Where should your book be shelved in a book
store — and under what online categories does it fit under?
Most authors are uncomfortable answering this
question, squirming as if I had just asked an older woman her age or a guy how
big his package is.
Writers don’t like to think their book falls
neatly into one category, thus stereotyping it. Many don’t really know which
category their book falls under, and some believe they overlap into three or
four categories.
Regardless of what authors think, feel, or
want, the book world operates under labels. You walk into a bookstore, and
everything is arranged by genre. Look at a book’s back cover or jacket flap,
and its genre is listed. Go on to Amazon, and under every title’s book details
section there are one to three genres or sub-categories listed. You can’t
escape this industry-wide pursuit to brand and label.
I guess for one to know the category or genre
that their book falls under, he or she needs to know what their choices are.
Well, here are your broad flavors:
* Non-Fiction
* Fiction
* Poetry
* Short Stories
* Essays
* Children’s Books
Then, you have genre categories.
For non-fiction, the big ones are :
* Business/Wealth
* Health/Wellness
* Self-Help/Inspiration
* Religion/Spirituality
* Memoir/Biography
* Politics
* Travel
* Current Events
* Entertainment
* Sports
* Parenting
* LGBTQ+
For fiction, the leading areas are :
* Romance/Erotica
* Historical Fiction
* Thriller
* Suspense/Mystery
* Crime Drama
* Sci-Fi
* Literary Fiction
* Fantasy
* Horror/Paranormal
* Westerns
But then there are sub-categories and niche
areas. For instance, a Black Lesbian Erotica book could be in three different
parts of the bookstore: Black Studies, Gender Studies, and Erotica/Romance. The
question is: Which is the dominant part of the story that needs to be
emphasized in its selling? Lead with that.
I advise that you spend time in a bookstore to
see which books are placed where in the store. Get a feel for things. Ask
librarians and indie bookstore owners where they think your book belongs.
If you are having a harder time identifying
your book’s genre than a confused Gen Z teen seeking to figure out their gender
identity, stop fretting. Just take a step back and look at how others will see
your book; not what you hope they will.
Though you may not want to feel typecast or
boxed into a category, others will label your book easily and adamantly. Accept
it. Embrace it.
Need
Book Marketing Help?
Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning
blog, with 3.6 million page views, can be reached at [email protected] He is
available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their
brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of
authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
About Brian
Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be
followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum . This is
copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue
dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses,
Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres,
right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark
Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay,
Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan
RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence
College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have
been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY
Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington
Post . His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, &
Co-Op Association Handbook . It was featured
in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald .
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