Writing a book is one of the most rewarding things you can do, but it can also be intimidating. If you’re like me, when inspiration hits, all you want to do is write and not think about marketing or editing or any of that stuff.
However, if you want your book to get read by people other than yourself (and who doesn’t?), then you need some guidance on how to format it properly so that it’s ready for publication! Here’s a list of 55 types of books every writer must write before they die:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Diversify Your Portfolio: Experiment with various genres like fantasy, mystery, romance, and non-fiction to showcase your versatility as a writer. |
| 2. Challenge Your Skills: Try your hand at different writing styles such as short stories, micro fiction, and novellas to expand your capabilities. |
| 3. Explore Unconventional Narratives: Venture into unconventional narrative structures like nonlinear storytelling or epistolary formats for a unique touch. |
| 4. Tackle Non-Fiction Topics: Consider writing non-fiction books like self-help, memoirs, or educational texts to share your knowledge and experiences. |
| 5. Engage with Different Audiences: Write for different age groups and demographics, from children’s books to young adult novels and even senior-focused content. |
| 6. Contribute to Anthologies: Collaborate with fellow writers on anthologies or compilations that allow you to explore various themes and perspectives. |
| 7. Mix Fiction with Reality: Blend fiction and reality by incorporating personal anecdotes, historical events, or cultural references into your fictional works. |
| 8. Embrace Experimentation: Don’t shy away from experimenting with new writing techniques, genres, or formats to keep your creativity flowing. |
| 9. Leave a Literary Legacy: Aim to leave a lasting impact on the literary world by contributing diverse and meaningful works to the literary canon. |
| 10. Stay Open to Inspiration: Stay receptive to inspiration from everyday life, dreams, news, and experiences that can lead to unique book ideas. |
Non-Fiction
Non-fiction books are the best way to share your expertise with the world. With a little bit of research, almost anyone can write a book that helps others learn about their craft.
The best part is that non-fiction readers will read your book: they need what you have to say! Once you’ve finished writing, marketing your book is easy – all it takes is a little bit of social media savvy and some personal connections.
However, writing this type of book isn’t as easy as it sounds. It requires planning, expertise in your subject matter, time management skills, and patience (you’ll spend more time editing than writing).
But if done right, there’s no better way to reach an audience with practical information they can use every day and become an expert yourself in the process!
Looking to take your creative plunge but not sure where to start? Explore our comprehensive guide on ways to get your creative plunge off the ground for actionable strategies to kickstart your creative journey.
Fiction
Whether you’re writing a novel or a short story, fiction is a good way to explore your life experiences and use them as inspiration. In this case, “your life experience” could mean anything from growing up in South Africa to being kidnapped by ninjas.
If you’ve written non-fiction and are ready to switch things up, here are some things to consider:
What kind of book do I want this to be? Are there any specific rules or genres that will help me shape my content? For example, horror stories must have at least one murder scene or ghost in every chapter.
It’s also important to think about what other types of books have been written by other authors within the same genre what do they have that I don’t? What can I add that will make my work stand out?
Who is my audience? Do they like sci-fi romance novels about vampires who travel through time on motorcycles during the apocalypse while solving mysteries with their friends who are all detectives working for the FBI?
But also secretly trying not just to stop crime but to prevent it from ever happening which means learning how exactly to get rid of all weapons.
Because if everyone had guns then no one would ever die anyway unless maybe there was some sort of nuclear war which luckily our heroes prevent from happening too!!
Graphic Novel
A graphic novel is a comic book that tells a story using text, drawings, and other images. Some of the best-known graphic novels include “Watchmen,” “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Asterix” and “The Adventures of Asterix.”
Graphic novels are an excellent way to get children excited about reading because they combine images with words in an appealing format that can result in fascinating stories.
They’re also great for reluctant readers who may be intimidated by books with too many words or intimidating themes.
If you’ve ever thought about writing a book but were put off by the thought of having to write long paragraphs full of dialogue, consider creating a graphic novel instead!
Crafting a compelling short story involves careful consideration of various elements. Our article on things to consider when writing a short story provides valuable insights and tips to help you create impactful narratives.
Magazine Feature
What Is A Magazine Feature?
A magazine feature is a piece of journalism that’s typically between 1,500 and 2,500 words in length. It’s often focused on a particular topic or person.
A great example of this would be a profile of someone you admire who they are, where they came from, and what makes them tick. Below are some tips for writing your magazine feature:
How Do I Write A Magazine Feature?
You need to have an understanding of who your audience is and what they want to read. Try to pick an angle that hasn’t already been done within your niche; don’t just regurgitate the same story over and over again!
The more original you can make it, the better chance you have at standing out from other writers in your industry who are also writing similar types of articles (and thus competing against each other).
If there isn’t already something out there like what you’re planning on doing then go ahead and jump right into things by getting started right away!
Don’t wait around until something comes along before acting upon any ideas; take advantage when opportunities arise instead because these may not always be available later down the road.”
Essay
Essays are a form of non-fiction, but they are not necessarily informative or objective. Essays are often personal and subjective since they’re written from the perspective of an individual.
Essays can also be about any number of topics: fashion, animals, politics you name it!
