Book Genres List of Book Genres with Examples, Word Counts, More

Book Genres List of Book Genres with Examples, Word Counts, More Book Genres: List of Book Genres with Examples, Word Counts, More As a writer (or author) knowing the different book genres is vital to your overall knowledge as a professional, and for your books success.Not only is labeling your genre correctly important butNot doing so can result in low book sales, negative book reviews on Amazon, and unsatisfied readers overall.When youre writing a book, the genre you write in is super important because it will dictate the different literary elements within your book.Heres a list of the different book genres:NOTE: We cover what you need to know about selling in your specific genre in all of our Self-Publishing Programs. Learn more about it hereKnowing Your Book Genres is ImportantAs an author, its important to know the differences in genres so youre well informed about what youre writing.Obviously, your audience may change from genre to genre.Not only that, but the rules for writing also vary depending on which genre you write in, which means youll have to understand them in order to get it right.How many book genres are there?There are more book genres than you might think. In this blog post, well cover 22 of them, however, there are upwards for 40 genres and even more if you count sub-genres for books.For example, you can have a book thats a dystopian fantasy novel.Dystopian and fantasy can be genres on their own but if you have a dystopian story that involves magic, your book will then have two genres.This is also important to keep in mind when you have subplots within a novel that might fall into a separate genre.Youll see this most often with romantic sub plots in broader genres like fantasy or sci-fi.What are the main book genres?There are such a large number of book genres that we cant cover them all in this post, though we will cover 22 of them for you.That being said, being familiar with the most common can help you identify which your book will fall under.These are the main book genres:FantasySci-FiMysteryThrillerRomanceWesternsDystopianContemporaryLets go into more detail with these and nonfiction book genres as well.List of Book Genres All Authors Should KnowIf youre looking to sharpen your knowledge as an author or are just trying to find which genre your book fits in specifically (perhaps to decide which Amazon categories to go after), weve got you covered.Here are 22 book genres, both fiction and nonfiction, to help you understand which is which and how you should label your novel.#1 FantasyFantasy encompasses a huge part of the book world. Its one of the most popular book genres out there- a personal favorite of mine to read and write.Fantasy is a genre thats identified by the use of magic within it.Overall, fantasy is the genre of possibility. You can write in a little magic, like Jenna Morecis The Saviors Champion or you can write a book where magic is the forefront of the plot, like with J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter.To take this a step further, lets look at the different categories within this genre that has more specific characteristics.Young Adul t Fantasy Genre:Young adult is typically meant for readers between the ages of 13-17. However, adults enjoy this category of writing just as much as teens.One thing to keep in mind when writing young adult fantasy is that the themes and messages within the literature will often revolve around teen-aged problems, like coming of age and exploration of identity.Average word count for this book genre: 60,000 90,000 wordsAdult Fantasy Genre:When you think of adult fantasy, think Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings versus Harry Potter or Children of Blood and Bone.The main plots or themes in adult fantasy will likely revolve around more grown issues like the difference between right and wrong, death, adult relationships, and more.Average word count for this book genre: 70,000 110,000Epic Fantasy Genre:An epic fantasy novel is characterizes by the overall lengthy and grandiose nature of its plot, characters, setting, or theme.Books that tend to call into this book genre are Game of Thro nes and Lord of the Rings, like we mentioned above. Most often, epic fantasies will also fall under fantasy adventures.Average word count for this book genre: 100,000 200,000 +#2 AdventureWriting a novel in the adventure category will require a trip, journey, or quest of some kind as the overall plot.Your average adventure novel often focuses on both the characters physical journey as well as the journey they go through as a person throughout the novel.Average word count for this book genre: 90,000 130,000Epic Adventure Genre:As stated above for an epic fantasy, any genre thats epic is characterized by the magnitude of the plot, character, or themes themselves.An example of an epic adventure novel is Moby Dick, which stands at about 190,000 words and 720 pages long.Average word count for this book genre: 120,000 200,000#3 RomanceRomance authors have one specific goal when it comes to their books: to make you fall in love with the characters just as much as the characters fall i n love with each other.In this book genre, the romance is the center point of the plot. The entire novel moves around the relationship, though other plot points may be present.A classic example of a romance novel is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.When used as a sub plot:Romance can also be used a subplot in many novels, and is, in fact, used quite often as a complementary element in books.When romance is used as a sub plot, the main plot does not have to do with the relationship but rather, is something completely different. The romance simply adds to the plot in order to increase conflict or intrigue.Average word count for this book genre: 70,000 100,000#4 ContemporaryThis book genre is among the most popular, though most writers arent sure of what this category even is.The contemporary book genre is simply books written in the current time period with most of the parts of the novel revolving around common issues in a characters life.But really, this genre is actually more of th e absence of a genre. You may have heard this genre lumped in with others, like Contemporary Fantasy or Contemporary Romance.The term is used to tell readers that this book takes place in current times, though it might cover other genres as well.Average word count for this book genre: 60,000 90,000#5 DystopianThis is a newer book genre thats really been picking up popularity within the last 5 to 10 years.Though many stories of this nature have been published prior, the term dystopian was recently coined to describe a book genre in which the current government or society has been destroyed and the book centers around the aftermath.The dystopian genre can also be used as a secondary genre label in order to clarify the contents of the book, much like with contemporary.For example, you can have a Dystopian Fantasy novel as well as a Dytopian Science Fiction novel.Here are some examples of dystopian novels:The Hunger GamesYoung WorldHandmaids TaleAverage word count for this book genre: 60,000 110,000#6 MysteryWeve all heard of the mystery book genres. Its an extremely popular genre, and for a good reason.This book genre is defined by the plot focusing on solving a mystery, most often with the mystery impacting the main character to the point where theyre the ones involved in solving it.Many other genres can