Reading is an exciting pastime for adults and children alike. The book market continues to thrive, with book lovers buying a new book every two weeks on average. Readers can choose from a wide selection of genres, from horror, to romance, and everything in between.
And, if you’re thinking about writing and publishing a book someday, you might be wondering which genres sell the most books. Knowing what people want to read helps you figure out if your work will appeal to readers. While every reader has their preferences when it comes to specific sub-genres, some general book types consistently sell better than others.
Here we go…
- Romance
Romance is one of the most popular and top-selling genres. Last year, total sales were $1.44 billion.
And, there are many subgenres within romance, including paranormal romance, historical romance, and contemporary romance. Romance novels are stories with a central focus on the relationship between two people.
Ideally, romance novels follow a general plot structure that begins with a problem or conflict (characters falling in love but having a difficult time coming together for a variety of reasons), continues with rising action that leads to a climax (characters overcoming internal and external obstacles to be together), and concludes with the resolution of the conflict or problem (characters finally being together).
If you’re wondering why romance novels are so popular, the reason is pretty simple. They are about love. We all want to be loved and feel loved. We want a relationship that will last a lifetime. We want to find our soulmate. Romance novels tap into this human need for love and, because of this, they are incredibly popular.
- Crime/Mystery Fiction
Crime fiction is the subgenre of mystery that focuses on crime and criminals. This subgenre is also called “detective fiction.”
It is narrative fiction written in the third person, with the main protagonist as a detective. Crime fiction can be divided into subgenres, like detective fiction, or appear in general categories such as “general crime fiction.”
Crime fiction can be either “hard-boiled” or “soft-boiled.” A hard-boiled story is one in which the language, narrative style, and characters are “tough” and “blunt.” Soft-boiled stories are gentler in style, language, and characters. These subgenres have come to represent two different traditions in crime fiction.
- Science Fiction
Science fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction, which is a broad category that includes science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. Science fiction is a type of speculative fiction that uses scientific or technological discoveries as a plot device.
Science fiction is also called “techno-thriller” when it’s combined with political thrillers. Science fiction is also subdivided into military science fiction, time travel science fiction, space opera, dystopia, cyberpunk, nanotechnology, etc.
One reason science fiction is so popular is that it enables writers to explore themes relevant to modern society. This is especially the case when writers explore the ethical, political, and environmental implications of scientific and technological discoveries.
- Non-fiction: Self-Help and Teaching
Non-fiction books that fall into the self-help or teaching category are books that provide instructions or advice. This is one of the most popular categories of non-fiction, and it includes categories like dieting, fitness, parenting, relationship advice, and self-help.
Some specific subgenres within the self-help and teaching category are diet books, fitness books, parenting books, relationship advice books, self-help books, and religious books. These categories are so popular because everyone desires to be a better version of themselves. Non-fiction books enable us to do just that.
- Horror Books
Horror is a subgenre of speculative fiction that attempts to frighten or scare the reader. The popularity of horror fiction is because it taps into our deepest fears. And this makes books in this genre sell like crazy.
Horror is often called “thriller” when combined with crime fiction elements. Horror is subdivided into psychological horror, supernatural horror, and zombie horror.
We all have nightmares and horror fiction is a way of exploring our nightmares, and channeling them into creative works of fiction. Horror fiction is also popular among young adults and children.
In fact, many children who love reading about scary monsters and other creatures will begin reading horror books as early as grade school. Statistics indicate that the children’s book publishing industry generated $2.6 billion last year.
In conclusion, there are many different genres of books available to readers. If your goal is to profit from selling your future books, you first need to know the most popular book selling genres. Then, select which one you’d like to focus on for your next book!
William Opar is an expert Content Writer and Blogger who helps brands to grow their businesses and earn real money. He’s a freelance contributor to The Penny Voice, WritersWeekly, FreelancerKenya, Medium.com, and a savvy writer on Upwork. Feel free to contact him for high-quality freelance writing services. Get in touch via LinkedIn.
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