Essays often take the form of narrative or argumentative writing (or both), so they may include a story that’s told as if it were fact or go into detail about why you feel some way about a certain topic.
Micro fiction is an art that requires precision and creativity. Dive into our tips for writing micro fiction that resonates with your audience to master the craft of conveying powerful stories in a limited word count.
Humor Book
You can write a humor book about anything, and it’s not difficult to do. Think of the most embarrassing things that have happened to you or your family or anything that would make people laugh.
You could write about living with an overly critical mother and father.
Or maybe the first time you went on a date and tried to kiss her, but she didn’t want to kiss back so she pushed away from me and said “Stop!” in front of everyone at school!
Or how about when my friend took off his shirt in front of everyone when we were at the beach? It was awful because some girls started laughing hysterically at him because they thought he had a disease or something.
Memoir
Memoir is a literary genre that is based on the author’s own experiences or recollections of those experiences. Memoirs are often written by politicians, celebrities, or other public figures who wish to share their life stories with their fans and readers.
Memoirs can be non-fiction or fiction; they may be factual, partially fictionalized, or completely fictional memoirs. Many famous and popular memoirists choose to write about events from long ago in their past lives that have stayed with them for many years or even decades afterward.
Some people prefer to write about what happened during a specific period in their lives (for instance: “the summer I worked at my first job”) while others prefer to write more episodically: “this happened one day when I was walking down the street…and then this happened…”
Embark on a journey of imagination with our collection of fantasy writing prompts and creative writing ideas. These prompts will ignite your creativity and help you weave captivating tales set in fantastical worlds.
Personal Blog
A blog is a website that hosts regular posts, or “blog posts.” Most blogs have a home page where you can see all of the latest blog posts in reverse chronological order. Blogs are usually updated on some kind of schedule daily, weekly, or monthly. It’s up to you how often you post!
On top of that, there’s no limit to what you can write about on your blog. Some people use their blog as a journal of sorts: they write about their daily lives and experiences as an outlet for creativity and self-expression.
Others use their blogs as repositories for knowledge: they share research findings or information about their industry so readers can learn from them (and perhaps hire them).
Sometimes people use their blogs as marketing tools or outreach platforms: they write about products or services they’re passionate about hoping it will encourage other people who share those interests to visit the company website or give feedback through social media.
Regardless of how creative or informative, your posts are though, writing regularly even if only once every few months will help keep readers coming back!
Television Script
If you’re a screenwriter, chances are you’ve had to write a few television scripts in your day. But what exactly is a television script?
How does it differ from other types of writing that you might be doing? What’s the difference between a television script and a movie script? And how does it compare to stage plays or radio plays?
These questions may have crossed your mind before—and we’ll address all of them right now!
Movie Script
A movie script is a written work that describes a series of scenes that can be filmed. A script is written in narrative form, and it is the blueprint for a movie. The writer’s job is to create dialogue and action that will translate into the compelling cinema on screen.
Scripts are very different from screenplays; scripts are written in the first person while screenplays are written in the third person (unless they’re adapted).
Ready to broaden your literary horizons? Discover the diverse and exciting types of books you must write before you die to challenge your writing skills and leave a lasting mark on the world of literature.
Stage Play
A stage play is a script for a play that is intended to be performed by actors on a stage. It usually consists of three acts, written in prose, not verse. The drama may be presented before an audience or read privately, as part of its production process.
In the United Kingdom and the United States, it is common to find them in book form from public libraries.
Stage plays are often written in the first person; i.e., they reflect what one character thinks about their situation or about other characters’ situations (as opposed to the third-person narrative which reflects what everyone thinks).
Radio Play
A radio play is like a play that you listen to on the radio. A single person performs all of the characters, who deliver their lines to each other in real-time. Radio plays are often shorter than movies or TV shows, and they must be written with less dialogue than a book due to the limitations of time and space on the airwaves.
Unlike books or films, which can be viewed by many people at once, listening alone requires an intimate relationship between listener and speaker.
Poetry Collection
Poetry is a very subjective form of writing, so you must know what you want to write about before you start. Poetry is often composed of themes that are personal, political, or cultural.
You can write poetry about love and loss; joy and sadness; anger and peace; etc. It’s important to keep in mind that each poem has its meaning behind it — you need to have an idea of what you’re trying to say with each line before sitting down on the page.
Poetry can be used as an outlet for all kinds of emotions: happiness, sadness, anger…it doesn’t matter! As long as it comes from within yourself (or someone else), then it counts!
Poems are often written by people who have experienced something in life and want others out there reading them so they can relate their experiences too — this helps us learn more about ourselves as individuals through someone else’s eyes.”
Children’s Book (Picture Book)
A picture book is a type of book that is usually aimed at children. It contains illustrations and often tells a story. Picture books often contain rhyming text, which helps young readers to remember the words more easily.
A picture book can be written for any age group, but generally speaking, they are written for children who are between the ages of two and seven years old. Picture books can also be written for babies as well as toddlers or preschoolers.
Children’s Book (Chapter Book)
Children’s books (or chapter books) are a special type of book. Unlike adult books, children’s books have a different structure and vocabulary.
