3 Quick Ways To Choose The Right Genre

April 30, 2018 ♦

David Persaud ♦

Fiction

♦

Where do you begin when it comes to choosing the right genre? Most people are just interested in getting published and the literary terminology gets them confused. What is genre and how can you choose the right one? Here are 3 quick ways to help you to choose the right genre.

What is genre?

Contents

The question of genre can become complex. I prefer simple definitions and I like Wikipedia when they call it a category.
With that in mind, head over to Amazon and conduct a search. You will be amazed at the many categories you have open to you.
All you need to do is just select one. Deciding on a genre will give your work focus and target audience. It will also help to categorise your book when you publish it.

How do you select a genre?

Conduct a My-Reading Analysis

1. Start with what you already know to help you choose the right genre.

What kind of books do you like to read?

Can you make a list of some of your favourite books?

Who are your favourite authors?

3. Examine the books you read and do an analysis.

What characters are in the story?
How old are the characters?
Where do they live?
What setting is used?
Is in a city? Or in the country side?

My Analysis.

For example, my analysis may look like this:
I have read: Cujo, The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary-these are Stephen King’s novels. This puts me in the horror ge 3 quick ways to choose the right genre nre.
Nownovel.com lists 5 elements of horror stories: wicked characters, fear, intense emotions, plot twists and the macabre. All these are easy to find in a Stephen King novel. When I am writing, most of my stories are peppered with these 5 elements.