Any story, whether it be one about espionage or one that involves the budding romance of two unlikely lovers, fits into a genre. That strange romance, quirky comedy or even that how-to book that teaches knitting, has its place on the shelf at any book store or library.
Even online retailers like Amazon and Google Books use filters to showcase books that are related. It’s called categorizing. All books are sorted with relation to its content. Part of the writing process includes having an idea of what genre your book will be classified under. The categories and sub-categories expand the possibilities, so it’s important for a book to be placed correctly. Part of this is in your packaging. Let’s take an interesting approach to understanding this.
When you walk into an ice cream shop your senses become engaged. Your eyes scan across the colors and specified flavors as your taste buds come alive. Think of books on a shelf in the same manner. Readers’ eyes scan over the covers looking for their next great read. This filtering is based on the way the books are categorized. The reader simply types in the desired genre, and the computer does the rest. If at a retailer, the reader will look for the section related to the type of book he or she wants to read.
Some of the main categories of fiction include the following: Romance, Inspirational, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Horror, Crime, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi just to name a few. The same rules apply for non-fiction books as well. Everything, from “How-To” books to books about finance, has its position in the market. There are sub-genres that expand the categories to an even longer list.
For example, fiction books under the Suspense category can be broken down into smaller categories, such as Romantic Suspense or Crime/Suspense.
I would encourage you to do your research to see how the writing community uses this to gain reach and exposure. A book in the right category stands a better chance of reaching the right readers. It will make your writing life easier and help with the publishing, marketing, and successful launch of that creative piece of work you just penned.
Think of it simplistically. Book categories are like flavors of ice cream, and each one appeals to a particular taste as determined by the readers interest. For the discerning palates of true ice cream connoisseurs, there’s a lot to choose from. At the top of the list is the best-selling flavor of all time. Chocolate! But even this best seller must share the spotlight because vanilla is not too far behind. There are other less popular, but equally loved flavors, like mint and lemon. If you pick just one and add to it, the selection begins to expand. Vanilla has many sub-vanilla flavors, such as French Vanilla and Vanilla Bean. And like ice cream, books have many flavors to satisfy a book lover’s distinguished taste.
Imagine if things weren’t packaged properly. Who wants to buy a box of French Vanilla ice cream only to open it up and find strawberry instead? Such mishaps would lead to consumer mistrust. People want to know what they are getting. And clearly marked labels helps them select what they want. This ensures that they will be satisfied. A clearly labeled book ensures that the reader knows what he or she is getting before he or she immerses himself or herself into your story. To show the importance of this, let’s dive in further.
Say you’re ready to read something adventurous. As a reader you have an idea what you want the story to resemble. You know you love magic. You know you want to visit another world. The story should be something a little bizarre and totally unique. You walk into your local book store excited to see what’s new. Your eyes scan the covers as you walk up and down the aisles.
There’s a lot of tempting books, but you know what you want. You’ve done this before. You are looking for a specific cover to tell you what’s inside. You walk past the cover of a man holding a knife. Clearly that’s some type of crime novel! You keep going.
You see a cover that has a man and woman holding hands on a beach. It looks like a great love story. Maybe next time! You want something magical. Elves! Faeries! Witches and wizards! Ghouls and goblins! And you want it in a world that is different from the one you live in. You see something ahead. You make a beeline to get a closer view.
It looks promising. Your interest is piqued. There are two books sitting side by side. One looks very Harry Potterish (yes, I made that word up!). The other looks like a love story with similar colors and some lighting effects. You assume it is another love story with a little magic thrown in. You put it down because you are in the mood for something a little more magical.
The book next to it seems like the one. It has a “Magician” holding a “Wand.” The background looks otherworldly with bright lights and flying faeries. You think: Wow! This looks interesting. This looks just like what I want to read. And you eagerly take your next great magical read home to get started.
You sit down and open to page one. You’re ready for this adventure. You begin to read, only to find that the first chapter has nothing magical. There’s still hope. This is only chapter one. You continue reading and realize that the only magic in
the book is slight mentions of it. Soon you realize that you are reading a romance about a couple working on a movie set about a wizard and his battle to save the world. You get to the end. It was an okay read. Maybe even great! But it wasn’t what you wanted to read.
Where did the publisher or author go wrong? It was a nice love story, but not what you expected. Besides the glimpses of magic as it related to the movie set, there was no magic. There was no world building. The reader is confused. He or she feels disappointed with the book because it wasn’t what he or she wanted. The result of mistaken identity by a cover image that did not reflect the content. The kind of thing readers dread.
Just like the ice cream enthusiast who couldn’t wait to indulge himself or herself in a bowl of vanilla ice cream and instead had purchased strawberry, your reader will undoubtedly be disappointed. That’s why clearly marking your books with covers that show the genre are so important. Not only will it help a reader to find your book but also it builds a level of trust between you and the reader. He or she will recognize you as an author who delivers on the promise that your cover has made. Don’t make it complicated. If you’re not sure, then do a search of your story type and glance over the covers of successful authors who wrote something similar to get an idea. You’ve got this! Your story will reach the right reader, and your reviews will reflect on the fact that you hit a home run with your story and its packaging.
Now, go write that story!
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