Genres Are the Portals to Your Story World

Genres are the portals to your story world, and are worth your time and effort to figure out what you’ll emphasize in your novels.

John Truby stated in his book, The Anatomy of Genres*, “Once we understand that all of human life is a form of story, the next step becomes clear: genres are the portals to this world.”

That’s why ‘Choose Genres’ is the first step in the Trellis Method. Over the years, as I continue to research genres, I observed patterns based on the works of bestselling authors. The secret of many top writers is to find a genre they love, determine if readers share their infatuation, and then write several books that emphasize their chosen genre.

I wanted to see if I could support my observations with Amazon’s categories.

Figuring Out Whether Genres Are the Portals

Amazon is a gold mine of data, but you must take care to not fall into a bottomless rabbit hole of countless book categories and sub-categories.

To quickly mine the data, I used Publisher Rocket. It’s a cost-effective tool, a gift, really, that keeps on giving. My initial purchase in 2018 has gone through extensive upgrades for free, and the author (a great guy!), Dave Chesson, plans to continue improving the app without charging for upgrades. That’s only one of the many reasons I recommend this app.

If this excellent writing tool interests you, check out Publisher Rocket*.

Are Genres the Portals to Your Story World?

My list of bestselling authors includes the likes of Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Ann Cleeves, Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, and many more top-shelf writers.

I wanted to research whether genres served as the portals to their story worlds.

To support my premise, I narrowed my initial search to a well-known writer with seven books that garnered millions in sales.

Brown’s Genres Are the Portals to His Story World

I fired up Publisher Rocket and asked the app to list Dan Brown’s novels on Amazon.

The app showed the books below, and gave links to each sales page with categories.

• Digital Fortress*, 1998 (Techno Thrillers Kindle, Techno Thrillers Books, Espionage Thriller Books)
• Angels & Demons*, 2000 (Historical Thrillers Kindle, Conspiracy Thrillers Kindle, Historical Thrillers Books)
• Deception Point*, 2001 (Political Thrillers & Suspense, Conspiracy Thrillers Kindle, Action Thrillers Fiction)
• The Da Vinci Code*, 2003 (Religious Mysteries Books, Religious Historical Fiction, Historical Mysteries Kindle)
• The Lost Symbol*, 2009 (Historical Thrillers Kindle, Political Thrillers & Suspense, Historical Thrillers Books)
• Inferno*, 2013 (Suspense Action Fiction, Mystery Action Fiction, Historical Thrillers Books)
• Origin*, 2017 (Suspense Action Fiction, Crime Action & Adventure, Mystery Action Fiction Kindle)

As you can see from this list, ‘thrillers’ and ‘mysteries’ topped the list of categories connected to Dan Brown’s books.

Note: Dipping into Amazon’s data is like taking a sample from a fast flowing stream. Later, if you take another sample, it will reflect the data as of that moment, but it may not match up perfectly with the earlier data. In most instances, each sample will reinforce your earlier analysis.

The Backstory on Dan Brown’s Writing Model

In 1993, while on vacation from his day job as an English teacher, Dan Brown read Sidney Sheldon’s novel The Doomsday Conspiracy*.

That book served as Brown’s catalyst to write Digital Fortress. Since childhood, he loved puzzles and ciphers. As you explore Brown’s works, you’ll notice he combined his love of mysteries (i.e., puzzles and ciphers) with a market-proven writing formula (i.e., Sheldon’s thrilling novel). He adopted and adapted the genre and formula to write not one, but seven books, which led to movie and TV adaptations.

His books incorporate elements of excitement (thrillers) and puzzles (mysteries).

A Summary of Dan Brown’s Storytelling Formula

To help you see what I observed, here’s my summary of Brown’s storytelling formula, which I kluged together from reading his books and visiting many websites:

• Genre: Pushes all the right buttons for the thriller genre.
• Technique: Keeps you on the hook with narrative drive and quick pacing.
• Visual: Presents mental graphics in your head with vivid scene details.
• Characters: Captures the emotional nuances with strong characterization.
• Pacing: Balances the character action and dialogue (internal/external).
• Structure: Provides a familiar framework with juicy bits.
  • Shadowy force:
    • Antagonist (Master Villain):
    • Includes secret society or government agency
    • Pairs master villain with one or more brainwashed minions
  • Positive force:
    • Protagonist (simple hero):
      • Robert Langdon (pulled out of his familiar world):
      • Pairs hero with fresh female partner
  • Big idea with a moral gray area:
    • Something new or something old with unique twist
    • Controversy (Who do I trust, science or religion?)
  • Treasure to find and catastrophe to prevent:
    • Symbols (ciphers to unlock)
    • Puzzles (problems to solve/treasures to find)
  • Ticking clock (24-hours)
  • Locations:
    • Grand vistas and exotic venues
    • Takes reader on an adventurous tour
• Tropes: Uses key elements to emphasize the storyline.
  • Art and Artists
  • Symbols
  • Landmarks
  • Secrets and Hidden Societies
  • Science and Technology
  • Good versus Evil versus Moral Ambiguities
  • Ancient History

Consider How Genres Serve as Storytelling Portals

Some critics dismissed Brown’s novels as simplistic and formulaic writing. However, this quote from Robert McKee’s book Story* sums up why the seven books capture the attention and praise of many readers.

As noted earlier, Brown modeled his ‘storytelling power’ on The Doomsday Conspiracy, written by Sidney Sheldon.

Sheldon ignored his critics while banking enviable book sales, and in his candid memoir, The Other Side of Me*, he wrote:

A focus on satisfying and then exceeding the expectations of readers can work for you, too!

What Does Your Story World Look Like?

I invite you to explore the premise that genres are portals to your story world.

Researching your primary genre is an investment in your writing, one that I believe will generate many ongoing dividends. Your chosen genres include many variables, and each can influence sales. For example, here are my observations based on researching thrillers:

• Titles: Most titles are short, and frequently one to three words.
• Cover Images, Colors, and Fonts: The book cover images lean toward realistic, often featuring mysterious individuals, intriguing settings, or both. The colors evoke a visceral response. Most covers use large, block styled fonts without serifs.
• Sales Page and Blurb: The book blurbs make it clear the audience will need to buckle up for a thrilling read.
• Categories: Amazon breaks down novels into kindle and printed books, and then further divides and even subdivides by many categories. Here are several categories assigned to Dan Brown’s books. These linked categories will give you a glimpse of current bestselling books, including their titles and covers.
  • Techno Thrillers Kindle
  • Espionage Thrillers Books
  • Historical Thrillers Kindle
  • Conspiracy Thrillers Kindle
  • Action Thrillers Fiction
  • Political Thrillers & Suspense

Conclusion: Choose Genres and Do Your Research

While I recommend Publisher Rocket, you can research genres without the app.

Here’s the rub. Doing the research without the app will take you much longer. Still, you won’t regret gaining an understanding of how genres help you satisfy and then exceed readers’ expectations.

After all, genres are the portals to your story world!

*Please refer to our disclaimer regarding affiliate links, but don’t worry because you won’t have to pay one penny more and we only recommend apps we use and books we read.

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