have mysteries within them (in fact, most do), but what makes a book specific to this genre is the fact that the mystery is the main plot and point of the book.Writing a mystery novel requires the MOST planning of all the other genres in order to get the effect right.Click To TweetAverage word count for this book genre: 60,000 90,000#7 HorrorHorror novels are characterized by the fact that the main plot revolves around something scary and terrifying.Oftentimes, you can find that Horror and Thriller describe the same book, though well touch more on why thrillers are not always horror novels in the next section.Average word count for this book genre: 60,000 90,000#8 ThrillerIf youre writing a thriller novel, the book will focus around a high suspense and action-packed plot.This book genre most often deals with danger and dread instead, with high emotional impact involving fear.Here are some examples of popular thriller novels:The Girl With The Dragon TattooThe Woman in Cabin 10The ShiningItAverage word count for this book genre: 60,000 110,000#9 ParanormalParanormal books are characterized by including paranormal activity, like ghosts, clairvoyance, mediums, demons, vampires, and more.The difference between fantasy and paranormal is the elements within. Paranormal doesnt typically have magic like witches or fantasy-specific beings like unicorns, mermaids, and more.But the paranormal book genre includes a current or real-life setting and is not often set in another world, like fantasy sometimes can be.However, keep in mind that you can have a paranormal fantasy novel if your book covers both types of abnormal occurrences.Average wor d count for this book genre: 60,000 90,000#10 Historical FictionThis book genre is exactly as it sounds: a fictional story that takes place in the past.Usually, historical fiction centers around known events or problems that take place in a time significantly prior to the present.Average word count for this book genre: 60,000 90,000#11 Science FictionSci-fi is among the most popular book genre there is. With movie adaptations like Star Wars and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, this genre has exploded and is abundant in the book world.Science fiction novels are those that take place in a futuristic society with advanced technology and occasionally otherworldly beings.This is another genre that can add to another, like with Sci-Fi Fantasy, which would include a futuristic world with advanced technology and some sort of fantastical being or magic.The word count for this novel genre can be extensive depending on the storyline.Average word count for this book genre: 60,000 90,000#12 MemoirOn to the nonfiction writing portion of these book genres and first up is memoirs.When writing a memoir, youre essentially telling the reader about the most defining moments in your life that have led you to where you are and who you are today.Memoirs differ from autobiographies in the sense that an autobiography is more of a timeline of your life, events, and accomplishments whereas a memoir is more of a collection of the most significant moments, pulled together by a theme or message you wish to share with readers.Average word count for this book genre: 45,000 80,000 #13 CookbookYou already know what a cookbook is.Cookbooks are those featuring recipes and directions for making the dishes correctly. Not only that, but many cookbooks features stories about why the dish was created and the inspiration behind it.Average word count for this book genre: Cookbooks vary greatly and are more dependent on number of recipes instead of total words.#14 ArtThis book genre encompasses several different types of books. However, all of them require the same thing: a focus on something art-related.There are many ways a book can qualify to be in the art genre.Here are a few ways your book would be a part of the art genre:it covers art-factsit teaches specific art methodsit discusses are in detail (art history)art is a primary focus of the bookAverage word count for this book genre: 10,000 60,000#15 Self-help / Personal DevelopmentIf youre writing a book aimed to aid someone in their personal life, as well as lift them up to make positive change, its likely youre writing in the self-help or personal development book genre.Essentially, if your book helps others have a better life by empowering them, it will fall under this genre.Keep in mind, this book genre is one that encompasses many other genres as well. You can have a health self-help book in additional to a relationship self-help.Average word count for this book genre: 30,000 70,000#16 MotivationalThis book genre is on the rise significantly as of late. If you write in this genre, your book will center around empowering people to do whatever it is theyre struggling with.Essentially, motivational books focus on problems that can prevent people from accomplishing their goals and dreams, and how to solve them.Most often, motivational books can be lumped in with other book genres like health, fitness, business, and self-help.Average word count for this book genre: 30,000 70,000#17 HealthThe health book genre is vast and covers a wide variety of different topics.Your book will fall under this wide genre if it features anything health-related. This can be topics ranging from fitness, holistic healing, to more complex medical topics and in-depth coverage of different health conditions.Average word count for this book genre: 30,000 70,000#18 HistoryAny book covering historical facts of any kind would fall under this category. And since this is nonfiction, they all have to be accurate.Many history books are much different than what you might have read in school. In fact, there are several books simply covering different events in history written in a more entertaining fashion versus a factional play-by-play textbook.Those books still fall under this book category.ï » ¿Average word count for this book genre: 30,000 70,000#19 TravelWhether youre writing travel guides or an in-depth review of different travel destinations, this book genre will cover all of them.Your book would also fall under this genre if youre writing about travel-hacks or ways to travel for cheap or even free.Average word count for this book genre: 20,000 50,000#20 Guide / How-toThere are so many guide books and how-tos out there that its fairly easy to know if your book fits this genre.The way to know if your book falls in this genre is to think about the core purpose. Is your book written in order to show someone how to do something specific?The biggest giveaway is in the book title. If your ti tle features how to then its in this genre!Average word count for this book genre: 3,000 50,000#21 Families and RelationshipsYou can write a book about how to build a stronger familial foundation or a book about improving your relationship. Either way, those books would fall under this category.Oftentimes, books in this genre will fall under a smaller, more specified genre as well, like family bonding or romantic relationships or even fostering friendships.The relationships genre is not to be confused with the fiction romance genre.Average word count for this book genre: 30,000 50,000#22 HumorIf youve ever read a joke book or a book revolving around a humorous endeavor of some sort, it falls under this book category.Books in this genre are also often gag gifts or are meant to be facetious.Average word count for this book genre: 10,000 50,000Are you writing a book? 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