Picking the Right Story Genre for You
There is a long list of book genres and subgenres. In fact, there are so many of them, even publication agents and editors are having a difficult time keeping up with the new ones that are cropping up. For some types of books, classifying a project into one specific genre that is not considered too popular may put off literary agents because of the lack of market for it. Book genre refers to the type of story you are writing.
Some of the most popular book genres include:
- Romance
- Science Fiction
- Mystery
- Thriller
- Fantasy
- Suspense
- Historical or Memoirs
The Relevance of A Genre
Most agents and editors generally focus on publishing and marketing a few specific genres. You should identify the publication companies that deal with your type of genre because if you submit your manuscript to an editor who does not usually produce and sell your brand of story, they may end up in the garbage bin.
Agents and editors use genre to determine the type of plot a writer is making. Agents and editors will rarely deal with a book which is a mishmash of everything – a mystery set in the future that’s also a sci-fi with two characters that are in love. If you are unable to determine where your book falls under, it’s like saying that you do not know your target market. And, if you do not know your target audience, how will you be able to market your book? Without a definite market, agents would think twice about representing you.
There are those who are adamant in not being tagged because they feel that their book is very complex. To these writers, it is clear that they are more interested in their identity as artists than being able to sell truckloads of books.
Choosing genre is a pretty forthright task for many writers. Most writers tend to write only one type of genre. Grisham and Clancy loves to write thriller novels, Anne Rice publishes horror books, while Danielle Steele loves to write romance novels. They focus on their craft and that is the reason why they are good at it.
The importance of choosing your genre boils down to marketability. The moment you choose, you will begin to build your platform and brand around your genre and around you as a writer. When a publisher decides to publish your work, what he is really marketing are you. They assume that you will be coming up with books of the same genre in the future, especially if your first one sells.
When you write in only one genre, you become known as an expert in that field. You are construed as a professional if you stick with ne genre.
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