“Genre is a confining madness; it says nothing about how writers write or readers read, and everything about how publishers, retailers and commentators would like them to.”

I can see why some authors might find them annoying (see Vonnegut & SF label), and granted some books are too complicated to categorize comprehensively, but readers need some parameters when browsing.

To this end, I’m always thankful to fellow readers who take the time to comment on novels upon completion.

Edit: This is NOT my suggestion. See article by Alex Clark at:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/27/the-big-idea-should-we-abolish-literary-genres?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit%20Hub%20Weekly:%20November%2027-December%201%2C%202023&utm_term=lithub_weekly_master_list

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  • tacosanonymous@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    I wouldn’t. There are a million different ways to describe every book and some of the more general ones help readers to the right area. I think promoting deeper understanding and asking reference librarians for suggestions can deepen/enhance the search.

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    1·
    11 months ago

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  • FirstOfRose@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Wrong. It says a lot about what readers read and how some writers choose to write.

    I have zero problem with publishers marketing books to me. Like yes, show me what you’re selling. Narrow them down into a genre so it’s less work for me.

    And I don’t really care what authors think of it to be honest. Their job is to write books, the publishers job is to sell the book and my job is to pick what to buy and read, which is made a whole lot easier using genre. The one it affects the least is the writer. I bet if they were told there are no genres anymore and as a result sales have dropped because now you’re just in a sea of everything else they would start singing a different tune.