work to agents or editors, among the first questions asked is: What are your comps? (Newbies, this means “comparative titles,” i.e., what books are similar to yours to give the agent/editor a taste of what’s hidden in your pages?)
But Jenn, my novel isn’t LIKE anything else.
I get it — this is both a blessing and a curse — we want to be innovators, as original as we can be and true to our own voice and vision. A former lit agent once told me that my novels are “just a half bubble off-centre,” which makes them harder to sell. Ugh.
Alas, here’s where I absolutely encourage you to write the innovative stuff, while in the same breath reminding you that publishing is a business. We need to sell books so we can heavily promote our acquired projects AND acquire great new projects and so on and so forth forever, amen.
Honestly, there’s no other way to take over the world than by publishing one delectable book after another.
My mission in joining Pulp Lit and starting the new imprint, PulpFemme:
Find those “half-bubble-off-centre” projects in every genre, from SFF to romance to horror, especially if you’ve taken those genres and stirred, not shaken, and poured over ice. (True story: At a recent publishing conference I attended, an agent on a panel talked about the rising popularity of “homance” = horror + romance. Yes, the audience giggled. But what a great mashup, right? Bring me some homance!)
Recruit authors who are willing to participate in the promotion and “salesy” stuff. Sorry, kids, but gone are the days of you mailing your onionskin-typed manuscript dotted with whisky and tear stains, whereafter your publisher will most certainly lavish you with praise, an international book tour, and three-martini lunches with your editor at the Algonquin.
Build a team of influencers, reviewers, Bookstagrammers, BookTok’ers, and other book fanatics who love shouting from the rooftops about Very Cool Books™.
Make sure to drop by NEXT MONDAY wherein I shall talk about what I’m looking for right now!
And speaking of TEAMS, why not join our ARC (advance review copy) team for Leo X. Robertson’s fall short story collection, Barhopping for Astronauts?
You will receive an advance digital copy of Barhopping to read and enjoy, and if you’re so inclined, we would LOVE it if you’d post an honest review on the major retail sites, StoryGraph, Goodreads, your social media, Substack, or blog account — wherever you prefer! Help us get the word out about this terrific book. The cover is DONE and I cannot wait to share it with everyone this week! It really captures the essence of Leo’s stories, and the subtitle all by itself makes it an instant “add to cart” for me.
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