The world of literature is evolving constantly, and currently, lots of things are happening that are equally exciting for authors and readers. The flow of information and content is unimaginably rapid and huge, so it is really important for writers and authors to understand the target audience as well as the most popular book genres to craft their stories compellingly.
It is 2024 and aspiring authors like you must be thinking what is the most popular book genre while starting their first book. Statistics show that romance and fantasy dominate the literature world as they are best selling book genres. Overall fiction book market in the US is comprised of 23% romance-based books. This clearly indicates the interests of the readers making these most popular genres of books great to start for aspiring authors.
However, the world does not end here. There are many popular ebook topics other than these genres. That is why we have decided to pen down this blog so that you can explore what are the most popular book genres including romance and fantasy.
Why is it necessary to know what genre of books is most popular?
Every author and writer, whether experienced or aspiring, must align their work with current trends to stay relevant, and capture the reader’s attention as well as convince publishers. To provide your readers with what they need to read and strive in the professional literary publishing industry, you must have command over popular genres of books. One must study it, the current trends, and the reader’s interest as well.
Also, any most popular book genre requires elements that an author can take care of while writing to fulfill the expectations of the story. Now, let’s go through the top most popular book genres so aspiring authors can decide the best suitable to write their story.
What are the most popular book genres?
To let you discover the most popular novel genres, we researched extensively and sieved through many sources for data collection. It includes the lists of bestseller books from The New York Times and popular ebook genres on Amazon. So here is what is based on our, i.e., Book Writing Pioneer analysis a list of the most popular book genres as of 2024.
Romance: Love in All Its Forms
Romance is among the top and most popular novel genres that will continue to rule the world of books in 2024. It has become a cultural phenomenon. According to studies, $1.44 billion in revenue is generated through romance-based books and novels, making them the highest-earning fiction book genre.
Romance has been people’s favorite book genre with an extensively growing readership spanning all around the world. The romance genre writing is flexible and versatile, hence it allows aspiring authors to write for endless sub-genres such as classical romance, contemporary romance, history-based romance, and romance fantasy or “romantasy”.
Here are some tips to keep in mind for aspiring authors while writing romance-based books:
Emphasize Character Development:
Romance novels cannot be thrived without perfectly developed characters. Make sure all the characters of your book including leading characters are well-developed, your protagonists.
Include Hooks By Creating Tension:
You must create tension between characters through push-and-pull situations to keep your readers hooked till the end. Misunderstandings, dark secrets, conflicts, or unexpected twists and turns must be added in the book to show ups and downs in relationships.
End with Hope:
Although most romantic books have happy endings, it is not necessary though. However, one must write a conclusion in such a way that the story ends on a satisfactory and hopeful note.
Romantasy: Fantasy Meeting Romance
Fantasy has been among the most popular book genres in the literary world, but people are now more inclined toward reading romantic fantasies in 2024. So, Fantasy is the sub-genre of romantasy and that’s what readers want.
The unique combination of romance and fantasy brings the best of both worlds for the readers to enjoy epic adventurous journeys of heart-melting love stories of the characters. Some of the best examples of romantic-fantasy books include Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, an epic novel that mixes romance, fantasy, historical fiction, and adventure brilliantly, and A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair i.e., a page-turning novel combining fantasy and romance to perfection.
Since romantasy is considered to become a popular genres of books, here are some tips to consider while writing it:
Create an imaginary, rich world:
Immersive and imaginary universes are what fantasy readers always crave for. That’s why fantasy writers must spend some time developing a believable setting with your world’s geography, history, and cultures.
Balance romance with other elements:
Make sure the fantasy elements and romantic tracks in the book complement each other. They should not overshadow each other. Instead, they must be twined well together to enhance the story.
Incorporate tropes but with added twists:
Writers incorporate tropes like “strangers to lovers” extensively in fantasy-romance novels but these tropes must be infused with a unique angle to provide readers with a fresh perspective and keep the story engaging.
Contemporary Fiction
Contemporary fiction is also escalating among the most popular book genres currently as readers want to read stories that resonate with their lives, reflecting realities and real-life challenges. Contemporary fiction is a versatile genre with various sub-genres, including contemporary romantic fiction, literary fiction, and science fiction to name a few. It often deals with identity issues, romantic and family relationships, and social issues.
