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Mainstream? Young Adult? Mystery? Literary? Romance? Science Fiction? Is your head spinning yet?

So many genres. So little time. But defining the different genres helps examine what type of book you'd prefer writing.

You can also look at the issue from the other side of the business. Each book publisher has a different set of needs. Unfortunately, many writers waste their time and postage sending their manuscripts and queries to the wrong publisher.

Not to say that you don't know the difference between Romance and Mystery. It's just that each definition covers a broad scope. By re-examining the publisher's needs as well as the genre you're submitting, avoiding the slush pile just became a little easier.

Use these genre explanations to help you write the next bestseller:

Mainstream
This type of novel is basically for a wide audience rather than targeting a specific reader like Romance. You could include coming-of-age, courtroom dramas, feminist novels and subjects dealing with physical or psychological problems in this category.

Science Fiction
Step into the future. What would life be like if we all lived on Mars? What if test tube babies ruled the world? Are aliens real and living in Wyoming? Writing Sci-Fi is your chance to place science, technology and theories into our future.

Fantasy
If you prefer writing about dragons, witches and sorcerers, then Fantasy is right up your alley. This genre consists of a world of magic or alternate worlds.

Literary
Agents and publishers typically refer to Literary works as avant-garde and experimental. You'll also find classic styles brought back to life also qualify.

Erotic
As you probably guessed, this type is specifically about sex. Within this category you can go down the list of sexual preferences and further divide this genre into hard or soft core.

Maybe you'd like to write about how the West was really won. Two time frames to consider in this category. Most Westerns are set after the Civil War period. But you can also have Modern Westerns. And in the West, you'll find cowboys, Indians, lawmen, townspeople, etc. Women are also breaking new ground with a genre labeled as Women's Westerns.

Horror/Occult
Will people turn on all the lights in their house just to read your book? If you can hear those blood-curdling screams in your head, then you must be a Horror/Occult writer. Monsters, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other living dead or dead-dead all belong in these scary books.

Romance
These novels are mainly geared towards women. They usually involve sex but not as elaborate as the Erotic genre. Several subcategories fall into the Romance genre. There's Contemporary, which is a period piece. Gothic usually highlights an inexperienced girl living in an old house or castle. She's pursued by an evil man but is rescued by a handsome prince, so-to-speak. Historical Romances now include the Bodice-Ripper subgenre, where relations can get quite rough.

Action/Adventure/Thriller
You're mainly looking at a fast-paced novel. A hero. A villain. Both the hero and the villain are seeking the same goal. Most take place in an exotic setting.

Mystery
This genre also includes Crime, Detective and Caper novels. Most involve the crime of murder. Chapters are spent trying to solve the murder. Some of these just have crime. Breaking these categories down even further, you'll find clues, hard-boiled action or even romances within the story line in Detective and Mystery novels.

Young Adult
Publishers can break the Young Adult genre down into Sci-Fi, Thriller, Mystery, etc. The primary goal is to have a protagonist that's the same age as the intended audience. Young Adult usually ranges in ages from 12 to 18 and sometimes in the early 20s.

Understanding these different genres helps you focus on a specific group so you can become the next Judith Krantz, Stephen King, Judy Blume, John Grisham - no matter what you write!

Apryl Duncan is the founder of FictionAddiction.NET. She's also an author, freelance writer and workshop instructor with more than 15 years experience writing professionally. Her work has been published worldwide and has been translated into nine different languages.