When talking about your writing project with a friend, one of their first questions will likely be “What is the genre?” To them, it may seem like a simple question. To you, it may feel impossible to categorize your writing into any one rigid genre.
Choosing a genre plays into every part of the publishing end of your projects. Genre informs the design for your book covers, marketing, and finding the right readers to increase your book sales. In this article, I’ll define genre, look at the main novel genre forms, and offer you a Story Weapon to unlock the story within you.
A book’s genre categorizes it by form, style, and subject matter, helping readers know what to expect and guiding publishing decisions like marketing and cover design. While there are many genres and subgenres, nine main novel categories capture the broadest types of stories.
What is genre?
A genre is a category characterized by similarities in form, subject matter, and style found in any artistic composition.
It is essentially a group that a body of work falls within due to the content and how it is written. The genre tells the readers what kind of content they can expect.
The exact number of genres that exist, depends on who you ask. Most will claim there are around 50 genres of books. Most genres can be broken down into two main categories: Fiction or Nonfiction.
Subgenres
If we keep going down this rabbit hole, we will find books that combine genres such as Fantasy and Romance creating its own book baby we call subgenres.
Subgenres are used when a book can fall under more than one genre or contains elements of multiple different kinds of genres.
Because there are seemingly endless genres and subgenres in the book world, in this article we are going to focus on the various genres of fiction novels.
What are the 9 main genre categories in fiction?
A fictional novel is a work generally containing 40,000 – 100,000 words. When we look into the genres that exist within fiction, we can pinpoint 9 main categories.
There is debate on the exact number as, for example, some consider dystopian books to be their own genre while many agree they are just a subgenre of fantasy or sci-fi novels.
Or some argue Young Adult is its own category, while others say it is just an age restriction on all the other genres.
In order to not anger the genre gods, we are going to focus on the top 9 genres that are universally agreed on: Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, Adventure, Historical, Literature.
Fantasy
| What is it | Features supernatural or magical elements usually including fictional universes and inspired by mythology or folklore |
| Examples | The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros |
| Popular Subgenres | High fantasy, low fantasy, romantasy |
Science Fiction
| What is it | Explores technical and futuristic societies addressing “what if” questions. Some create enritley different worlds while others speculate about the future of our human race. It usually contains themes of time travel, AI, or space exploration. |
| Examples | Dune by Frank Herbert The Martian by Andy Weir Cinder by Marissa Meyer |
| Popular Subgenres | Dystopian Sci-Fi, Hard Science, Soft Science |
Adventure
| What is it | The main goal of these novels is for a main character to venture on a quest and achieve an ultimate goal. Usually there are high-stakes situations and by going on their journey they discover their own personal transformation. These novels center around a trip or journey to cover the overall plot. |
| Examples | The Odyssey by Homer Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Hatchet by Gary Paulsen |
| Popular Subgenres | Adventure Fantasy, Lost World, Epic Adventure |
Mystery
| What is it | These books revolve around a crime or mystery that is being solved by the protagonist. Usually includes a crime that must be solved and clever clues for the protagonist to unlock. |
| Examples | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie Still Life by Louise Penny |
| Popular Subgenres | Cozy Mystery, Espionage, Caper Story |
Thriller
| What is it | Uses psychological fear to build suspense with the protagonist often aiming to save their own life. These books contain cliff hangers and deception to keep the readers engaged. The goal in writing these books is to maintain the tension until the resolution at the end. |
| Examples | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane |
| Popular Subgenres | Legal Thriller, Supernatural Thriller, Medical Thriller |
Horror
| What is it | These books are more centered on the feeling the reader experiences than the plot or theme of the overall story. These often include paranormal elements and terrifying details to inspire dread and fear into its readers. |
| Examples | The Shining by Stephen King Dracula by Bram Stoker The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab |
| Popular Subgenres | Gothic Horror, Body Horror, Slasher Horror |
Historical Fiction
| What is it | These are fictional stories set in specific time periods or real historical events that work to balance facts and creative story lines. While there are historically accurate details as they pertain to real events or time periods, they give their own fictional story taking place in the chosen setting. |
| Examples | All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr The Book Thief by Markus Zusak A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens |
| Popular Subgenres | Historical Mystery, Alternate History, Biographical Novels |
Romance
| What is it | Romance is often blended with other genres, but the key thing that defines a romance novel is the romantic relationship is the center point of the plot. The entire story should focus on the protagonist’s experience with love in a specific relationship. |
| Examples | The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover |
| Popular Subgenres | Romantic Comedy, Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance |
Literary Fiction
| What is it | Often considered an absence of genre, literary fiction works are driven by their artistic value and they way they make their readers consider personal or social commentary. Many modern classics fall under this genre as they are heavy on character and very introspective. |
| Examples | Beloved by Toni Morrison Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin |
| Popular Subgenres | Coming-of-Age, Experimental Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction |
Honorable mentions
Women’s
| What is it | These often fall under literary fiction or romance. Women’s novels reflect on shared feminine experiences or the growth of a female character. This genre is often meant to be empowering and engaging specifically to a female audience. |
| Examples | Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty The Help by Kathryn Stockett Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah |
| Popular Subgenres | Historical Women’s Fiction, Chick-Lit, Women’s Mystery |
Graphic Novels
| What is it | These are defined less by their content than by their form. Graphic novels are stories presented to the reader through narrative art. It is a unique, powerful method to portray story. |
| Examples | Days of Sand by Aimee de john Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba Maus by Art Spiegelman |
| Popular Subgenres | Anime, Young Adult graphic novels, Science Fiction |
Your story weapon: Keep your head out of the result
When push comes to shove, you may need to pick a genre to sell your book under, but don’t let this limit your writing. While genre can inform the style of your writing, the story you need to tell is already inside of you. You just need to let it out.
Don’t get distracted by dollar signs. If you set out to write a bestseller, chances are you won’t end up writing the story you were meant to tell. You put a cap on your subconscious, taking control of what you allow out.
If you are looking into self-publishing, you may have noticed that Amazon offers over 10,000 categories to choose from. That is an overwhelming number! However, this does not mean you have to limit your writing to fit between the lines of a predetermined category. There are over 10,000 options on Amazon because new work is breaking boundaries all the time.
There is room in this world for the story you want to tell, regardless of its genre.
Ready to dive into your story? Let it rip and get your first draft down in my 90-Day Novel workshop.
