Genre Definitions

Like most people, I sometimes wonder what the difference is between the many genre and subgenre. Here are a few links that help sort things out.

Rachel at Novel & Short Story Writer's Market blog wrote a post on Definitions of genres, and when to use them.


Miss Snark wrote briefly on What makes a Thriller.


Jessica Faust wrote A Sub-genre Encyclopedia and Defining Genres, Part Deux.

Hidden in her twentieth round of pitch critiques, Jessica also said:

Category romance (Harlequin/Silhouette) is romance first. In other words, while there are secondary characters and often another small storyline, the crux of the book is the romance. The main concerns are the hero, the heroine, and their internal and external conflicts. With single-title romance you create a much more complex story. It’s multilayered with many different characters and a story that often supersedes the romance.

Hope this was helpful.