The Best Genres to Publish a Book in For Self-Publishers

One of the first steps to writing a book is deciding what genre/niche to write in, and it’s no surprise that many self-publishers get stuck at this stage.

There is a plethora of genres to choose from, whether it be fiction or non-fiction; fantasy, sci-fi, romance, thriller, or cookbooks, self-help books, memoirs, etc. So which genre should you publish in if you want your books to sell? 

First of all, there’s a good reason why all of these book genres exist in the first place. So, the short answer is, you can publish in any genre because they all sell! But, some genres and niches are evergreen, always popular, and thus a safe bet. And, some genres and subgenres are highly saturated and might prove more challenging to break into. Therefore, you want to look for a genre with a large search volume and target audience but not too much competition.

Before we get into some of the best genres to publish in as a self-publisher, let’s define what a genre is. A book genre is simply the main category your book falls under. Naturally, most books will draw on elements from multiple genres, but there should always be one underlying theme of your book, and that’s the dominant genre. 

If you’re writing a sci-fi novel, your potential readers won’t necessarily expect to have a love story dominating the book. Instead, sci-fi fans expect to be treated to a new world with new people; they expect the extrapolation of new ideas and innovations. 

Conversely, readers who want romance won’t be too pleased if they pick up your book and read about epic battles between fictional worlds and nations with little to no romantic connection between any of the characters. Any genre you write on must appeal to your target audience, or you risk losing them a few pages into the book. 

If you want your book to sell, it helps to publish your book in a popular genre because no matter how good a storyteller you are, if your book only appeals to a small group of people, you may get recognition, but you might not be too happy with your sales. It isn’t to say that it’s impossible to gain massive monetary success in a less popular genre; it might just prove more difficult to do so.

In the end, choosing a profitable genre comes down to three main things: the popularity of the genre, the saturation of that market, and how well you know the audience (because even if you can choose an extremely profitable genre, if you don’t know anything about your target audience you won’t know how to cater to them adequately). Generally, it helps to be familiar with the genre you’d like to publish in because you will already have some insight into the conventions of that genre and what your potential readers want. 

The genres below are some of the most popular, so have a read, and helpfully this list will give you some great options for your next book. 

• Romance

Romance is often heavily criticized for the cliche tropes that have become prominent in the genre or romanticizing unhealthy relationship dynamics (pardon the pun). However, none of this negates the fact that romance is an evergreen genre; people are in love with love. There is a reason why romance is consistently one of the top-selling book categories. Many of us love a good, swoon-worthy, blockbuster love story between two deserving significant characters. So, even though people might heavily criticize romance novels, a great many more people still read them. 

One of the most challenging aspects of writing in this genre is that there is a lot of competition. Romance novels are a dime a dozen, so you have to take deliberate steps to stand out. 

The great thing about the romance genre is that there is a ton of opportunities for niche publishers. Remember Fifty Shades Of Grey? E. L. James took advantage of the BDSM subgenre that was not very popular nor well-known outside of the BDSM community. Though she is a traditionally published author, many self-published authors could take advantage of the spike in interest in BDSM by creating BDSM-themed romance stories of their own. After Fifty Shades of Grey, tons of BDSM romance ebooks, novels, and novellas were published and granted they all didn’t see the same massive success as E. L. James, they were still able to do fairly well. Looking for and recognizing trends in a genre can be very beneficial for self-publishers.

Additionally, you can seek out little catered to sub-genres and sub-niches. Along with the more popular subgenres within romance, like historical romance or contemporary romance, consider Christian romance novels, erotica, romance novels for single dads, romance novels for big beautiful women, or LGBTQ romance novels (and many more). 

The only thing we would stress is that you do proper research before you write your story (or commission one) so as not to be insensitive towards or offend your target audience. After that, have a sensitivity beta reader read it over before you publish it. Check out our blog post on the importance of sensitivity readers here.

Keep in mind, romance novels often have a positive or happy ending. On platforms such as Amazon KDP, readers are likely to penalize a book and rate it poorly if the ending is emotionally unsatisfying or tragic without a trigger warning. 

• Sci-Fi 

Science fiction is one of the most popular literary genres. Some of the most influential fictional works are of this category. Think H. G. Well’s The Time Machine, Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, or James Dashner’s The Maze Runner.

If you choose to write Sci-fi, keep in mind that the genre follows several rules. Your story needs to ask a question and propose a thesis. For example, I, Robot proposes the question: Can a machine with artificial intelligence develop by itself --and if so, what dangers would it then pose to humanity. Make sure to keep your question and thesis in mind throughout the entire book.

Research is essential with science fiction/speculative fiction. It’s not enough to throw in some aliens, flying cars, and a galaxy at war. The best science fiction at its core has some basis in reality. For your dystopian society, you can draw political regimes and themes from real historical events. When you create creatures and alien life, remember a wealth of ideas that can come from fauna and flora found right here on Earth (that sometimes feel more alien than anything we can ever conceive of). Look towards scientific journals for the newest innovations and advancements in technology that you can extrapolate in your fictional world, to its benefit or detriment. Even look into conspiracy theories to draw inspiration. 

Details really sell science fiction, and the more real your world feels, the better it will be. But, at the end of the day, science fiction serves as a provoking thought experiment that appeals to our innate human curiosity. 

Consider that science fiction works in the YA or young adult genre can be very lucrative.

• Thriller / Suspense and Mystery

Thriller/suspense fiction is popular among audiences of all ages; they are fast-paced, high-stakes page-turners, characterized by the gamut of heightened emotions that they elicit from a reader, like suspense, tension, anxiety, excitement, and surprise. Suffice to say, it’s not surprising that thrillers often draw themes from many other subgenres such as mystery, suspense, crime, etc. Some popular thriller titles include Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, John Grisham’s A Time to Kill, or Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons.

