Quote:
Originally Posted by GraceKrispy
. Genre is for people who really only like certain types of books, imo.
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Actually it's more likely an aid for the bookstore's if you think about it. For example suppose that books weren't divided up by genre in a big book store like Waldenbooks (I've been in one in a nearby mall) and someone was looking for the new Tom Clancy or Stephen King book. If the store is very large they might have to look for quite awhile before finding the right author. But if they know to look in the Horror section or the Action section (not sure which genre Clancy is) then they just have to look at the C's or K's of that section to find the right author. And bookstores can better tell what they have in stock if they know that the Science Fiction or Mystery section is getting a bit thin just by looking and not having to inventory every single book every time they turn around. Genre also helps to focus the story since Mysteries usually involve a murder and Science Fiction involves futuristic inventions etc. so the author's know better what to write about for their stories. And the promotional stuff that publishers do is easier to focus I imagine if they know it's a Mystery or a Horror story or etc. Granted it helps the reader find the books that they enjoy reading but genre is so much more than just that.