When you’re writing, you need to make sure your product matches books in your genre. Have you ever heard the saying, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”? Well, this same philosophy applies for books. You need to learn from your peers and coaches, but you actually can learn more by studying your competition
All books under a specific genre follow certain characteristics in their storyline. To become a bestselling author, you must understand how books are written for your specific genre so that your readers will be satisfied with your book.
Here are some tips for popular genres:
- Thriller/horror: morbid storyline with creepy characters (e.g., ghosts, monsters, serial killers, vampires), lots of suspense, and twists in the plot.
- Romance: slow-paced character and plot development, couple meet near beginning of book and face hardships, fall in love, profess their love, and end with a romantic happy ending where hero/heroine live happily ever after.
- Fantasy: set in fictional universe with make-believe characters. Story inspired by myths or traditions, typically has magical component.
- Science Fiction: story is futuristic with concepts of science and technology (e.g., time travel, parallel universe, space exploration, alien invasion), and typically involves
- Adventure: an exciting journey or quest of the protagonist with several climaxes that ultimately lead to a destination.
- Mystery: the story revolves around a criminal case (e.g., murder, robbery, kidnapping) with the detective as the main character.
- Memoirs: life story including personal and career details from childhood to today, with a key take home message.