Thriller - This genre also has scary elements, but its main objective is to keep your reader in a state of suspense until the story’s resolution.Horror - The goal of this genre is to scare your readers and keep them that way until the hero vanquishes the threat.Examples: Murder on the the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Detective & Mystery - One of the toughest genres to write, this one centers on a mystery and involves either a professional or amateur sleuth.Examples include The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms Romance - Any novel where the main storyline centers on a romantic relationship falls into this category, which has several subgenres.This genre can easily be combined with others. Adventure - Any novel that focuses on an adventure undertaken by the main character (with or without help) falls under the adventure genre.Examples include Wool by Hugh Howey and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Dystopian - Sometimes considered a subgenre of fantasy or of science fiction, this genre is usually set in a bleak future (near or distant) to explore cultural or social issues.Examples: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Science Fiction - Similar to fantasy, this genre explores futuristic or technological themes and ideas to address scientific “what if” questions.Fantasy - The fantasy genre involves world-building and characters who are supernatural, mythological, magical, or a combination of these.And so will your book’s editor and cover designer.

Your readers will also appreciate your taking the time to learn what this post will teach you. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you’ll be prepared to meet genre expectations and market your book appropriately to reach your target audience and maximize sales. It’s not an exhaustive list there are upwards of 40 genres - more if you count sub-genres and mixed genres.īut it’s enough to help you identify your book’s genre.

With that in mind, enjoy this list of 30 types of book genres with descriptions and an example (or two) for each. Unless you’re an experienced cover designer (like Derek Murphy of CreativIndie), DIY covers using stock photos will put your fantasy novel at a serious disadvantage. If you’re writing a cozy mystery, you don’t want your book’s cover to look like it belongs on a horror novel.Īnd if you’re writing fantasy, you’ll want to find a designer who specializes in that genre and knows how to create covers worthy of a Rick Riordan novel. For example, if you’re writing YA fantasy, you’ll run afoul of your readers (and their parents) if your story includes a sex scene or graphic violence.

Heartless book genre