Typically these include villain-driven plots, stories of good versus evil, complex antagonists, and great heroes. These heroes can be typical, unlikely, or anti-heroes; mainly, they are people who the audience wants to route for. Thrillers also include their fair share of cliffhangers and plot twists that will keep the audience at the edge of their seats and then throw them for a loop. 

As formerly mentioned, it’s not uncommon for thriller fiction to contain elements of mystery, suspense, and crime. This genre often encourages critical and analytical thinking because a story will often present a mystery to solve and provide small breadcrumbs, in the form of details and clues sprinkled throughout. Attentive readers like to try and connect the dots before the criminal is revealed somewhere along the story, especially if they can no longer bear the suspense.

Another interesting aspect of thrillers (especially of the psychological variety) as a genre is that it covers many facets of human nature. It gives a reader an avenue to analyze the psychological makeup and motivational drives of characters. Why does that criminal have such a warped sense of freedom? What’s funny about killing children? Why does the sight of blood excite a serial murderer? A good thriller novel has the power to explore the darker elements of the human psyche. 

Keep in mind for this genre, good pacing is essential. How you pace your thriller novel is key to your reader’s enjoyment of it. It can’t feel like it’s dragging, but it also can’t be fast-paced and high-tension all throughout (you’ll burn out your reader, and they’ll feel like the story is rushed). 

Finding a good balance between slow-building tension and intense, fast-paced action is ideal.

• Fantasy 

In the past, fantasy was considered a subgenre of science fiction, but it has since developed into its own distinct genre, complete with its conventions distinct from sci-fi. Many titles come to mind when we consider fantasy, like, J. K Rowling’s Harry Potter, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, J. R. R Tolkien’s The Hobbit, George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.

Fantasy is a popular genre in part due to its escapist feel. These novels offer respite from our day-to-day lives and the world we reside in to give us fresh experiences and fully immerse us in a brand new story, its characters, and its world. At the same time, this genre utilizes a hypothetical situation and invites readers to connect the fictive scenario and their social reality. 

Unlike science fiction, which is often used to draw parallels to our society or give warnings to us in more heavy-handed ways, fantasy does so more subtly. As a result, the fantasy genre is an excellent medium for readers and writers alike to experiment with the many ways to see and appreciate the world. As a writer, you can give your readers the serotonin they need in the challenging world we live in while also encouraging them to analyze it with a critical eye.

Fantasy is another genre rife with fierce competition but presents just as many opportunities, especially when you niche down. The first thing you’ll have to decide when writing in the fantasy genre is who your story is geared towards. Will your novel be a children’s book, YA, urban fantasy, paranormal, grimdark, high fantasy, or one of its many other subgenres? The decision you make will, in turn, inform many of the creative choices within your story.

Remember that fantasy is a constantly evolving genre that can be subverted and interpreted in so many different ways to avoid the pitfalls of feeling played out with cliche plot and character tropes, pushing the genre to greater and greater heights.

Oftentimes, a key feature of fantasy is extensive world-building. Fantasies can take the reader to a whole new world, or if you consider series such as Harry Potter, worlds within worlds. Consider the geography, topography, history, races, politics, economy, philosophies, religions, etc. Worldbuilding can be a massive undertaking, and even those in the urban fantasy subgenre aren’t exempt from this, as many of these same elements still need to be explored.

To really sell a world that your reader has never seen before, pay attention to concrete descriptions using the five senses. For example, the sound of hooves over cobblestone roads, the air being wet and heavy with mist, the iridescent and vitreous wings of a fae, the pop and crackle of fire in a hearth, these are all descriptions that can help your reader to envision the world you’ve created and feel like they’re in it.

Further, many fantasies will include their own brand of magic or magical system. When writing magic into your fantasy, be sure to create a clear set of rules for it and be consistent; stick to them. 

Self-Help is another good genre to write in because everyone is always looking for ways to improve their quality of life and themselves, whether it be their relationship with themself, interpersonal relationships, health, or money matters. These are critical areas of life that people are always looking to improve. The relationship, health, and money niches, in particular, are all considered evergreen niches. Books like Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen or Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People come to mind.

Self-help books provide actionable and practical steps that the reader can take to transform their life in any given area. Keep in mind that though it is unsavory and unethical to publish medical information when you aren’t a doctor, you don’t have to have a doctorate or be an expert in a particular academic field to write a helpful self-help book. Your own life experiences and life lessons are extremely valuable and can benefit others who might be going through similar circumstances. Ask yourself: How did you learn to forgive yourself? How did you manage to overcome grief? How did you become less shy? How did you overcome the biggest heartbreak or worst break-up you’ve ever had? How do you get back up again after hitting rock bottom? 

People want to know the answer to these questions from someone who has been there before, someone just like them. Here, your target audience will be people with pain points in your particular area of expertise. As an aside, this is actually the best niche to get started in because your potential readers are already searching for these keywords, and buyers are quite willing to give authors who they may not know a chance, even more so than most of the fiction genres where an author's name can carry a great deal more weight.

Self-help books are and will continue to be some of the bestselling non-fiction books because people are always seeking guidance, support, and advice. 

Above all, a self-help book has to be, well, helpful. Do your research on your particular topic. Be sure to provide actionable and practical steps that your reader can take, and include exercises that will help the reader absorb and retain the information you give them.

We hope this short guide to some of the most popular book genres leaves you with some insight into some great publishing opportunities! Why not try publishing in a few of these genres and see which ones work for you?