What is the genre of a book – and why is it so important? This article explains. It’s part of a free multi-part training guide about genres of books, written by a former NY Times bestselling literary agent.
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What Is the Genre of a Book – Definitions
By Mark Malatesta
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What Is the Genre of a Book – Definition #1
What is the genre of a book?
Quite simply, the genre of a book is the category of a book. Examples of book genres include fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and young adult.
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What Is the Genre of a Book – Definition #2
What is the genre of a book?
A classification system used by executives at publishing companies to communicate what a book is about and/or where it fits in the marketplace. For example, when I was the president and owner of a literary agency, I always had to say what the genre of a book was when pitching it. Later, when I was the Marketing & Licensing Manager for a well-known publisher, I had to assign book genres to every book in their semi-annual catalog.
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What Is the Genre of a Book – Definition #3
What is the genre of a book?
It’s the information that a brick-and-mortar bookstore clerk uses to figure out where to put the book in their bookstore. It’s the information an electronic retailer uses to make the book easy to find in their electronic databases online. And it’s the information that librarians use to figure out where to put the book in their library.
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What Is the Genre of a Book – Definition #4
What is the genre of a book?
An easy way for readers to find what they’re looking for. By “labeling” books and organizing them into logical categories or genres, it’s easier for readers to find the types of books they want.
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What Is the Genre of a Book – Definition #5
What is the genre of a book?
Something that business savvy authors are aware of, for two reasons. First, authors have a much better chance of selling their book when they accurately describe it. Second, each book genre has it’s own set of “rules” or norms that authors of the genre should be aware of (and sometimes follow).
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Now that I’ve answered the question, “What is the genre of a book?” click here to see my sub-genre definition (and every other article in this free multi-part training guide about book genres).
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 