Genres, Explained

Deciding on a genre for your novel can feel restrictive. Many writers feel that pinning a specific label to their work stifles creativity or forces them into a formula. But while every book is unique, the reality of publishing is that genres act as a bridge between the author and the reader.

Genre communicates expectations. When a reader picks up a book, the genre tells them what kind of emotional experience they're signing up for. It tells them whether to expect a puzzle to solve, a world to explore, or a romance to swoon over. By clearly defining your category, you make it easier for the right readers to find your work.

This article will walk you through the landscape of fiction genres, helping you identify where your story belongs and how to leverage that knowledge to write a stronger manuscript.

What is a Genre?

At its core, a genre is a categorization based on shared elements, style, and expectations. It's a promise from the writer to the reader that if they pick up your book, they know broadly what kind of story they'll be diving into.

It's also important to distinguish between genre fiction and literary fiction. Generally, genre fiction (sometimes called commercial fiction) prioritizes plot, pacing, and entertainment value. It moves the reader through a sequence of events toward a satisfying conclusion. Literary fiction tends to prioritize character study, thematic depth, and the quality of the prose itself.

Major Fiction Genres

The landscape of fiction is vast, but most novels fall into a few primary categories.

Literary Fiction

Literary fiction is often defined by what it's not: it's not strictly bound by the conventions of commercial genres. The focus here is deeply internal. These stories often explore the human condition, social issues, or complex psychological states. The pacing can be slower, allowing for digressions and elaborate sentence structures.

Key Conventions:

• Character-driven: The internal change of the protagonist is often more important than external events.
• Thematic density: The story is a vehicle for exploring complex ideas.
• Ending: Endings are often ambiguous or bittersweet rather than neatly resolved.
• Word Count: Typically up to 80,000 words, though shorter works are common.

Mystery and Thriller

While often grouped together, these two genres have distinct engines. A mystery is about the past—finding out who committed a crime that has already happened. It's an intellectual puzzle. A thriller is about the future—preventing a crime or catastrophe that is about to happen. It's an emotional ride based on suspense and fear.

Common Subgenres:

• Cozy Mystery: Low violence, amateur sleuth, usually set in a small community.
• Police Procedural: Focuses on the realistic methods of law enforcement.
• Psychological Thriller: Emphasizes the mental states of the characters, often involving unreliable narrators.

Key Conventions:

• Pacing: Must be tight and propulsive.
• Stakes: High personal or physical risk.
• Resolution: The central question (who did it? will they survive?) must be answered.

Science Fiction

Science fiction asks "What if?" It deals with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals. It's the genre of ideas, often projecting current trends into the future to explore their consequences.

Subgenres:

• Hard Sci-Fi: Prioritizes scientific accuracy and technical detail.
• Space Opera: Grand scale, interplanetary conflict, and adventure (think Star Wars).
• Dystopian: Explores social and political structures in a collapsed or oppressive society.

Key Conventions:

• World-building: The setting requires detailed construction and internal logic.
• Speculative Element: Technology or science that doesn't currently exist.

Fantasy

Fantasy uses magic and supernatural elements to tell a story. Like sci-fi, it relies heavily on world-building, but the rules are defined by the magical or mythological rather than the scientific.

Subgenres:

• Epic/High Fantasy: Set in an entirely secondary world with its own history and geography. Think The Lord of the Rings.
• Urban Fantasy: Set in the real world but with magical elements hidden or integrated.
• Paranormal: Focuses on creatures like vampires, werewolves, or ghosts.

Key Conventions:

• Magic System: Needs consistent rules to avoid acting as a "deus ex machina."
• The Quest: Often involves a journey, either physical or metaphorical.

We've written extensively about worldbuilding in fantasy. If you'd like to learn more, here's an article that explains how to naturally integrate the setting into your story.

Romance

Romance is a massive sector of the publishing industry. The defining characteristic of a romance novel is that the central plot concerns two or more people falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work.

Subgenres:

• Contemporary: Set in the present day.
• Historical: Set in the past (Regency is a popular subset).
• Romantic Suspense: Blends danger and intrigue with the love story.

Key Conventions:

• The HEA: The "Happily Ever After" (or at least "Happy For Now") is non-negotiable. If the couple does not end up together, it's not a romance novel.
• Emotional Beats: The focus must remain on the emotional development of the relationship.

