Want to Publish in the Fantasy or Sci-Fi Genres? This Might Be Useful.
Interview With Pantera Press Editor Kate Cuthbert
A couple weeks ago I was able to get in contact with a wonderful editor at Pantera Press named Kate Cuthbert, who agreed to answer a few questions using her years of experience. My intention in doing so was to get some industrial information on the trends in the Fantasy and Sci Fi genres in Australia, and to hopefully clear up any misconceptions of publishing these genres compared to publishing other genres.
Q1) From what you have seen as an Editorial Director, do you think the Fantasy and Sci-fi genres are not as supported in Australia in terms of marketability when compared to other genres?
Generally speaking, the Australian market is not as set up to support genre fiction as, say, the overseas markets, as there isn’t a paperback market here for cheaper books put out for faster & more frequent readers. However, Australian publishers have got around that a little bit with the adoption of a more generic ‘Speculative Fiction’ term that shifts titles away from the pulpy history of SFF and aligns them more with the larger and generally speaking more literary titles that the Australian market is set up for.
However, we’ve seen a large shift towards genre fiction recognition in the last few years here in Australia, and I imagine that will continue to grow.
Q2) Have you noticed a shift over the years when it comes to the submission of Fantasy and Sci-fi manuscripts? If so, why do you think that is?
No — they’ve stayed pretty constant. There’s a real appetite out there for writing in these areas!
Q3) In your time as Editorial Director, what would you say are the most profitable genres to market in Australia in this current period of time? And, why?
This is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question, as these kinds of questions are very much title-led, rather than genre-led. I could say things like commercial women’s fiction, and rural-set crime, and memoir, and life-style, but it would be an incomplete answer. When considering the marketing, the focus is on the title and how it meets or exceeds or alters the expectations of the genre it might sit in, rather than focusing on its genre.
It is reassuring to see that the publishing industry is growing out of that mindset of ‘whatever is marketable is what deserves a chance at getting into bookstores’, and while I’m sure there is still a long road to travel, the opportunities are only just beginning.
