Understanding Genre
Genre is a way to group stories based on things that are similar such as themes, settings, elements, and story arcs. This makes it easy for readers to easily find stories they enjoy and easier for writers to market their books. I’ve listed the most common genres below.
Major Umbrella Genres
- Fantasy
- Romance
- Science Fiction (sci-fi)
- Thriller
- Mystery
- Horror
- Historical
- Literary
Categories for Younger Readers
There’s often some confusion over whether Young Adult (YA) is a genre. This is a category rather than a genre because books for older children are grouped by age and cover distinct styles, language levels, word counts, topics, and themes.
- Middle Grade (MG): Ages 8 to 13
- Young Adult (YA): Ages 13 to 18
- New Adult (NA): Ages 19 to early adulthood
The Evolution of Subgenres
Under the umbrella of the main genre are multiple subgenres, which continually grow as writers push boundaries and ‘mash up’ different genres to create something new entirely. For example, the combination of sci-fi and romance has led to the emergence of sci-fi romance, complete with its own set of readers’ expectations and story elements.
Example: Science Fiction
The Science Fiction genre typically features future or alternative worlds as the setting, with a strong focus on technology, space exploration, and speculative science. Some popular subgenres include:
- Hard Sci-Fi
- Space Opera
- Cyberpunk
- Steampunk
- Sci-fi Horror
- Post-Apocalypse
- Dystopian
- Sci-fi Romance
- Military
And of course, some of these subgenres can be further broken down into smaller sub-subgenres (not sure to call them), such as:
Post-Apocalypse
- Alien Invasion
- Rise of the Machines
- EMP
- Plague
- Space Disaster
- Zombie
- Nuclear Holocaust
Identifying Genre Elements
Sometimes it can be difficult deciding what genre/subgenre your story falls under. Considering the elements below might help you pin it down.
- Setting: Where does the story take place?
- Plot Elements: What key events or conflicts drive the narrative?
- Word Choice: What language or style do you use?
- Themes: What underlying messages or ideas are present?
- Tone: What is the overall mood or attitude of the narrative?
Your Book’s Place in the Market
A final exercise that could help to identify your genre is to imagine your book is being sold in a bookstore. Which three existing books (comp titles) would you like to see sitting next to your book?