I could be wrong, but most – if not all – freelance writers dream, or at least think, about writing a novel and getting it published. Whether you’re writing content for clients, doing copywriting work, or even ghostwriting, the chances are that you have a novel somewhere inside you.
We all have to start somewhere, though, and one of the ways to do so is to know what genre you want your book to fall under. Sometimes, you won’t have to decide – your ideas and characters will come alive without you having much control with regard to genre. They’ll practically give you the finger and say “F” genre! Write our story!
Still, it is interesting to know what book genres are the most popular even if knowing doesn’t have anything to do with your novel-writing endeavors.
I found this lovely infographic about the most popular book genres and the best-selling books under each genre. Some may surprise you, some not. Why don’t you take a look for yourself?
The most popular book genres – and then some
Before we go to the graphic, here’s a quick summary for your convenience.
Children’s Fiction
This is not so surprising, is it? Children’s books – the classics and the modern ones – are always flying off the shelves. When the infographic was made, the total copies of children’s fiction books equated to 1 billion!
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Can you guess the best-selling books in this category?
Fantasy
Fantasy’s popularity has grown drastically in recent years, especially with other media picking up the genre; not to mention modern authors being active on social media.
Fantasy fiction total: 350 million. A far cry from children’s fiction, but still a considerable number.
Mystery
Mystery stories have always fascinated the ordinary person, with criminals and all sorts of shady characters being the focus. Life may be stranger than fiction, but in this genre, we get to immerse ourselves in a world that’s not impossible but probably won’t experience in real life.
Classic Literary Fiction
What is there to say? Classic literary fiction will always be on the list of popular novel genres, even if it’s not at the top, with “only” 336 million.
Modern Literary Fiction
This includes works by authors by the likes of Paulo Coelho, J.D. Salinger, and Jostein Gaardner – works dated after 1950. Total: 409 million.
Magical Realism
Magical realism has been a confusing concept mainly due to how critics (and other literature experts) have used the term. Author Bruce Holland Rogers has a great description of this genre: “magical realism is serious…trying to convey the reality of one or several worldviews that actually exist, or have existed. Magical realism is a kind of realism, but one different from the realism that most of our culture now experiences.”
The most popular work known in this genre: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Historical Fiction
What’s the first book that comes to mind? I don’t think I have to guess.
Young Adult Fiction
This genre is fast rising in popularity, too, although it seems to overlap with children’s books at times. In any case it still is hanging in there with 70 million (with only two books taken into account).
So here, take a look at the infographic itself.
If you were to write a novel now, what genre would you go for?
You Are What You Read. What Does Your Bookshelf Contain?
Note: Amazon link is an affiliate.
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