Genre | 2 | Fiction Categories

Approximate reading time: 6 minutes

Why is the category of a novel important? Readers expect to find certain elements in a book they buy and categories give some sense of what those elements will be. Categories also help authors to position their books in such a way that new readers will be drawn to them. However, a small element of suspense in a mystery does not necessarily make the novel a mystery / suspense novel! If classified as a mystery / suspense, the author must ensure that the majority of the story revolves around BOTH of those areas. If not, the reader will be disappointed and will not return for more. Some categories are seen as being synonymous such as in suspense / thriller; it is rare to find a thriller (pumping up your heart rate) without suspense (sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the next thing to happen).

As a reader looking for something new to buy, I will select a broad category such as romance and see what comes up. As I peruse the offerings, I look at the covers on display. Just from the cover, I can immediately see the books that will not interest me. For example, I am not fond of historical romance and so will dismiss any with pictures of people in old-fashioned clothing. Often the title will have categories listed, so if I am in the mood for something paranormal, I will immediately click on those to investigate further. Other readers will simply click on the first 5 offerings and decide from there. However, if I know that I feel like reading a paranormal romance, I can search immediately for these categories and not be frustrated by the hundreds of other books without these elements – by which time I probably don’t want to read anymore and end up buying nothing!

It is the same in a book store. I may wander around for a while (just because I delight in this!), but I will then go to the section to containing the books of a certain category. When standing in front of the shelves containing many romance books, I will run my eyes over the covers or spines displayed and pick only those that appeal. Book store owners rely on the author (or publisher) to tell them where their books should be placed and it is rare to find the same book in two distinct sections in a book shop e.g. on the romance shelves and on the mystery shelves. Online stores can tag a book with any number of categories, however, it is always best to use only those that represent the main elements of the story.

In order to help both readers and authors, I will be exploring the following categories in this series of articles:

Mystery / Crime: A story in which there is a puzzle to be solved.

Thriller / Suspense: An exciting tale, pumping up your heart rate and keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Romance: Two or more people coming together to form a unit containing the elements of love lost and / or love found.

Horror: A story which turns your blood cold and gives you sleepless nights.

Science Fiction: A story from the imagination which could be real.

Fantasy: A purely imagined world that is scientifically impossible.

Children: Aimed at specific age groups, most will tell a tale with the aim of helping children grow and develop.

Young Adult: Aimed at teens and slightly older, these novels are usually classified by the age of the main character / characters experiencing situations typically experienced by that age group and most often written from the main character’s point of view. More on this interesting category in a later post.

Some categories which I will probably not explore in any great depth:

Historical: Set during a specific time in the past with many researched historical facts. These are usually classified by adding another category such as Historical Mystery denoting that although it is a mystery, it is set in the past.

Action / Adventure: Physical action and violence accompanied by a fast-paced plot set in a foreign country is typical of this category. ‘Save the day’ is usually the mantra.

Western: Cowboys and outlaws or natives, each fighting for something such as land, on the American western frontier.

Real Life: There are tales of real life which have been written as fiction. If author has added experiences or in some way changed what actually happened, it is no longer a memoir or biography, but rather a fictionalised real life story.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but placing your book in the right category can really help authors to ensure their books are seen by the people who are most likely to read them and it certainly helps the reader to find books that they will enjoy reading.

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