An Overview of Book Genres for Writers
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You may have noticed that publishers like putting books into categories. While authors want everyone to love their books (the more readers the better, right?), it’s actually more difficult to sell something to everyone than it is to sell to a target audience. It’s helpful to think of categories as tools that get your book into the hands of the readers who will enjoy it most.
Genre fiction, also called commercial fiction, is an umbrella term, and its sibling is literary fiction. Since fiction isn’t binary and categories often overlap, defining the differences can be a challenge. But in general, literary fiction is character-driven, realistic, and experimental, while genre fiction is plot-driven, relies on tropes, and follows specific structures that readers are familiar with. Genre fiction can also be broken down into further categories, which is what we’re going to dive into today.
It’s super important to know what genre your book falls under, because if you are a querying writer, you'll probably be looking for a literary agent, and if you are a self-publishing author, you have to market it yourself. Even when you are drafting and self-editing, understanding your genre and its conventions can be helpful.
Here are seven major book genres that are popular today, including some questions you can ask yourself when you are writing or revising in that category.
1. FANTASY
It's pure coincidence that fantasy is first on the list and nothing to do with the fact that it's my favourite. Nope.
Fantasy novels take place in imaginary worlds (that world might be completely made-up or it might be our world but with significant changes). For example, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings takes place on Middle-earth while Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments takes place in modern-day New York, yet they are both fantasy. Fantasy novels often include magic; mythological creatures like dragons, kelpie, and kitsune; mythological species like elves, dwarves, and goblins; and familiar tropes like good vs. evil, quests, and chosen ones. Fantasy is about the impossible.
Subgenres currently being published include:
Contemporary
Cozy
Dark
Epic
Fabulism/magical realism
Fairy tales & retellings
Gothic
Historical
Medieval
Mythological
Romantasy
Questions to ask when writing fantasy:
Do readers understand the world enough to feel like they’re there? If there are other species like elves, dwarves, or goblins, is it clear how they differ from humans? Are the other-worldly elements taking over the story at the cost of character development or, on the flip side, are they not present enough and the story could easily be another genre? Are your cultures, creatures, history, politics, magic, and other worldbuilding elements developed enough? Are your world’s rules internally consistent?
Fantasy Favourites:
For further reading:
Check out Making Myths and Magic: A Field Guide to Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels by Shelly Campbell and Allison Alexander
2. SCIENCE FICTION
Sci-fi is about what could be, with authors exploring scientific principles and imagining the future. Historically, sci-fi authors have predicted technologies that weren’t invented at the time: Jules Verne wrote about submarines and rockets; H.G. Wells described mobile phones and automated doors; E.M. Forster explored home automation and social media. In addition to future technologies, sci-fi often imagines political and societal structures and what the world could look like if humanity follows a certain path or ideology. Beloved elements of science fiction include aliens, monsters, spaceships, time travel, alternate universes, parallel worlds, faster-than-light travel, superheroes, and robots.
Subgenres currently being published include:
Alternate history
Apocalyptic / post-apocalyptic
Climate fiction
Comedic
Cyberpunk
Dystopian
Hard sci-fi
Near-future
Soft sci-fi
Space Opera
Superhero fiction
Questions to ask when writing science fiction:
Have you taken your what if questions as far as they can go? Have you thoroughly researched your hard science? Have you made your soft science sound believable? Are the rules of the science and world consistent? If there are aliens, is it clear how they differ from humans? Are your cultures, creatures, or other worldbuilding elements developed enough?
Science fiction favourites:
For further reading:
Check out Putting the Science in Fiction, edited by Dan Koboldt.
3. HORROR
I have moved from actively disliking this genre to loving it, and now I even take on horror novels as editing projects. I realized that it was only a certain type of horror that I didn’t like—the overly bloody, slasher kind. I really enjoy other horror subgenres. If you’re interested, the book that changed my mind about horror was The Outside by Ada Hoffmann, a sci-fi horror about AI gods and a rebel scientist with unorthodox mathematics (lots of weird monster stuff and interesting characters and disability rep). And then one of my co-hosts at The Worldbuilder’s Tavern podcast encouraged me to read Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation, which was also interesting (more of an environmental type horror). So now I’m into it.
Horror’s intent is to create a sense of dread in the reader and show how characters react to fear. Its ancient Greek and Roman origins focused on topics like death, demons, and the afterlife. Folk stories about vampires, ghosts, and witches, as well as the gothic novel have all contributed themes and tropes to what the horror genre is today.
The various subgenres within horror pretty much cover every type of fear. Whether you (or your characters) are afraid of monsters, mutilation, human-eating plants, or your own existential crises, horror’s got you covered. It’s a safe place to explore anxieties and think deeper about the unknown, which can be cathartic, and that’s what I love most about it.
Subgenres currently being published include:
Body
Comedic
Cosmic
Eco-horror
Gothic
Occult
Paranormal
Psychological
Slasher
Supernatural
Survival
Questions to ask when writing horror:
Are enough bad things happening to your characters? Is your monster triggering the protagonist’s greatest fear? Are your characters (and readers) feeling dread? Is your setting atmospheric and thematically fitting? Is tension and an increasing sense of isolation rising? Are you focusing enough on your character development so that readers care about what happens to them?
Horror Favourites:
For further reading:
Check out Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner.
4. ROMANCE
Romance novels focus on a romantic relationship, usually between two people. The novel is all about the development of their relationship, as opposed to sprinkling romance into another genre as a subplot. Romance novels tend to take place in a contemporary setting unless they’re mashed up with another genre (historical romance and romantasy are pretty big right now). Usually there is strong chemistry between two characters, a reason they can’t be together that they eventually overcome, and a happy ending. You can thank Chaucer, Charlotte Bronte, and Jane Austen for their influences in this genre.
