5 Key Questions to Help You Define Your Book’s Genre

Feb 1

If defining your genre is difficult, please know you are not alone. Whether you're planning your story and trying to see where it fits, selecting your categories in Amazon, or scoping comps and aiming for traditional publishing, zeroing in on our genre can be so hard!

This is especially true when we hear and follow advice like that of Toni Morrison, who said, "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

And don't get me wrong, I'm all for that advice. That's how new and amazing thought combos come to life. In fact, I just heard of one the other day—PoliFi (political science fiction). How niche is that?

It's just that once we accomplish some fun genre-bending or blending, we're like, okay, now what? How do we tell people where to find it or what to expect in a way they'll get it?

This struggle came up on a group coaching call with the last Story Development & Drafting cohort, and the truth is there are no simple answers here, but there is a way to make it less murky.

In this article, I break down five key questions to help you classify your book more easily, from defining the writing style and target audience to determining the story's world and time period. With examples ranging from a 1960s feminist protest to a time-bending, intergalactic adventure, I'll walk you through how these five questions shape genre decisions.

Ultimately, it's about finding the right lens to view your story—and making it easier for readers to find and connect with your unique creation.

5 Questions That Will Help You Define Your Genre

1. Define the Writing Style

Literary, Upmarket( also known as Book Club Fiction), or Commercial. Here's a fantastic article by agent Carly Watters from The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast that explains the main differences. Also, that's a great podcast!

2. Define the Target Audience and Their Age Range

Adult, New Adult, Upper YA, YA, Middle Grade, Men, Women, LGBTQIA+

3. Define the Reality of the Story World

Is the story set in a known reality similar to ours (Contemporary Fiction) or in an Unknown and or Impossible Reality (Speculative Fiction-umbrella term for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, some Horror, and many other sub-genres)

4. Determine the the Story’sTime Period

When does the story take place? Current times (or recent past) or historical (typically anything 50 years before our present time–however, I have heard from good sources that this is changing to anything 20 years or more before our present time period). Yikes–that would make books set in the late 1990s and early 2000s historical. I think I need to lay down now.

5. Define the Main Plot-Line of the Story

What is the central story about, or at least what vein does it land in?

Think of this as the major question the reader wants to answer as they read, the question they expect to have answered by the end of the book.

Is it about the outcome of something to do with a War, Romance, Mystery, Crime, Thrilling pursuit (thriller), Action/Adventure (a quest of some sort), Horror, Society/Social Justice Issues, Performance/Sports, or Coming-of-Age struggles? Is it about overcoming or addressing moral issues, shifting personal opinions, or something else?

Narrowing your focus to the main idea or core concept can help, but as you can see, sometimes that's straightforward, and sometimes it's not.

Of course, there are many subgenres beyond those general classifications: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Epic Fantasy, urban fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Erotica, Monster Romance, Sweet, Cozy, Noir, Hard-Boiled, Detective, Espionage, Technothriller, Mystery-Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Gothic, Body Slasher, True Crime, etc. The subcategory list is honestly exhaustive.

Your genre may not be crystal clear, but asking these questions in that order will help you narrow the playing field.

Now, let's practice identifying some genres.

I 100% made up all of these examples. These books do not exist—at least to my knowledge.

Example 1

Let's take a story about a young woman (we'll call her Marie and say she's 25) who was arrested in the 1960s for causing a public stir. Let's make it 1968. Setting: New Jersey's Miss America Pageant Protest—the birth of the "bra burners" movement (though from what I understand, no bras were actually burned) .

How about Marie comes from an ultra-conservative family–but after a couple years in college, she's seen some things, and she's not so sure their view fits hers anymore. She dutifully agrees to help with the beauty pageant, perhaps a longstanding tradition for all the women in her family. She's got friends there, too; maybe they're even in the pageant. Perhaps she was even a pageant contestant in the past. Maybe she hated it. Yeah, yeah, I think she was. I think she hated it.

But now she sees a group of radical feminists protesting against the objectification of women's bodies. She remembers how awful it felt when she was a contestant, always being weighed, measured, sized up, looked at. Unbeknownst to her family, she joins the feminist efforts, helping to plan a dramatic demonstration involving "bra-burning" on the Atlantic City boardwalk. During the protest, things escalate until she impulsively climbs onto the stage to deliver an impassioned speech—interrupting the live broadcast of the pageant—leading to her arrest. Her family is mortified and says, toe-the-line or else you're dead to us. What will Marie do?

More importantly, what's the genre?

What would you call it?

