audience

3 Ways to Research the Genre You’re Writing

July 24, 2026 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

If you are a writer, chances are you hope to get some readers—and a lot of them. Of course, gaining a reader following involves many steps, but one of the very first comes down to knowing who your readers will be—even before you’ve started writing.

Successful writers know their readers. They are familiar with their readers’ particular desires regarding plotline, character development, tropes, etc. And successful writers write books that fulfill their readers’ wants while also adding unique and thrilling angles.

But, you might ask, why write the same as what has already been written? Why not break the rules of the genre or create my own?

It all comes down to reader expectation. If a reader is expecting one thing and receives another, you can bet that they won’t be pleased when they close the book. Let’s say I pick up a book that claims to be a cozy romance, but the love interest leaves in the end. A tragedy is not what I was expecting, and my (negative) review of the book would reflect that.

Furthermore, if readers don’t know what to expect in the first place, they likely won’t even open the book. Most readers know what genres they like and will be looking for books that fall into those genres. If there’s not a clear genre represented, very few will pick the book up. This is why New Adult Fiction is struggling to gain hold—merely because readers (and writers) haven’t yet nailed down what it entails.

Thus, fulfilling reader expectations is a large part of creating a successful story.

To pull the appropriate readers in, you must know the main qualities of your book’s genre and employ similar structural elements and techniques. So, how do you find out what your reader expectations are? Here are three steps to research your planned genre.

1. Read at least five books in your genre—or, better yet, your subgenre.

Once you have your great idea for a story, it’s time to start reading. Research what genre your idea falls under and then check out as many books in that genre as you can. The more specific you can nail down your genre, the better. For example, instead of just reading five books in science fiction, find five books in your subgenre of science fiction, whether that be time travel, alien invasion, space opera, or any of the other many subgenres.

If I were to write a post-apocalyptic dystopia, one subgenre out of the long list of sci-fi subgenres, I would read books like these:

The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Atom Bomb Baby by Brandon Gillespie
Divergent by Veronica Roth
1984 by George Orwell

As you compare the five books you’ve chosen, write down common traits you notice between all of them, such as the tropes that appear over and over (e.g., a hero with a sidekick or love at first sight), the pacing of the plot (e.g., how long it takes to build up the story or get through the climax), or the resolution at the end (e.g., happy ending or cliffhanger).

You can also learn from the differences between the books you read. How did each book make itself unique? Did those unique aspects still stick to genre expectations? If they didn’t, was there a purpose or message behind any step out of expectations?

The more books you can read in your subgenre, the better, but five should give a starting scope for your genre.

2. Read the three most recent bestsellers in your book’s genre.

Now that you’ve read five general books in your genre, you have a good idea of plot and character expectations. Next, focus on reading the most recent bestsellers of that genre. Find the top three and sit down to take notes.

To continue studying post-apocalyptic dystopia, I might choose the current bestsellers on Amazon:

Sponsored Apocalypse by Blaise Corvin
First Necromancer by Coldfang89
Walk the Vanished Earth by Erin Swan

Just like you did in the first exercise, note what similarities these three books have as well as what differences. Do you see anything noticeable between the new releases compared to the books that you read before?

Reading three recent bestsellers will give you the most insight into what readers want right now. Trends change quickly, and what may have been popular for a genre ten years ago could be out of style today. Pay attention to the tropes used, characters depicted, and storyline developments.

Consider the vampire character over the past fifteen years. After Twilight came out, vampires became huge in romance (not thrillers). Eventually, though, the vampire craze started to fizzle out, and a new shift in how vampires are portrayed is putting them back in genres other than romance.

Changes in the market can happen fast, and making sure your book keeps up with the current bookscape will make it much more likely for a publisher or buyer to pick it up. Even better, you may be able to predict what readers will want in the next few years. For example, AI has been an interesting subject in many sci-fi books, but now that it’s in the real world, it will likely start showing up in all sorts of genres outside of science fiction.

3. Read a classic and compare it with a new release.

Finally, as a last exercise, you can choose two books to compare: one from the classics of your genre—a book that has withstood the test of time and is considered worthy of literary critique—and a new release of your choosing (preferably one with high ratings).

Of my chosen genre, here are two that I might compare:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Extinction Trials by A.G. Riddle

It’s highly likely that you will notice significant differences in the writing style of the two books, which can give you an idea of how to incorporate both a timeless feel to your story as well as a new and trendy tone. Mark down the aspects of the classic story that you think still stand as strong, worthy elements of your genre, and then list ways the newest book either adds to those elements or involves new writing tools.

After such a thorough study of your readers’ expectations, you can now write or revise your book, knowing that you are fully prepared with the knowledge of your genre. Pulling common themes from all of the books you have read and incorporating those themes into your story will ensure that your readers stay satisfied as they read your unique and inspiring tale.After such a thorough study of your readers’ expectations, you can now write or revise your book, knowing that you are fully prepared with the knowledge of your genre. Pulling common themes from all of the books you have read and incorporating those themes into your story will ensure that your readers stay satisfied as they read your unique and inspiring tale.

We would like to thank Christina Crosland and our friends at Ever Editing for allowing us to share this article with you. To read the other great articles they’ve written, click here.

Christina Crosland

Editor

Christina’s editing experience started as an academic writing tutor over ten years ago. Since then, she’s helped both nonfiction and fiction writers with developmental edits, line edits, copyedits, proofreads, typesetting, and cover design. She’s been published in international magazines and has edited for a world-wide organization. She has a BA in humanities with an emphasis in foreign literature and a minor in editing. She loves being right-brained, homeschooling her daughters, and cuddling with her cats.

