10 Most Popular Genres Of Fiction
People around the globe have different tastes in books. Some like to read about an incomplete love story, others get their kick by exploring mysteries while many readers want to immerse themselves in adventure books. Fiction novels are an extremely versatile genre and there is no limit to the stories it can create.
If you are a new writer and plan on writing your first fiction book, learning the popularity of different genres will help you explore new ideas and maximize your readership.
So, in this article, we will be discussing the 10 most popular genres of fiction with examples and how you can dive into them to create your next big hit.
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10 Types Of Fiction Genres All Writers Should Know
The fiction genres in this list have unique characteristics and remarkable potential once you master them. Writing a well-refined story within this genre will guarantee your book a place in the best-sellers lists.
Choose from the fiction genres listed below and have your next novel written by an expert. Hancock Ghostwriters offers top-rated ghostwriting services for self-publishing authors. So, go through these genres of fiction books and pick the one that intrigues you the most.
1. Romance Fiction
One of the most popular genres of fiction books is romance. Like every other novel, romance fiction can also take place in the past, present, and future. The major plot is the same, where there are two people madly in love with each other.
Romance has a sub-genre called paranormal romance where there is a magical element present within the story. A great example of this sub-genre is the “Twilight Saga.” We are all aware of Bella and Edward’s efforts and sacrifices to stay together. The vampire side of the story kept the plot going, while the major focus of the novel was Bella and Edward’s love.
If you want to write an interesting romance fiction novel, make sure that your novel has the following:
- Build a strong main couple and show how passionate they are for each other.
- Carefully write your intimate scenes. They should be well-built and realistic.
- Do not take your secondary characters for granted. They might resonate with some readers.
- Introduce the main problem after your couple is together.
- Give your story a comprehensive ending with no questions left unanswered.
2. Young Adult Fiction
Many people confuse young adult fiction with romance fiction, which is not their fault. Romance is often a driving force in young adult novels. However, there’s a strong “coming-of-age” element at play too. Young adult fiction novels are written for an audience of 12 to 18 years.
The plot is mostly set in the protagonist’s teen years where they face challenges like love, self-doubt, and bullying. “The Hunger Games” is perhaps the best known novel in this genre. The book follows a teenage Katniss on her journey in a dystopian world while she also has to choose between two potential lovers.
You must include the following elements in your young adult fiction novel to make it impactful:
- Make sure that your characters are the same age as your audience. If the age does not match, then the readers will not be able to relate to your characters’ problems.
- Do not feel hesitant to explore a touchy subject. Your book can be a great tool to shed light on taboo topics.
- If you are highlighting a social issue, do not get too preachy. Introduce it in a way that the readers understand your motive without feeling attacked.
- Conclude the novel with a hopeful ending. Show that teenage problems can be fixed.
3. Science Fiction
Science fiction novels are one of the top-selling fiction genres. They are mostly set in the future, and there are a bunch of scientific and technological aspects included in the story to make it more appealing to the readers. The most common factors among all science fiction novels are:
- Traveling through time and space
- Advanced technology
- Alternate history
- Futuristic setting
- Aliens and extraterrestrial lifeforms
If you are curious about the science fiction genre and want some inspiration, you should read books like, “The Divergent.” The book is a good example of how to use scientific and futuristic elements to shed light on issues that readers face in their real lives.
Also, when you write your science fiction novel, make sure that it has the following aspects:
- Create a story that is unique and introspective.
- While you will take some liberties, the basic scientific information should be accurate.
- Include advanced forms of current technologies or introduce new innovative concepts.
- Show proper character development in the story.
- Lastly, make sure that your world is built on consistent rules.
Science fiction novels are one of the top-selling fiction genres. They are mostly set in the future, and there are a bunch of scientific and technological aspects included in the story to make it more appealing to the readers. The most common factors among all science fiction novels are:
- Traveling through time and space
- Advanced technology
- Alternate history
- Futuristic setting
- Aliens and extraterrestrial lifeforms
If you are curious about the science fiction genre and want some inspiration, you should read books like, “The Divergent.” The book is a good example of how to use scientific and futuristic elements to shed light on issues that readers face in their real lives.
