You Asked: 7 Things You Can do to Identify Your Genre

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 16 Comments

Welcome to another, You Asked, the Experts Answer, segment. This week ‘s question is: How do I know If I’ve chosen the right genre?  

Choosing a genre is something many writers struggle with and the biggest reason is being  unfamiliar with the different genres. Unfamiliarity breeds confusion, which in turn makes it difficult to know which to choose.

Whether you plan to self-publish or go the traditional route, selecting the right genre is essential for success. After all, you want people to find your book.

Why is Genre so Important?

  1. It gives you clarity for pitching to the right agents.
  2. It’s how the publishing world will view your work.
  3. It’s easier to find your target audience.
  4. Makes it easier for readers to find your book.
  5. Helps you write a succinct pitch.
  6. Helps the industry know how to market your book.

7  Easy Steps to Find Your Genre

  1. Ask yourself: What readers would like my story? What books are similar to mine?
  2. Review Amazon’s bestseller list and check out the list of genre’s.
  3. Go to your neighborhood bookstore, look at where the books are shelved. Fantasy? Mystery?
  4. Select five-six books and  read the descriptions; make a note of the core story in each. What stands out?
  5. Look at titles – can you determine the genre?
  6. On what shelf do you see your book?
  7. Know what your story is about and be able to verbalize it in a succinct manner.

The Downside of Getting it Wrong

  1. You will get rejected and your book will end up in the slush file.
  2. You won’t know how to market your book, which in turn makes it hard to sell.
  3. You’ll miss  your target audience and, likewise, they will miss your book.
  4. Getting it wrong will make agents think twice about you and your work.

We all want to see our books on Amazon or our local bookstore shelves. But, in order to do that, we must not only write a compelling story but know who our audience is and choose the correct genre. For more information, check out these great resources for writers on writing in your genre.

Resources:

  1. Identify Your Novel’s Genre
  2. How to Pick the Right Genre for Your Novel
  3. Where Does My Book Fit? Figuring Out Your Genre
  4. Don’t Know Your Book’s Genre? Here’s What to Do
  5. How to Pick the Right Genre for Your Novel

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

The Fiery Hero

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 8 Comments

fire-orange-emergency-burning-medium100WCGU: This week’s Prompt # 173:   …as the flames leapt skyward…

Ten minutes after Kyle arrived at his dream job, the alarm sounded.

“Hey rookie, you’re gonna need this.” The Chief Officer tossed him his helmet.

“Thanks,” Kyle said, climbing in beside him.

“Flip the switch, kid.” Kyle’s heart thundered against his chest as the siren blared to life.

The Chief raced toward the destination as dispatch gave the coordinates.

“Any souls inside?” The chief asked the dispatcher.

“First responder says one.”

Kyle’s breath caught. Dammit, It was supposed to be abandoned. He stared as the flames leapt skyward. Collateral damage, the price you paid sometimes to become a hero.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

You Asked: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Genre’s

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 3 Comments

Welcome to another, You Asked, the Experts Answer, segment. This week ‘s question is: What are the major literary genre’s?

In simple terms, genre is the type of story you’re writing and it’s best if you know where your story fits before you begin; however, sometimes it evolves as your storyline develops.

Knowing where your story belongs is important. Agents and editors look for books that fall within the genre they represent and choosing the right one is invaluable in marketing. But, deciding on a genre can be a bit confusing given the number of sub-genre‘s and the way they overlap.

Major Genre’s Include:

  1. Romance
  2. Crime & Mystery
  3. Thrillers
  4. Fantasy
  5. Historical Fiction
  6. Science Fiction
  7. Horror
  8. Literary
  9. Mainstream

In addition, Women’s Fiction and Upmarket Fiction are two genre’s I believe it’s worth mentioning. These two fall between literary and mainstream fiction.

Women’s Fiction is more commercial than literary. Usually written by women, for women, and the stories (about women) appeal to a large mainstream audience. You can find more about this genre at Find Me An Author.

Upmarket Fiction is a blend between literary and commercial fiction. Relatively new, this genre is growing in popularity, especially with agents. Check out Chuck Sambuchino’s, article on Upmarket Fiction at Writer’s Digest.

 Sub-Genre’s:  Too numerous to include in this post, I’ve provided you  these resources for examples of the most popular sub-categories.

  1. Sub-genre Descriptions – Writer’s Digest
  2. Short Prose Genre’s – Writer’s Relief
  3. Sub-genre Definition –  Book Genre
  4. The Book Industry Study Group

To date, there is no complete list of genre’s, but The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), working with publishers, has compiled the most comprehensive list.

To find out more including the most popular genre’s, free downloads, and access to the book genre finder, check these out.

  1. Now Novel outline the major genre’s in their post, Genres of writing: How to choose your story’s vehicle.
  2. Writer’s Digest offers a free genre description download.
  3. Writer’s Relief offers a whole series on Genre Defined.
  4. Book Genre is one of the best sites and offers the book genre finder with complete listings.

In the next segment of, You Asked, the Experts Answer, we’ll look at: How do I identify my books genre?  

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Pillow Talk

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

100WCGU – Week#172  This week’s prompt: …the howling dog, the moon and the creaking boards made for …  

Okay, I’ll confess. This little story is over the 100-word mark. I couldn’t help it, I had too much fun writing this one. I hope you’ll enjoy it nonetheless.

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“Ouch! Jeez Peg, watch where you step.”

“Sorry, I can’t see shit.”

Dressed from head to toe in black, the only thing I could see were the whites of my sister’s eyes.

Like inexperienced Ninja’s we sprinted from behind the garden bushes and ran. Peg’s heavy breathing bounced across the dark lawn, like an angry wind.

Pressed against the house, I whirled to face my two co-conspirators. “Jesus, Peg, you’d wake the dead.”

Her snippy whisper came back at me. “Sorry, we can’t all be yoga queens.”

Polly patted her jacket. “Relax, that’s why we brought the pillows.”

Like three overweight cat burglars, we eased the back door open. The howling dog, the moon, and the creaking boards made for a lousy backdrop of courage as we pulled the pillows from underneath our jackets and went in search of our retired and unsuspecting husbands.