How to Find Your Golden Idea

February 21, 2025 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

One of my favorite quotes comes from business magnate Richard Branson: “The best businesses are built by solving a real problem that people have.” A great place to start is to ponder on this statement and let it brew in your creative mind until you’ve formed a list of problems. Then you can brainstorm potential solutions. Some solutions may ease the problem while others temporarily numb it. The idea that comes closest to completely and permanently fixing the problem is the golden foundation on which to build your business.

I had a problem effectively keeping a journal while serving an LDS mission in the Philippines. I was having great experiences, but on some days I couldn’t find the motivation, time, or even willingness to record them in my journal. It felt like a very mundane task, so I found ways to make it more fun. I decided to break up my records into several different journals. In one I would record memories about my companions so I wouldn’t forget the small details that made them unique. In another journal, I would dedicate a few pages to each transfer, highlighting the best moments from that area. A tradition on my mission was to give notes and pictures to other missionaries when they went home. I had nowhere to store all these wonderful and creative cards, so I kept a third journal where I would glue or staple them onto the pages. Though it was a lot to store, I soon found joy in journaling. It even became something I looked forward to every day. Fast forward a few years after my mission and I had my idea: to create a journal for missionaries that would allow them to do everything I did all in a single journal.

Identify Your (Small and Specific) Audience

Now that you have a potential solution to a problem, you have a business idea. It’s time to figure out who this idea best serves. It may be tempting to assume that the bigger your market, the better, but there’s actually power in starting with a smaller and more specific audience. According to We Can Track, conversion rates for niche e-commerce sites are 29% higher than broad markets, and niche websites experience 53% more user engagement than general topic sites. The more specific your audience, the easier it will be to speak to them and learn from them.

I asked, Is there real demand for my business/product idea? Before going all in, it’s important to know what the demand level looks like. I wanted to know if other returned missionaries struggled with journaling while they were in the field. How many of them even purchased a journal for their mission? How satisfied were they with their journal? What would make my audience more satisfied?

Once Identified, Master Your Audience

You can never know too much about your audience. The better you understand them, the better you’ll be able to serve them. Here are some strategies:

Create surveys. Post these surveys on social media groups and send them to friends and anyone else in your small and specific audience. Be prepared to provide an incentive for them to take these surveys. My first survey got me thirty responses. With my second survey, I offered two $10 gift cards to two random participants, and the $20 investment got me over 250 responses. The incentive drove people who took the survey to ask their friends and family to take it as well. Be sure to include questions to verify how well each respondent fits into your audience. I knew to value the answers of respondents who served missions and purchased a journal more than those who didn’t serve missions or didn’t prioritize purchasing a journal, and I couldn’t have distinguished that if I hadn’t asked.
Make a focus group. Once I had a sample of my product, I wanted to see my audience’s reaction. The feedback was brutal, but I knew as long as I was growing in knowledge of who my audience was and what they wanted, I was winning. This data taught me to take myself out of the equation and focus on what my audience cared about. The two focus groups I used provided me with the additional information I needed to make a more refined version of my product that my audience overwhelmingly approved. A business or product idea often begins with what you want it to be, but it should then progress and develop into what your audience wants it to be.

Once Mastered, Build Your Audience

You don’t have to wait for your business to be off the ground before building an audience. If your business is a landscaping service, try starting a social media page with beautiful before-and-after landscaping photos. If your business is selling a product to an LDS audience, try starting a blog centered on topics that the audience may find engaging. This way, come launch time, you’ve already built a community that you can continue to nurture—hopefully for years to come!

Build Your Idea and Find a Supplier

Using the data learned from your audience, begin the building process. I used tools to design journal pages and components such as Adobe, Canva, and other sites to find template inspirations.

Do your due diligence in finding a good manufacturer. A popular platform that I prefer to use is Alibaba. After speaking with over fifty manufacturers on the app, here are some things I’d recommend you prioritize:

Experience. Find their profile or website and ensure they have years of experience working with sellers.
Verification. Find suppliers who are verified by third-party companies. This reduces the risk of anything going wrong.
Reviews. Find out how others who worked with the supplier felt about the service.

Many suppliers offer good deals if you order in large quantities. I recommend starting small and then building out. I began with a modest order of 100 copies. This allowed me to test the waters and see if the demand level was accurate without being left with too many extra copies and a nonexistent audience. Once the data in our sales numbers verified the demand level, I ordered a greater quantity.

Misconceptions That Keep You Stagnant

You don’t need a huge team to start. You will need to wear a couple of different hats, but it only takes one person to turn an idea into a business. With the help of services like Fiverr, it’s even easier to start without a big team.
You don’t need a lot of money to start. My wife and I used funds from donating plasma to start our small business, and because we started with a smaller supply quantity, it didn’t take much capital to launch.
You don’t have to succeed in order to win. The fear of failing or making a stupid mistake is what has previously kept me from giving any business venture a try. But I hope this quote by Henry Ford helps any reader as much as it helped me. It reads, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” Your first business idea may not be the one that brings the most revenue, but as long as you are learning something, you are winning.

Junior Germain

In addition to operating a small business with his wife, Junior works as the head of the marketing and sales department at a real estate marketing agency based in Utah. He graduated from BYU-Idaho with degrees in Marketing and Communications, and welcomed his first child a few months ago.