I wonder if I should....

[lizvogel]

Writing progresses.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering if I should tweak something in the query. Tell me, oh readers:

When you see the phrase "an espionage novel", what do you think of?

Now, what do you think when you see "a contemporary espionage novel"?

Comments

[infiniteviking]

(whoops, moving my reply over here~)

"An espionage novel" with no further context: Bourne Identity with a side of James Bond.

"Contemporary espionage novel": Bourne Identity with iphones.

[lizvogel]

*snicker*  Now I don't know what to do. ;-) The story in question lands solidly between those two; cell phones are mostly notable for being taken away from people. (Actually it's more like The Sandbaggers with Americanized shadow bureaucracy, but try explaining that to people.)

I saw an agent saying she specifically wants to know when a story is set, so it got me wondering.

[infiniteviking]

Hmm, try show-not-tell? Instead of putting the book in a category, maybe mention something in it that brings the right atmosphere to mind?

[lizvogel]

Mmm, not for a query letter, I think. There's no spare word-space to work with, and besides, one of the few things all agents I've seen agree on is that they want the genre explicitly stated.

My concern is that "contemporary espionage" might lead someone to expect a techno-thriller, and that is very much not what this book is.