Fountain of Knowledge

All of these terms are just generalizations. They get you in the ballpark of what you're really trying to describe. I can say I'm writing a high fantasy novel and in three words I've given you a pretty good general picture of what I'm trying to do. Now, if you want to get down to very specific things, you're going to need more or better words. But for throwing out a general impression, these terms do the job.

I think that holds true for publishing too. If you tell an editor or agent or whomever that you're submitting THIS TYPE of story, you're just giving them a general idea of what they're in for. It's the same as what you're doing with your query and your first few paragraphs. Try to give whoever is reading this a general idea of what they're in for if they keep going.

http://misha-mcg.livejournal.com/