Amateur To Published: The Fiction Writer's Guide To Publishing

4 - Pick A Niche

Many new writers hate the thought of being boxed into one genre and would love to be able to explore every genre their heart desires. Of course you can write any genre you want but the reality is that for you to make this a business rather than a hobby, you need to pick a lane.

For instance when I say Nora Roberts, what instantly comes to your mind? Romance. James Patterson? Thrillers. Stephen King? Horror. J.K. Rawling? Fantasy. They all have a niche and that's part of whatmakes them so successful. Their readers know exactly what they're going to getwith each new book and keep coming back for more. Once in a while they maystray but they always come back to their mainstay.

Learn from them. Pick your genre.

The wonderful thing is that within one genrethere can be so many sub-genres giving you the ability to explore to yourheart's content. For instance if you're going with Fantasy, you can write aseries that focuses on Sword & Sorcery stories, your next series could be aParanormal Fantasy, the next one could be Steam Punk. You still have some spaceto move around.

To pick your genre:

STEP 1: DETERMINE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Start by deciding what age-group you plan to focus on. Who will you be writing for? Will you be writing for children? Middle-graders? Young Adults? New Adults? Just adults? The segment you choose will influence the content of your books. If you're writing for children for instance, choosing erotica wouldn't be a smart decision.

The audience will also determine what language you can use in your books. If you're writing for middle-graders for instance, the cussing will be kept to a minimum otherwise you risk getting your book blacklisted. Audience also influences age of characters e.g. if you're writing for young adults they'll identify more with a character who is also a young adult. In some cases, your target audience will affect your method of publishing (e.g. Books aimed at children and middle-graders sell best in paperback version which self-publishing doesn't excel in).

STEP 2: PICK YOUR FAVORITE GENRE

Though you're trying to write books that willsell, writing should be fun. Don't write a genre that you hate just because itis capable of selling well. The other advantage of focusing on a genre thatyou already read is that you've probably already unconsciously picked up thenuances and tropes of that genre and will have an easier time writing it.

Below are the genre you should know about:

- Fantasy (fiction that requires a suspension of belief because they contain strange otherworldly and/or none-existent settings. Magic, powers and strange creatures are often rife in fantasy)

- Horror (stories written to evoke fear in the character and readers)

- Mystery (fiction dealing with the solving of crimes or unraveling of secrets)

- Romance (stories that focus on romantic relationships between two or more people)

- Crime fiction (fiction about how a criminal commits a crime or plans to commit it. It may explore how they get caught and the repurcussions)

- Thrillers (stories about someone trying to evade or stop something bad from happening. Readers are always in a state of suspense, anxiety and excitement. It is often villain-driven i.e. the villain wants to do something terrible and the leads are trying to prevent him from doing it)

- Science Fiction (fiction that explores potential consequences of scientific innovations/changes on people's lives. Concepts explored include futuristic science, space travel, parallel universes, extraterrestrial life etc)