You can write a contemporary fiction book by choosing any sub-genre like young adult, new adult, women’s fiction, science fiction, romantic fiction, and historical fiction.
Relevancy:
Contemporary fiction means a fictional story in a modern setting. So, it should be timely, incorporate events happening currently, use social media scenarios, and address some modern dilemmas so that the book resonates with today’s readers.
Emotional impact:
The contemporary fiction book must address the characters’ emotions, their internal conflicts, and the complexities they are facing in modern-day life. One must discuss the emotional truths through characters that readers are grappling with.
Authenticity:
Authenticity must be embraced while writing contemporary fiction. Although fiction is a story, you must write truth, real-life personal experiences, or perspectives that are deeply researched.
Children and Young Adults
The era of The Hunger Games and Twilight was a golden era for young adult books and every literary agent and publisher back then was urging authors and writers to turn their focus to younger audiences. Although that time has gone by, that doesn’t mean the demand for young adult books has been finished.
It is still among the most popular book genres for aspiring authors to write. The picture books are still relevant. Fantasy and science fiction are still the most popular genres of books in the young adult market. Especially they are the best when it comes to movie adaptations. The best examples include The Ballad of Birdsongs and Snakes which let that book achieve its bestseller status again after three years.
Here are some unique characteristics of children and young adult books:
It captures the voice:
Children and young adults are too sensitive when it comes to voice particularly. The characters in the books for children and young adults are just like real teenagers, with stories, scenarios, personalities, dialogues, and even inner monologues, as well as experiences age-appropriate.
Universal themes are addressed:
While most popular genres books such as Young Adult target younger audiences, they have universal themes. Mostly issues like personal struggles, identity crises, self-belonging, and related issues are discussed in the children and young adult books.
The story’s pace is well-regulated:
Adult fiction is slow-paced while children and young adult books are faster-paced. Authors keep the elements of surprise through twists and turns so that the plot holds the younger audience’s attention intact.
Non-Fiction
Non-fiction books are gaining momentum and have become the means of communication between the author and readers, whether it is about sharing personal experiences and life stories in the form of memoirs, advice in the form of self-help books, or social commentary. It is because readers want to read true stories. They want to read what’s going on in society and they want to learn through practical advice that helps them with their life issues.
The best examples are memoirs, i.e., the non-fiction genre that most celebrities and politicians use. Britney Spears, Viola Davis, Matthew Perry, and Michelle Obama’s memoirs are non-fiction bestsellers. Even the political memoirs of Liz Cheney and Ron DeSantis grabbed all the attention recently as they bagged the bestseller title.
True crime is also one of the most popular genres of non-fiction books. It is because some people are so curious to dive into reality and explore why depravity and suffering exist in the first place. Podcasts, live streaming shows, YouTube videos, and bestselling books, you’ll see the themes of true crime every now and then. The best example can be Killers of the Flower Moon. This book has remained top of the bestselling books list for a long.
Here is how one can write a compelling book for the non-fiction genre:
A Unique Angle:
Market is full of non-fiction books so you must add a unique angle to your writing to introduce a fresh perspective on anything you are writing.
Clarity and Conciseness:
Readers need clarity and a straightforward writing approach when it comes to non-fiction books. You should present your thoughts and ideas in simple words and set aside your creative instincts because that’s not what this genre is for.
Writing should be engaging:
Storytelling is a key even in non-fiction books. You must use anecdotes, create narratives with techniques, and include hooks to make your book’s content relatable and interesting for readers.
Conclusion
Book writing is a therapy for aspiring authors and writers and choosing the most popular book genre that’s trending is of utmost importance for a book’s success. However, it is equally important to present your personality and ideas through your writing uniquely. At Book Writing Pioneer, we help authors and writers bring their stories, ideas, thoughts, and experiences forward in the form of a successful book through our ghostwriting services.
Whether you want to choose from the most popular book genres we have mentioned here or something of your own, our team is here with all its expertise in writing, proofreading, and editing to help you out. If you are someone who needs quality book writing service then Book Writing Pioner is the right choice for you.
So why wait? Let Book Writing Pioneer steer your career of authorship in new directions.
