Find your non-fiction genre

Where will your book sit? Remember your first step in non-fiction writing is to be clear on your genre. Find your main genre and subgenre from the list below.

Please note most books can sit in a number of these categories so identify all the ones it could fit into. When you actually list your book you can choose 2.

I have put a list below but I am also going to recommend you get onto Amazon. Look with the eyes of a writer (not a buyer)

Get onto the menu for books (left hand side) and really investigate the categories.

Open the sub-menus of each genre .. how tightly can you niche your book?

BELOW ARE THE WAYS AMAZON LISTS ITS NON-FICTION. Where will your book sit?

Arts & Photography

Architecture

Art

Dance

Fashion

Graphic Design

Individual Artists

Music

Performing Arts

Photography

Theater

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Ethnic & National

Historical

LGBT

Leaders & Notable People

Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Reference & Collections

Sports & Outdoor

Travel

True Crime

Women

Business & Investing

Accounting

Biography & History

Business Life

Economics

Education & Reference

Entrepreneurship & Small Business

Finance

Green Business

Industries

International

Investing

Job Hunting & Careers

Management & Leadership

Marketing & Sales

Organizational Behavior

Personal Finance

Real Estate

Skills

Taxation

Technology

Women & Business

Children's Nonfiction

Animals

Arts & Music

Computers

History

People & Places

Philosophy

Politics & Government

Reference

Religions

Science

Nature & How It Works

Sports & Activities

Computers & Technology

Cooking

Baking

Canning & Preserving

Cooking by Ingredient

Culinary Arts & Techniques

Drinks & Beverages

Gastronomy

Meals

Natural Foods

Outdoor Cooking

Professional Cooking

Quick & Easy

Reference

Regional & International

Special Appliances

Special Diet

Special Occasions

Vegan & VegetariaN

Food & Wine Crafts

Hobbies & Home

Antiques & Collectibles

Crafts & Hobbies

Gardening & Horticulture

Home Design

How-to & Home Improvements

Interior Design

Education & Reference

Engineering & Transportation

Health Fitness & Dieting

Addiction & Recovery

Alternative Medicine

Beauty

Grooming

& Style

Counseling & Psychology

Death & Grief

Diets & Weight Loss

Diseases & Physical Ailments

Exercise & Fitness

Nutrition

Personal Health

Reference

Relationships

Safety & First Aid

Sex

Sports Health & Safety

Teen Health

History

 Economic History

 Historical Biographies

 Military History

 Pictorials

 Religious History

 Revolutions

Law

Literary Criticism & Theory

Self-Help

Creativity

Eating Disorders & Body Image

Happiness

Inner Child

Journal Writing

Memory Improvement

Motivational

Personal Transformation

Self-Esteem

Spiritual

Stress Management

Politics & Social Sciences

Science

Weddings

Sports

Travel

Food

Lodging & Transportation

Pictorial

Reference

Specialty Travel

Travel Writing

Africa

Asia

Australia & South Pacific

Canada

Caribbean

Central & South America

Europe

Middle East

Polar Regions

United States

Medical eBooks

Administration & Policy

Allied Health Professions

Alternative & Holistic

Basic Science

Dentistry

Diseases

Education & Training

Internal Medicine

Nursing

Pharmacology

Physician & Patient

Reference

Reproductive Medicine & Technology

Research

Specialties

Special Topics

Veterinary Medicine

Parenting & Relationships

Adoption

Aging Parents

Family Activities

Family Health

Family Relationships

Fertility

Literature Guides

Parenting

Reference

Special Needs

HYBRID

Expert to consumer

This is one of the biggest genres. These books are not memoirs but ‘how to’ book written by experts who want to share a process

Expert (General): You can be a sales expert, business or life coach, yoga teacher, car mechanic, business shaman .…. But the difference here with a non-expert is important…. You are sharing your story but you are also sharing processes, techniques, recommendations or solutions to the ‘layman’. This can be a workbook or straight non-fiction

Glassmaking for Dummies, Tim Noaks, The Dukan Diet, Clear your Clutter, How to Win Friends and Influence People