I know today, the lines between genres are blurring and there are new genres coming out, but it is important to know where your book belongs. Not only will it help readers know what they are reading, but it will also help you write better. You will know what to focus on in your plot. Is your book a mix of action and romance? Well, which is the strongest voice or plot strand?
Not to mention, if you can’t classify your book, how is anyone else going to? An agent won’t and a publisher won’t. It’s on you.
So to that end, I’ve compiled a short list of genres (and subgenres) with equally short definitions to get you started.
Main Genres:
Romance: a love story
Mystery: a whodunit
Fantasy: a mythical world that bends the laws of nature
Sci-Fi: a made up place with advanced technology
Thriller: a suspense filled story
Horror: some grotesque elements and fear for the main characters
Literary Fiction: “serious fiction”-highbrow writing and concepts
Sub-genres:
Historical: set in the past
Contemporary: present time
Paranormal: include characters or elements of make-believe
Western: set in mid-west
Gothic: dark elements
Profession: a certain type of profession (legal, medicine, politics) prevalent in the story
Inspirational: relying on faith (usually Christian based)
Erotica: focus on sexual relationships instead of emotional ones
Chick-lit: humorous tales of the main female character
Steampunk: a new sub-genre involving steam technology
The list could go on and on. Spend time researching genres and really thinking about what your story is. Also, don’t be afraid to let go of what you want the book to be and what it actually is. One author I met said he always wanted to be Stephen King and tried to write books like him, but when he sat down and finished his book, he found out he was a YA Paranormal Romance writer instead.
Remember find a home for your book!
-Ellen
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5 comments:
Thank you for this list. Sometimes clarifying exactly where a MS fits is tricky, especially when you try to compare them to books already published. For ex, I thought my book belonged on the shelf next to an author I like in the paranormal romance section. Then I went to another bookstore and found the exact same author's books in the horror section. I can see why each store put those books in each section, but it makes it more difficult for me to pinpoint my own genre, since my MS has the same elements of paranormal, romance, and thriller/horror.
Thanks for your list! Sometimes it's difficult to to decide where the writing fits in.
Ok, so I've got a romance-mystery-fantasy-paranormal-gothic mss with some historical references if I follow the definitions to the letter! LOL Think I'll just call it Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance.
I started out writing an Historical Romance. Now I have killed off several characters and introduced violent acts, it is more of an Historical Romance Suspense. Or is it an Historical Romance Thriller? Or is it an Historical Romance with a twist?
Oh, gosh it gets confusing. Your list is useful, thank you.
What a coincidence I should find this post today. I'm currently researching what genre my ms falls into. While writing it, I thought it was contemporary women's fiction. But when I presented the synopsis to a new member of my writer's group, she said it was a romance. The romances I've read have steamy love scenes. Tomorrow I'm off to the library to check out other types of romances.
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