The Novel Writing Process 2:
Think About the Different Types of Novel
The second step in the novel writing process is to think about all the different types of novel, or fiction genres, and decide where yours will eventually sit in the book-buying marketplace. It will be important to know this when you sell your novel.
Writing whatever kind of novel you want to write and leaving it up to the publisher to find a market for your book is a risky strategy.
Publishing is a business, not a charity for creative types. Every new novel published enters a tough market, and if a publisher can see no place for your novel within that market, they probably won't publish it, no matter how good the writing.
"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
- Toni Morrison
There are three broad categories of fiction:
The first thing you need to do is decide in which of these book genres you intend to specialize. If you write a literary or mainstream novel, you are essentially free to tackle any kind of subject matter and theme that you choose.
If you decide to write a genre novel, you will have to more or less stick to the rules, or conventions, of that genre. You will also have to work out which genre, in particular, you intend to target - crime fiction, romantic fiction, and so on.
As a rule of thumb, the best advice is to write the type of novel that you like to read. But if you need more information to help you reach a decision, you will find it all in the section on the different Novel Types.
Next: Finding Fiction Ideas
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