Let's run through our five questions from earlier:

Writing Style: Upmarket
Target Audience: Women and Others with a Feminist Interest
Age: Adult
Story Reality: Known World (Realistic/Contemporary)
Time Period: Historical
Plot-Line— oh, now that's a bit tricky, right? It's about many things… a young woman's changing view of herself and society, social and personal tension, and feminism…but the central story question is, will Marie stick to her guns or fold under the pressure of her ultraconservative overbearing family? This story is about identity and standing up for what one believes despite the cost.

Given the story's backdrop—the Miss America Pageant Protest–I would lean toward a feminist angle and add a bit of explanation if I were to tell you in one line what kind of book this is. I'd say it's an Upmarket, Historical Feminist Fiction Novel about a young woman having to choose between her beliefs and her ultra-conservative family values, set against the backdrop of the 1968 Miss America protest in Atlantic City, NJ.

Now, let's say this book was written in a more commercial style—then it's a Historical Feminist Fiction Novel.

Example 2

Now, let's change some things:

What if the year is 2024, there are no protests, and Marie, 25, is a contestant in the pageant?

Even though she dislikes the pageant, she's doing everything she can to win the title and appease her overbearing mother so she'll finally get off her back and help support Marie's dream of going to vet school like she always wanted. Her family expects her to participate fully and be as perfect as possible, but quietly, Marie is really unhappy.

Now, what if a month before the pageant, she meets a love interest who turns her life upside down and makes her question if she really needs to go forward with this? What if that person is a former contestant who dropped out a few years ago and lives differently now. The romance is escalating, and the pressure is mounting. If Marie doesn't shape up, her dreams of curing pet cancer could go down in flames. I know this isn't all that compelling–but hang with me.

Spoiler–Marie chooses to give her family the middle finger, but that's only after the love interest gets fed up and walks away (and does not return). Marie works her way through vet school and lives by her own rules forevermore.

What's the genre?

Writing Style: Commercial
Target Audience: Women and Others with a Feminist Interest
Age: Adult
Story Reality: Known World (Realistic/Contemporary)
Time Period: Contemporary
Plot-Line— a little murky, right— is it about the romance or about this young woman standing up to her family? It might feel confusing because the romance seems to play a pivotal role in this character's arc of change. In my version (the book I wrote in my head that you can't read), this story is about a hard choice: the pressure to conform and the freedom of choosing your own path, and it does not end in a happy for now or a happily ever after (and that is a genre convention of romance).

So, I'd classify it as a Contemporary Women's Fiction Novel.

How about you?

That example was deliberately murky. Often, the lines between women's fiction and romance blur, but if the main plot line is whether or not they will choose themselves first and love second, then I lean toward the women's fiction classification.

Example 3

Last one.

Let's take Marie and make her 13—a young 13—and what the heck, let's make her an outlawed alien species in hiding (but she doesn't know that).

Her best friend (Lucy) is preparing for her first Miss Intergalactic Pre-Teen of the Universe Pageant. (I have no idea why I'm on this pageant kick. HA! It started from a feminist lens, and now I've just gone and lost my mind! Oh well. Roll with it.).

Lucy is super nervous, but Marie knows she'll win. Lucy is supposed to play the violin for the talent portion, but right before she's about to begin, the bowstring snaps.

Marie doesn't realize it, but she can mess with time. She rewinds things so Lucy doesn't use that bowstring. Lucy wins!

The only problem is that Marie just exposed herself and her parents to the Inter-Galactic Federation, and now they're being hunted, and her best friend Lucy is afraid of her! Marie learns she must flee, or her parents could get hurt, and Lucy gets caught up in the ride.

What's the genre?

Writing Style: Commercial
Target Audience: Kids age 10-13
Age: Middle Grade
Story Reality: Unknown/Impossible World/Reality
Time Period: Not stated, but implied it's current
Plot-Line: In my head, this story is about action, adventure, and friendship. These friends will go on the run together, tiara and all.

Survey says we have a Middle-Grade Science Fiction Novel about hidden identities, intergalactic girl hunts, and the power of friendship.

Wrapping it up!

In the end, genre classification may feel like a frustrating puzzle, but it's really just a tool to help others find your book and understand its essence.

Whether you're blending genres, bending expectations, or breaking new ground, staying true to your story and vision is the most important thing. Your genre might not always be crystal clear, but asking the right questions and reflecting on your narrative's core can help you confidently navigate the process.

So, don't stress if your book doesn't fit neatly into a single box—embrace its complexity and remember that there's an audience out there who will appreciate your unique blend of creativity.

Keep writing, keep exploring, and your story will find its place.