Navigating the Genre Maze: How to Identify Your Niche and Reach Your Target Readers

Unravelling the Mysteries of Genre

Aspiring writers often grapple with a fundamental question: "What genre am I writing in?" This query, often accompanied by the silent follow-up, "...and why does it matter?" underscores the importance of understanding genre in the literary landscape.

Understanding Genre: The Key to Literary Success

Some writers meticulously select a genre before embarking on their literary journey, finding satisfaction in aligning their story with established conventions. But not every writer starts out consciously conforming to a genre. Take, for example, Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer, who describes herself as a "natural writer," driven by an innate compulsion to create, “out of the joy of apprehending life through [the] senses […] shaped in the written word” (Nobel Lectures, 235). For writers like Gordimer, the question of genre can be far from clear cut.

However, for writers with publication aspirations, genre comprehension is paramount. It can determine the trajectory of a manuscript, influencing readership and even playing a key role in securing a publishing deal.

Publishers leverage genre as a marketing tool because they understand its power to guide readers to their next literary adventure. In Write to be Published, Nicola Morgan emphasises that “one reason why a publisher might reject a book is that it feels as though it falls too painfully between two stools, and that booksellers will therefore find it hard to shelve and sell” (p.68).

Embracing genre as part of your toolkit can undoubtedly sharpen your writing craft, but where it becomes unequivocally invaluable is in the process of taking your work from manuscript to successfully published book.

From attracting the right readers and getting more positive reviews to navigating and negotiating with traditional publishers, your command of genre is key.

Decoding Genre: A Blueprint for Identification

In The Power of Genre, Adena Rosmarin states, “Our word ‘genre’ come from the Greek genus, meaning ‘kind’ or ‘sort’” (p.23). Genre, simply put, sorts, or categorizes, books based on shared elements and characteristics. These elements, ranging from character archetypes to narrative tones to plot devices, provide readers with familiar frameworks within which to explore new stories. Whether adhering to rigid formulas or embracing fluid styles, genres serve as literary signposts guiding readers on their journey.

Primary and Secondary Genres: Navigating Complexity

Identifying genre isn't always straightforward, especially when a book is written intuitively or seems to span multiple categories. A novel set in a haunted castle of the 19th century, for instance, may straddle the realms of historical fiction and gothic literature. Embracing this complexity can help and not hinder because it refines target readership enhancing marketability.

Moreover, genres can meld to form new categories, such the increasingly popular "romantasy" genre which blends romance and fantasy. Within genres, subcategories also emerge, offering niche spaces for specialized storytelling as evidenced by the cozy mystery genre. Cozy mysteries are a subgenre of crime fiction. Nestled under the umbrella of cozy mystery there are a range of subgenres, including paranormal, historical, and culinary.

Charting Your Literary Course

Understanding genre isn't just about classification. It can be a strategic tool for writers navigating the complex terrain of publishing. By embracing genre dynamics, writers can hone their craft, resonate with readers, and carve out their niche in the literary landscape.

Finding Your Genre(s): A Three-Step Approach

The chances are you are already writing within a particular genre, consciously or unconsciously. With a little reflection and exploration, we can highlight what’s already there.

Here's a structured approach to unravelling the genre question:

Step 1: What, When, Where and Who

Start by going back to the basics of your story and asking yourself the 4 Ws: what, when, where and who.

1) What’s broadly happening in my story?

For example, is it entirely from my imagination (fiction) or based on my life events (memoir)? Is there a crime that’s central to the action (crime fiction) or are there people falling in love (romance)? Is it realist or magical?

2) When is the story happening? Is it set in the past, present, future or a mixture?

3) Where is my story set? Is it set in a city? Is it set in a boarding school? Is it set in space? Is it set in an imaginary fantasy world?

4) Who is my ideal reader? Are they a teenager or young adult, are they an adult? This will help determine if you are writing children’s fiction, YA fiction, or fiction for grown-ups.

Write down your answers and focus in on key words. Try to sum up the crucial information about your book in one sentence that explains what your book is about, where and when it is set and who you are writing for. This is your search sentence. For example, Becky Chamber’s novel, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, the search sentence might read something like: Focusing on character rather than adventure, this book is about the crew of a space ship set in the a fictional world/future time aimed at an adult readership.

Step 2: Look for Similar Books

Take your search sentence from step 1 and use it as your guide to finding similar books. Plug your it into google. Go to your local bookshops and library and ask staff to recommend you some books based on your search sentence. Make a note of the genres you are being recommended and finding in your google searches.

Here are a few examples. Consider the following search sentence: "I am seeking a fictional book featuring a life-altering event, romantic entanglements, set in a magical world and/or historical period." In response, you may find Olivia Atwater’s Half a Soul, leading you to explore other books within the historical romantasy genre. Whereas, a search for a nonfictional book about identity and belonging in contemporary society might lead to a discovery of memoirs like Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri or Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. Alternatively, if your search criteria include a scenario of global devastation due to a pandemic, set in a post-apocalyptic world, you might receive suggestions like Emily St John Mandel’s Station 11, prompting further exploration of speculative fiction. Likewise, if your query indicates a narrative driven by crime, unfolding in contemporary times within the backdrop of a family restaurant, you may be directed to explore Mia P Manansala’s culinary cozy, Arsenic and Adobo.

Aim to read between 3 and 5 comparable books by diverse authors. Reading at least three will help you to discern general genre patterns, while limiting yourself to 5 will guard against overwhelm.

Step 3: Compare and Contrast

Once you have selected 3-5 similar books, start by making a note of the genre each book is marketed as and then compare and contrast them with your manuscript. Pay attention to recurring themes, motifs, and ideas that the books have in common. Think about the elements you see popping up again and again. What genre are these elements associated with? Do they appear in your story? If not, could they? You don’t have to have every single element of a genre, but there should be enough to clearly identify your book in a particular genre. Your manuscript will fall into the (sub)genre in which you have most characteristics in common.

Now not only do you know your genre, but you can use this work when marketing your book directly to readers or querying literary agents and publishers.

Bonus Step: Challenging Generic Conventions

Knowing your genre doesn’t mean you have to play by the rules. Once you know your genre there is potential to both adhere to and subvert genre expectations, fostering innovative storytelling. Think of Kaylynn Bayron’s Cinderella is Dead or Emma Donoghue’s Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, for example.

Follow these actionable steps to identify your literary niche and refine your manuscript. Remember, genre is not a constraint but a canvas for creative expression.

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Works Cited:

Nadine Gordimer. “Writing and Being.” In Nobel Lectures: 20 Years of the Nobel Prize for Literature Lectures. Cambridge. Icon, 2007, pp.230–242.

Nicola Morgan. Write to be Published. London: Snowbooks, 2011.

Adena Rosmarin. The Power of Genre. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1985.