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Genre series

Children’s book genres: what is genre?

1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

This is part two of my serialisation of my kidilt genre course Space opera, steampunk and slashers, oh my! I’ll be sharing the content here every week over the coming months but you can grab the full course now if you just can’t wait! Read on for two lessons with videos and transcripts.

No rules, just guidelines

Before I dive in, I want to say that you should always trust your gut and ask questions. Everything in these lessons is based on my experience, training, education and values and I guarantee there will be other publishing professionals out there who have different ideas and advice to mine so you don’t have to take everything I say as a rule set in stone that can’t be broken.

I don’t want you to walk away from this course thinking ‘Oh no, Siobhán said my manuscript is totally wrong, I need to scrap it and start again’ (I’d NEVER say that, by the way!) or ‘it says here that my book should be historical fiction when I thought it was a gothic romance – that really doesn’t sound right but I guess she knows best.’

If something I say here doesn’t ring true for your manuscript, you should absolutely question it and go looking for your own answers. As I always say to my editing clients, take the advice that feels helpful and valuable and leave the rest. This is your book, not mine. I’m on your team and I really want to help you achieve your publishing dreams, whatever they are, but it’s not my place to tell you you’re doing it all wrong or you need to follow my ‘rules’.

Write what you love, experiment, have fun and always keep those young readers front and centre because they deserve wonderful books that make them happy, reflect their experiences and anxieties, make them feel seen and help them understand the world in different ways, whatever the genre.

What is genre?

Here are some of the most popular genres (click them to see what’s selling in those genres in UK bookshops right now!):

You’ve heard of all those, right? So we know what genres are but how do we tell which stories fit into which genre? It’s not always obvious and people don’t always agree on the categories. If you look up any novel you’ll probably find it’s been given more than one genre label by various reviewers and bookshops. But generally speaking, the main elements that tip a book into a particular genre are:

 

    1. plot (is it about an adventure? A ghost? A murder? A flying rabbit? A love story?)
    2. mood (is it dark and eerie? Light and funny? Frightening? Magical? Bleak? Thrilling?)
Being clear about a novel’s genre helps readers find the right book for them because it gives them clues as to what they can expect from your novel. Genres and subgenres typically come with particular expectations, conventions and tropes and although it can be great to play with those expectations by mixing genres or putting a fresh twist on familiar tropes, there are often distinctive characteristics and devices that readers enjoy and actively look for in their favourite genres.

Most romance readers want a happy ever after ending (or at least ‘happy for now’), for example, while mystery fans want suspense and for the crime to be solved by the last page. This is your book and it’s your choice whether you meet those expectations but the more you know about genre, the better equipped you are to make that choice. You have to learn the rules before you can break them!

Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Siobhan O'Brien Holmes is a developmental editor working with middle grade and YA authors. She specialises in speculative and genre fiction, particularly horror, fantasy, mystery, sci-fi and anything with a dash of magic or macabre. She is a member of the SfEP, EFA, ACES, British Fantasy Society, Horror Writers Association and SCBWI. She has an MA in Novel Writing and an MA in Children's Literature.

All stories by: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

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