Unlock the Secret to Pinpointing Your Book’s Genre and Captivating Readers Instantly!

‘When talking to an agent or publisher about your novel, practically the first thing out of your mouth should be the genre,’ says agent Rachelle Gardner.

With so many books out there, readers need help to find the ones that best appeal. Genre is a key tool for that, with each genre bringing its own set of expectations. Thrillers offer high stakes and tension, for example, while a romance leans towards feeling and relationship.

Genre is not an exact science, though. But although most books will fit into more than one, it’s impossible to write a book that can’t be helpfully described by genre. You wouldn’t want your book to be so different as to not fit into a genre either, because then how would market it?

It’s useful to think about genre at the planning stage too — it will affect the way you think about plot, pacing and character arcs. If you’re planning a cozy murder mystery, for example, it will be long on clues and red herrings but short on gore and police procedure.

Here are some tips to help you nail down the genre of your book.

Think about audience age

Non-adults books should include the target audience as part of the genre description eg ‘YA dystopian thriller’. Middle Grade (MG) books are for ages 8–12, and often focus on friendship, adventure, self-discovery. Young Adult (YA) books target ages 12–18, and are often about identity and coming of age. You’ll want your protagonists’ ages to match too.

Decide if you are literary or commercial

Literary fiction — often separated out from commercial or genre fiction — tends to prioritise language and ideas, while commercial fiction is more about plot and pace — stories that appeal to a broad audience. Books that blur the lines may be called upmarket fiction, blending strong writing with accessible plots. See more on this here.

Study the genre landscape