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Genre series

Children’s book genres: How to choose which genre to write

1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

This is part thirteenth 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 lessons with videos and transcripts.

Choosing a genre if you haven’t started writing yet

If you’re still at the early stages of the planning process and you’re not sure what you want to write yet, you can start by narrowing down the genres you’d like to explore in your writing.
Think about your favourite genres. If you’re not sure what they are, don’t worry! I’ve got an exercise for you.

Make a list of your favourite novels. It could be your top ten ever or just ten that you’ve most enjoyed in the past year. Doing this exercise with modern children’s book is absolutely ideal because they’ll be most representative of what these genres look like in kidlit today.

But if you’re new to the children’s book space you probably don’t have a list of middle grade or YA titles you love yet, so start with adult books you love or children’s books you liked when you were a kid. Bear in mind your tastes might have changed since childhood, so just because you loved fantasy as a kid doesn’t mean you want to write it now.

Note down the genre and subgenre for each book. If you don’t know it offhand, look it up online and see how it’s categorised.

You might not spot an immediate pattern, particularly if you’re a fan of the classics or literary fiction as opposed to commercial fiction which is much easier to label! Ask yourself what you like about those books. What elements really stand out to you? Is it the overall tone? Is it the humour? The premise itself? The characters? Start to look for a common thread.

If I were trying to narrow down the genre I love most by looking at my favourite adult books, it might look something like this (disclaimer: my favourite books change all the time but these are a few that I love!).

    1. Dracula (supernatural horror)
    2. Frankenstein (gothic horror / science fiction)
    3. Never Let Me Go (dystopian science fiction)
    4. 84 Charing Cross Road (epistolary memoir)
    5. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (epistolary humour)
    6. The Secret History (dark academia thriller)
    7. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (gothic suspense)
    8. American Wife (historical / literary)
    9. The Long Walk (dystopian horror)
    10. The Cabin at the End of the World (apocalyptic horror)

There’s a bit of a mix here but the genres and subgenres that crop up most are horror, science fiction, gothic and dystopian, which suggests I like my books scary or dark. Ding ding! I’m a huge horror fan and that’s always where I lean when coming up with new story ideas. You can also see from this list that I like epistolary novels (I’ve been in love with them since reading Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin’s PS Longer Letter Later) so that might inspire me when coming up with ideas, too. Could I write a horror novel in letter form? Or a dystopian diary? Why not!

Have a go at writing your top ten in your workbook and check which genres dominate your list. Do you fancy writing within those genres for the middle grade or YA market? Go grab some recently published books and see what you think!

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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