Why Effective Storytelling is More Important than Genre Labels

Book genres are a way to group stories with similar elements and themes, and identify books in the distribution and sales process. A book's genre will affect where it is placed in a bookstore or how it is categorized online. The genre label can also impact reader expectations. Readers of contemporary romance or thrillers expect certain elements or characteristics to be present in a story that is categorized under these labels. While some writers identify their desired genre early on in the writing...