They also have different illustrations and story arcs, as well as characters with unique personalities and attributes that make them stand out from other types of books such as non-fiction or poetry.
Children’s books usually focus on one or two main themes: friendship, honesty, or bravery but there are many more topics you could write about if you wanted to! When writing for this audience, think about what would interest kids in your genre (e.g., fairy tales).
Then consider how they would react to certain situations if they have placed in them themselves what kind of emotions would they feel?
Also, consider their age group when writing dialogue; younger readers might be able to relate better than older ones because they’re closer in age!
Young Adult Novel
You should write a young adult novel because they’re really fun to read.
Young adult books are usually written for readers between the ages of 12 and 18, but they can also be enjoyed by adults.
Although young adult novels can be classified into many genres, like mystery or romance, they often have one thing in common: they’re more accessible to their target audience than adult novels.
This means that young adults can relate better to the characters and storylines than most adults would be able to do with an adult book!
Historical Biography Of A Well-Known Character. (Queen Elizabeth I, Joan Of Arc, Ben Franklin, Etc.)
Your Name: The title of the book and the year it was published should be enough for most readers to identify who you are talking about without including your full name in the title.
However, if this were an article on Wikipedia or some other information source that lists information about thousands of people, then using your full name would be essential.
Publisher/Year Published: Include this information so readers can easily find out where they can purchase or otherwise access your book online and offline if available locally!
If you list this information right after “Your Name” then someone looking up your name on Google will see both at once instead of having to scroll down quite far (or click through several pages) before finding out where else they could get their hands on one!
Also, remember that not everyone has access to these services so make sure they include them somewhere within their home town too! – Number Of Pages:
This is important because some people don’t have time for long novels while others want something short but sweet before bedtime each night . . .
This means we need somewhere between 100-150 pages before our eyes start getting tired from staring too long at screens 🙂 For example’s sake let’s say someone reads 200 pages per sitting with 20 minutes between each page flip.”
Historical Biography Of An Under-Recognized Person
Historical biography is a work of nonfiction that focuses on the life of a person with an emphasis on historical events, people, and culture.
It is typically written by a scholar or author with expert knowledge of the subject, who has done extensive research and interviews with people who knew the figure in question. (For example The Autobiography of George Washington.)
Historically under-recognized figures are those whose stories have not been told often enough or told well enough to reach popular consciousness; they may be more obscure than other famous figures but still have relevance to our understanding of history.
These include women, people from minority groups, and members from historically disadvantaged classes such as slaves or indentured servants; cultural groups without their own countries (like Native Americans);
Ordinary citizens like farmers or artisans; authors who died before their works were widely published; scientists whose discoveries were overshadowed by others;
Inventors whose patents lapsed before their inventions helped change society; musicians who composed great works but died penniless after being forgotten by history for decades…the list goes on!
If you’re looking for inspiration when it comes time to write your next great narrative, consider choosing one of these types over all others:
Contemporary Biography Of A Well-Known Character. (A Celebrity, Politician, Etc.)
This is the book that everyone has on their bucket list. You’re going to write about one of your heroes or someone you have a passion for and make it into a book!
The research involved will be extensive and you will need to get as close as possible to being in the room where it happened with this person.
If there are scandals surrounding them or something you feel needs addressing then this is your chance to speak out and tell your side of things while they still live so they can respond if they want to. It could take years to write but if you do it right then there’s no way anyone else will tell this story better than you would!
Downsides: The risk involved in writing about someone who is still alive may be too much for some writers.
So consider carefully whether or not the potential rewards are worth taking such risks with their feelings before deciding whether or not becoming a biographer might be right for yourself.
Conclusion
Now that you know the different types of books you can write, it’s time to start writing! Your first step should be defining your audience and understanding their wants and needs.
Once you do this, it will be much easier for you to decide which type of book would work best for your readership.
Further Reading
For an extensive list of must-read books, check out 105 Books You Must Read Before You Die to broaden your literary horizons.
Discover a curated selection of the best books to read in a lifetime with insights from various genres at Best Books to Read in a Lifetime.
Explore a compilation of impactful literary works with 10 Books You Must Read Before You Die to enrich your reading journey.
FAQs
What are the benefits of reading diverse genres?
Diversifying your reading genres can expand your perspective, enhance your empathy, and stimulate your creativity by exposing you to different viewpoints and storytelling styles.
How do I choose books that resonate with me?
Choosing books that resonate with you involves considering your interests, preferences, and current mood. Exploring recommendations, reviews, and summaries can help you make informed choices.
Can reading enhance my cognitive abilities?
Yes, reading has been linked to cognitive benefits such as improved vocabulary, critical thinking, and analytical skills. Regular reading can also help enhance memory and concentration.
How can I make time for reading in a busy schedule?
Allocating dedicated time for reading, such as during commutes or before bedtime, can help you incorporate reading into your routine. Setting reading goals and minimizing distractions can also aid in consistent reading.
Are there any techniques for retaining what I read?
Active reading techniques, such as summarizing chapters, taking notes, and discussing the material with others, can aid in comprehension and retention of the content you read.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.