Also, when you write your science fiction novel, make sure that it has the following aspects:
- Create a story that is unique and introspective.
- While you will take some liberties, the basic scientific information should be accurate.
- Include advanced forms of current technologies or introduce new innovative concepts.
- Show proper character development in the story.
- Lastly, make sure that your world is built on consistent rules.
You can also write a story about a child who never finishes vegetables. One day, all the leftover veggies decide to haunt the kid and make him realize that veggies are important in our diet.
4. Mystery Fiction
Mystery fiction novels mainly focus on a mysterious event such as a murder, a kidnapping, or some other crime. The protagonist is mostly a detective, but it is not necessary. You can make the protagonist a commoner as well if it fits your story.
One thing that makes mystery novels special is that, unlike many other genres, mystery novels strongly depend upon your secondary characters as well. This is because you need multiple characters to build suspense. You can give your character a superior intellect to solve an extremely complicated crime or have a protagonist with average thinking skills unpack a mystery.
If you want to read some good mystery novels for inspiration, you should read books like “Gone Girl.” It will show you how cleverly you, as an author, can subvert expectations and reveal someone to a criminal while building them up as a victim.
To write a good mystery novel, you should do the following:
- Learn technical details about detective work and how homicides are resolved.
- Open the book with an intriguing event like moments after the crime.
- Make sure that your characters are convincing enough to confuse the readers.
- Have more than one suspect. It keeps the guessing game going.
- Lastly, mislead your reader into believing someone else is the real criminal.
5. Historical Fiction
Historical fiction books take the readers on a journey to a particular place and time in the past. The story takes place in a notable period during history such as the Victorian era, the Middle Ages and Ancient Egypt. The plot doesn’t need to be based on an actual event. One of the sub-genre of historical fiction is a historic fantasy where authors integrate medical elements such as dragons, elves and orcs.
If you are looking for a good historical fantasy book to read, you must give “The Song of Ice and Fire” a shot. The whole volume is set in a fictional kingdom, where different families fight for the throne. Meanwhile, Troy by Adele Geras is a good example of historical fiction as it does not contain fantasy elements.
Good historical fiction must have the following aspects to make it more appealing to the readers:
- Build a world with interesting characteristics, strict rules, and appealing characters.
- Do not go too thick with your dialogues. We understand it is the old era but try to keep it simple, but not as simple as today’s linguistics.
- A historical fiction must contain realistic elements from that era. For instance, you must accurately portray life in feudal Japan if this is where your novel takes place.
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6. Thriller Fiction
Thriller is considered one of the most fast-paced genres of fiction compared to the others. It is packed with suspense, tension, and action from start to end. The thriller fiction has multiple sub-genres. Psychological thrillers are about a psychopath, political thrillers are about the machinations of different politicians and spy thrillers are about secret operations. One thing that keeps the audience hooked to the book in thriller fiction is the plot twists. The more twisted the story, the more people will find it interesting.
You must read “You” to have an idea of what a good thriller fiction novel is. The interesting characters and building tension with each page will drive you crazy.
If you are planning to write a thriller fiction novel, then you must incorporate the following tips in your book to make it a fun read:
- Add as many plot twists as you can. Play with your readers’ minds. Make them believe something and then change it in the next moment.
- Your characters must be suspicious. People love to read characters who have different layers of personality.
- End each chapter with a mind-bending cliffhanger.
- Answer every question you have built throughout the book in the climax.
7. Realistic fiction
Realistic fiction novels revolve around events we can experience in our everyday lives. The characters are believable, and the setting is somewhere from the real world. What makes it a work of fiction is that the story has never happened in the real world.
A great example of this genre of fiction is “The Fault in Our Stars.” The story revolves around two teenagers dealing with different life-threatening diseases who meet at a support group and madly fall in love. Realistic fiction can have sub-genres like romance, thriller, etc. as well.
