Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors Review discussion

Biopunk is an unused term for marketing new material. If something is well known it can be labeled as biopunk because it would sell under any category. Such as Jurassic Park, because the name itself is a keyword. On the other hand, putting a new work under the biopunk banner does nothing to advertise it.

I am looking for words that describe biopunk but have more recognition.

I can't think of any word that specifically describe biopunk other than that word. But it could in some cases fit under dystopia, or some other genre depending on the plot. What novel are you trying to label?

I have never heard of biopunk, but the name, like cyberpunk or steampunk, indicates to me a certain degree if scifi action in a gritty, most likely dystopian setting. I'm guessing the bio part would indicate genetic enhancement rather than cybernetic? If that's the case, I have a series that fits that term that I label as genetic engineering scifi for search purposes.

Jurassic Park (which I like to jokingly call my source material) doesn't really fit the biopunk bill to me. That's more genetic engineering and a liberal dose of action/adventure.

I am labeling the book I wrote, probably trying to shove a square peg in a round hole.

I was thinking of individual group efforts that inadvertently change the way the world is biologically constructed.

Biopunk was originally used to describe the average person doing their own real life genetic engineering projects in their own kitchen. Which didn't get very far. Tom Swift is pretty much dead.

The term genetic engineering seems to indicate a widespread organized commercial effort while biopunk might be considered the lone wolf approach.

A story about do it yourself grafting plants or trees would qualify but isn't very exciting until the disaster scenario is brought in.

I think it would be unlikely that an environment sporting widespread biological disaster with a friendly government properly managing the affairs of the people would raise much interest in today's climate.

If we are talking about biological experiment that turns into a disaster, could this possibly fit into apocalyptic or something like that. Or is the mood more upbeat? I don't know how helpful I'm being, but we must be able to find a more commercial label if we dig around.

You could of course also say it is like work X and Work Z combined. Take some famous works that are in some way similar to your work to give people some idea of it in a simple way. It's probably not a good way, but it may work.

It just the slow motion fallout from commercial efforts to make the world a better place. The world is still standing, no apocalyptic destruction. The mood is more or less neutral.

Genetic engineering is a sizable and growing category, almost becoming a household word like plumbing or electrician. I did change the term to gengineering.

To me "genetic engineering" covers any kind of deliberate attempt to modify someone or something's genetic make-up regardless of whether the effort comes from an individual or a corporation. For my novel "Control Alter Delete" I selected "genetic engineering" as a sub-genre of science fiction in Amazon's browse categories.