Subgenres currently being published include:
Contemporary
Dark
Erotic
Gothic
LGBTQ+
Paranormal
Regency
Religious
Romantic comedy
Romantic suspense
Questions to ask when writing a romance:
Are your readers emotionally invested? Is there enough conflict, chemistry, and romantic tension (which often includes a believable reason they can’t be together at first) between the love interests? Do your subplots drive the main plot? Are the characters fully formed and flawed? Is there emotional depth to the characters? Does the novel have a happy, satisfying ending?
Romance favourites:
For further reading:
Check out Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan.
5. THRILLER
Thrillers are filled with action and build tension with suspense. Usually there is a ticking clock, where the protagonist has to do something within a certain amount of time or something terrible will happen. The protagonist is forced into this situation (often, but not always, by a villain) and must take action. Thrillers are less concerned with why something happened (unless they’re mashed up with mystery) and more concerned about how the protagonist will succeed. Ransoms, heists, revenge, criminals, sociopaths, and conspiracies are common elements.
Subgenres currently being published include:
Action
Crime
Legal
Medical
Political
Psychological
Spy
Supernatural
Suspense
Questions to ask when writing a thriller:
Are the stakes high enough? Will readers be on the edge of their seats? Is your villain complex and do they have understandable motivations? Are enough obstacles getting in the protagonist’s way? Does your hero have weaknesses? Are there plot twists and cliffhangers? Are the plot twists too obvious, or—the reverse—too out-of-the-blue?
Thriller favourites:
For further reading:
Check out Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell.
6. MYSTERY
Whodunit and why? Mystery is about searching for clues and solving a puzzle—usually a crime. Edgar Allan Poe is credited with starting the genre when he published “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” which features the first fictional detective. In a mystery, clues are revealed throughout the novel with a few red herrings sprinkled throughout, then there’s usually an unexpected twist where it seems like the villain is going to get away with it, and a breakthrough that results in the crime being solved and the culprit apprehended.
Subgenres currently being published include:
Amateur sleuth
Cozy
Detective fiction
Howcatchem
Locked room
Paranormal
Police procedural
True crime
Questions to ask when writing a mystery:
Have you researched how investigation works in your novel’s time and place? Are you building tension and suspense? Is your investigator encountering road blocks and false leads, or are they solving the mystery too easily? Have you distributed enough red herrings?
Does the plot twist? Does the detective have a personal stake in the investigation’s outcome?
Mystery favourites:
For further reading:
Check out Writing & Selling Your Mystery Novel: The Complete Guide to Mystery, Suspense, and Crime by Hallie Ephron.
7. HISTORICAL
History is ripe with conflict and interesting settings. Generally, a novel needs to take place 50 or more years ago to be considered historical fiction. Authors balance creativity with realism, striving to get as many details about the time period as accurate as possible. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott was one of the first popular historical novels, and the genre has continued to grow.
Subgenres currently being published include:
Biographical fiction
Historical adventure
Historical saga
Holocaust fiction
Nautical or pirate fiction
Regency fiction
Tudor fiction
War fiction
Questions to ask when writing a historical novel:
Have you thoroughly researched your setting? Will readers feel like they are immersed in the time and place? How accurately have you described social conventions, fashion, technology, politics, historical figures, events, food, and architecture? Have you over-romanticized the past, or are you including its ugly bits too? Are your characters behaving and speaking in ways that fit the time period?
Historical favourites:
For further reading:
Check out Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders: A Writer's (and Editor's) Guide to Keeping Historical Fiction Free of Common Anachronisms, Errors, and Myths by Susanne Alleyn.
GENRE MASHUPS
Genre mashups are pretty popular right now. Historical romance, science fantasy, mystery thriller… combine just about any two genres and you’ll get something interesting.
When doing so, you might find yourself leaning into one more than the other, and that’s fine. John Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build a Nest In, a cozy horror romance, leans more to the cozy romance than the horror, but the terrifying monster element is still present, so it can be marketed to both audiences. Other mashups involve putting a type of story into a specific setting, such as a thriller in space (like S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence) or adding a fantastical element, such as a historical novel with magic (like R.F. Kuang’s Babel).
In my opinion, no mashup idea is too weird! The U.S. market initially deemed Frances White’s Voyage of the Damned, a queer murder mystery set on a magical cruise, too strange. They didn’t think it would sell. White proved them wrong by blowing up the U.K. market with sales, and, of course, U.S. publishers were pretty interested after that. Also, that book is awesome and you should read it.
WHAT IF YOUR BOOK DOESN'T "FIT"?
If you’re not sure what genre you’re writing, try strolling through a library or bookstore and picturing on which shelf your book would sit. And, if you haven’t already, read a bunch of books from your genre to get to know it better. Are readers who enjoy those books potentially going to enjoy yours?
It is possible to write a book that doesn’t neatly slide into a category. For example, let’s say you’ve written an adult novel where the protagonist is a cat narrating her life. Does this go under fantasy, because it’s got a talking animal? Is it literary, because the author plays with story structure? Is it horror, because the cat witnesses her owner’s murder by a monster?
In a situation like this, I would encourage the author to choose one genre as a base, familiarize themselves with the tropes and structure of the genre, and revise with marketability in mind. It’s possible they’re targeting the wrong age category or that they’re trying to do too much with one story, which may lead to people reading the back cover copy with confusion.
This is, of course, advice for writers who want to publish their novels and sell as many copies as possible. If you’re not planning on publishing, write whatever you want, however you want, and it doesn’t matter whether it matches readers’ expectations. It can be a refreshing break to write a novel without worrying about where it will fit in the market.
Remember, genre is a tool. It’s not meant to stifle your creativity, but should give your readers a hint about what magic lies waiting for them in the pages.
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