Are you planning to write a realistic fiction novel? If yes, then these tips will be very useful:
- Create a conflict that the readers can relate to. It can be as simple as bumping into someone at a mart and losing your keys.
- Give your character’s motivation to overcome those conflicts and go against all odds.
- Show what strong relationship your character shares with the secondary character.
- Develop your character as the story proceeds. It will motivate the readers to turn into the best version of themselves.
8. Horror fiction
Many people like this specific fiction genre because it creates a feeling of fear and terror within them. Some also read horror fiction because it teaches them how to cope with their fears and even overcome them.
The basic plot of horror fiction revolves around the darker side of the world, with evil spirits hunting humans. The main protagonist is mostly someone who is going through a midlife crisis. This horrifying event helps the character overcome that feeling and come out stronger.
“IT” is a good horror fiction novel if you want to read something for research. The story is set in a realistic setting and revolves around a group of friends who are haunted by their worst fears. The author has shared a great message through the book that facing our fears strengthens us.
A good horror fiction must have the following aspects:
- A believable setting. Horror is a work of fiction, but if it is set in the real world, it will keep your readers hooked to the story even more.
- Jump scares are what make our hearts skip a beat. So, make sure your story contains such moments where your readers almost skip a breath.
- A tense environment will make the readers anxious. Make your readers breathe faster with longer sentences.
9. Adventure fiction
The adventure genre is a fast-paced genre like thriller fiction. But unlike thriller, adventure fiction takes the protagonist on an adventure to somewhere dangerous. Some authors also use adventure as a subgenre of science fiction books. It could be to find a lost treasure or discover something new.
The authors craft a strong-hearted, courageous, and daring protagonist, with a secondary character who is there to lighten the mood and assist the protagonist. If you want to read good adventure fiction, we suggest you give “The Martian” a try.
The book revolves around a science experiment where a man is sent to Mars and is stuck there due to some technical issues with his ship. The readers go on an adventure with the protagonist as he tries to survive on an unknown planet while his friends and government think of ways to bring him back home.
If you plan on writing an adventure fiction novel, then these tips will be very useful:
- Create compelling characters to make the readers fall in love with them.
- Build a setting with high risks, such as a jungle with ferocious animals and threats.
- Make sure to fill your book with a number of high, life-threatening risks.
- Keep an eye on the pace of the story. It should be fast but not too fast, or everything will seem too forced. For example, if your character is stuck in a situation, do not lead them to safety too quickly, build tension and keep them in danger till the last moment.
10. Magic realism fiction
Magical realism is a genre of fiction where magic is a part of everyday life. The characters in your story do not get freaked out or find it unusual. They rather use it to perform their everyday tasks. A magic realism novel takes place in a real-world setting.
It can also have sub-genres like adventure, horror, etc., where your protagonist and their friends are on a mission to put an end to an evil master. We all know about the “Harry Potter” series and how it is based on magic. The novels are a perfect example of the magic realism fiction genre.
If you want to write a magic realism fiction novel, then make sure it has the following aspects:
- A real-world setting with magic being a common element among the characters.
- Incorporate magic in everything you can. Make the walls talk, bring dead creatures back to life, etc.
- Do not go on explaining the logic behind magic. Just show that it is a part of their everyday life.
- Use magic realism to critique some real-world issues, like political, social, and even general.
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Writing a fiction novel can be too overwhelming for someone new and even for experienced authors. Unlimited possibilities can make it difficult to stick your mind to one idea.
If you are going through something like this, Hancock Ghostwriters can help. We provide high-quality fiction writing services and have a team of qualified writers ready to help you pick the right genre for your story and write on your behalf.
Not only that, we have customized price plans for different genres, so you can pick the one that best suits your budget.
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Wrapping it up…
Are you planning to write a fiction novel? Remember, your genre will set the whole mood of your book and decide who your target audience is. So, pick it carefully, and in case of any confusion, you can always hire a professional to assist you through the writing process.