This article dives deeper into the conventions of the genre for those interested.

Historical Fiction

This genre transports readers to a specific time and place in the past. The setting itself acts as a major character. The challenge here is balancing historical accuracy with a compelling narrative.

Key Conventions:

• Research: Readers of this genre are knowledgeable and will spot anachronisms.
• Immersion: Sensory details must reflect the era (sights, smells, social norms).
• Time Period: Generally, stories set at least 50 years in the past are considered historical.

Horror

Horror is defined by the intent to evoke fear, dread, or disgust. It often overlaps with other genres, but its primary goal is to unsettle the reader.

Subgenres:

• Psychological Horror: Fear comes from the human mind and instability.
• Supernatural: Involves ghosts, demons, or monsters.
• Gothic: Focuses on atmosphere, decay, and haunted settings.

Young Adult (YA)

Technically, YA is a marketing category rather than a genre, but it's developed its own set of conventions. It targets readers aged 12 to 18, though many adults read YA.

Key Conventions:

• Protagonist Age: Usually between 15 and 18.
• Voice: Often immediate and intense; first-person present tense is common.
• Themes: Coming of age, identity, first love, and questioning authority.

Genre Blending and Cross-Genre Fiction

In the modern market, rigid boundaries are dissolving. We see "Romantasy" (Romance + Fantasy) dominating bestseller lists, and sci-fi mysteries engaging readers who love both puzzles and tech. Blending genres can make a story feel fresh and innovative.

But when positioning a hybrid novel, you generally need to pick a primary lane. If you're writing a mystery set on a spaceship, ask yourself: is the main appeal the investigation (Mystery) or the setting and technology (Sci-Fi)? This determines where it might sit in a bookstore.

Marketing cross-genre fiction requires clarity. You want to use the conventions of one genre to appeal to that fan base while offering the flavour of the other as a unique hook. If you're unsure if your blend is working, consider finding comparable titles to see how successful hybrids balance their elements.

How to Choose Your Genre

Many writers begin their draft with a specific genre in mind, but even then it can shift as you progress through the chapters. You might start writing a thriller only to realize the relationship dynamic is the strongest part of the book, shifting it toward romantic suspense.

To narrow it down:

1. Read Widely: It's hard to write well in a category you don't read in. You need to understand the common tropes and what your readers will expect.
2. Study Comp Titles: Identify books that are similar to yours. How are they categorized on Amazon or Goodreads?
3. Identify Core Elements: Look at your manuscript. What is the central question? If the question is "Will they catch the killer?", it’s a mystery. If it is "Will they survive the magic war?", it’s fantasy.

If you're not certain of your genre, if you need help identifying comparable titles, or you simply want an analysis of your manuscript, Inkshift can help. In addition to feedback on pacing, structure, prose, emotion, character arcs, and other key writing elements, Inkshift critiques provide a sample query letter, find you comp titles, and provide marketability and genre analysis.

Genre Conventions Writers Must

Each genre has conventions that matter to readers (and publishers).

• Word Count: This is a common hurdle for new writers.
  • Fantasy/Sci-Fi: 90k–120k (World-building takes space).
  • Thriller/Mystery: 70k–90k (Must remain tight).
  • Romance: 50k–90k (Depending on subgenre).
  • YA: 60k–80k.
  • Literary: Flexible, but typically 80k.
• Point of View (POV): Deep Third Person is the standard for Epic Fantasy and Romance. First Person is the gold standard for YA and Urban Fantasy because of the immediacy it provides. This one can be tricky to get right. Here's more information for those who need a deeper dive.
• Pacing: A thriller requires short chapters and frequent hooks. A historical novel may allow for longer, descriptive passages to establish the setting.
• Endings: Genre fiction generally requires a clear resolution. Literary fiction allows for open endings. Know what your reader needs to feel satisfied.

Conclusion

Genre isn't a limitation. It helps you communicate what your book is about without your reader needing to crack open the cover. It helps you reach those who will enjoy it most.

And knowing your genre allows you to subvert expectations effectively rather than breaking them accidentally. It helps you market smarter, pitch better, and ultimately, connect with the readers who are waiting for exactly the kind of story you have written. Take the time to understand the shelf your book belongs on, and you will find it much easier to get it into readers' hands.