Part III: Genres and book categories
When writing a manuscript, we have discussed how
critical it is to know your audience. It is just as important to
know the identity of your book. Is it a mystery? An adventure?
Non-fiction? The identity of your book is called its genre.
Genres are a bit difficult to pin down, as there are so
many sub-categories, but we'll give it a go. There are picture
books (including alphabet and counting books, nursery rhymes,
and wordless books), picture storybooks, traditional literature,
historical fiction, modern fantasy, contemporary fiction (stories
that could happen in everyday life), science fiction, non-fiction
(science, history, biography), and poetry.
In Part IV, we will discuss Developmental Levels of readers.
These stages dictate what type of book you will be proposing to a
publisher. The industry breaks down books by age group. We'll
explore book types arranged roughly by age, from youngest to
oldest readers. The categories fall out in the following way:
A Picture Book, generally, is a book in which the art plays the
largest role—or at least shares equally the limelight with the text.
Picture books fall into four subcategories:
(1) Baby Books are usually small format, colorful books
with poems, simple words or songs. Some have no text at all.
(2) Toddler books are targeted for ages 1-3, and typically
relate simple stories that relate to everyday life in childhood.
These books can be conventional paper—often laminated—or
board books. Books at this level often include pop-ups, flaps, or
areas of texture (like sandpaper, slick plastic or cloth).
(3) Picture Storybooks (or non-fiction Picture Books)
are keyed to ages 4 to 8. These books contain simple plots, run
between 1000 to 1500 words, and can be up to 32 pages in length.
Non-fiction picture books may stretch to age 10 and up to 48
pages (~2200 words).
Easy-To-Read books (or Easy Readers) are for children who
are beginning to read by themselves (ages 6 to 8 or so). Sentences
and words remain simple. The pictures are smaller, and some
pages have only text, set in large font. Some Easy Readers for
younger kids have about 200 words in the text, while the high-
end ones may run over 1500 words with up to 48 pages.
Transition Books are the first books broken into chapters of 2-3
pages each. These books appeal to kids in the 6-9 age range, and
help kids transition from Easy-to-Reads to full chapter books.
Transition books are illustrated every few pages, usually in black
and white. Transition books emphasize action rather than
description, and characters are simple.
Chapter Books hit a target group from ages 7 to 10. Your
manuscript should run 40 to 60 pages, with chapters beginning
every three or four pages. Chapters usually end in "cliff-hangers"
to keep readers interested.
Mid-range or Middle Grade books: You will notice that most
of our books have been for ages 8-12, and there's a good reason.
This is the largest and most dynamic section of children's
literature today. These readers can handle longer novels (100 to
175 pages), nuanced characters, and more complex plot twists.
Non-fiction books begin to broach complicated and technical subjects.
Young Adult (YA): YA books actually begin at age 12 and go up
through middle school. YA books have complicated plots and
symbolism, and often contemporary themes. Because of this, YA
books often have darker themes not found even a decade ago.
Young teen readers can handle multiple characters, and character
development becomes important.
We'll talk about character in a future installment.
Editors want to know your genre and your target audience. The
breakdown of book categories above, along with our genre list,
will help you succinctly describe your project in your proposal,
and will help you be consistent in your text. Stick to your
audience and you'll be in good shape. For more detail on each
category, watch for our upcoming echapter!
Next time, we'll explore a bit about our audience in
"Developmental Stages of Readers".
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