Every story on Radish needs to have a genre and subgenre before you can hit "publish."

Your genre is the main category you'd attribute your story to (ie: romance, fantasy, YA). The subgenre gets more specific (ie: YA horror, romantic comedy, historical romance).

To help provide more context, we’ve also included some example books, movies, and tv shows to help illustrate other content with the same subgenre to best help you determine where your story fits best.

Romance Subgenres

Romantic Comedy: The central relationship(s) are explored with a humorous, lighthearted or fanciful tone.

Examples: My Best Friend's Wedding, Crazy Rich Asians, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, There's Something About Mary, When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, 10 Things I Hate About You

Contemporary Romance: Set in modern times, or the very near past. The course of the relationship and trappings of the story are in line with the world the reader lives in.

Examples: A Walk To Remember, The Vow, Love Actually, The Notebook, Blue Valentine

Dark Romance: A romance that deals with terrifying, desolate or scary/unnerving themes as an influence on the central relationship.

Examples: Dracula, Crimson Peak, The Phantom of the Opera, Nosferatu, Eyes Wide Shut, Cruel Intentions

Fantasy Romance: The relationship is set against - and enhanced or propelled by - a world where fantastical, non-scientifically ruled properties are the norm (magic, creatures, etc).

Examples: Stardust, The Shape of Water, Twilight, The Lakehouse, Practical Magic, The Time Traveler's Wife

Historical Romance: Set in a past time, where elements of that time period - customs, language, etc - influence the work.

Examples: Brokeback Mountain, Titanic, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, The English Patient, Gone with the Wind, Anna Karenina, Bridgerton

Erotic Romance: Sexual interaction and explicit sexuality is key to the story, and depicted frankly. However, unlike Late Night, sex is not the main focus of the story.

Examples: 50 Shades of Grey, Blue is the Warmest Color, Bound, Secretary, 9 1/2 Weeks, The Piano Teacher

Late Night: Essentially, pure sex. The focus of the story is on sex and sexual interactions, with little focus on romantic developments, character or plot.

New Adult Romance: The central relationship involves one or both parties in their 20s, where the complications of new adulthood play a large role in defining the romance.

Examples: Reality Bites, Friends with Benefits, Queen and Slim, The Last Summer, No Strings Attached, How To Be Single, Sleeping With Other People, The New Girl

Paranormal Romance: Mythical or supernatural creatures play a key role - and are often the (or part of) the central relationship.

Examples: Ghost, Warm Bodies, The Shape of Water, Twilight, Underworld, City of Angels

Religious Romance: Religious or spiritual beliefs - of the characters and influencing the characters - helps define the love story. Profanity and sexuality are usually avoid.

Examples: I Still Believe, Yentl, The Vow, A Walk to Remember, Fiddler on the Roof

Romantic Mystery: An investigation into unanswered questions plays a central role in the narrative, often undertaken by those in the (or developing a) romantic relationship.

Examples: The Janet Evanovich novels, The Lovebirds, Hart to Hart, Chinatown, The Tourist, The Bodyguard, Double Indemnity

Sci-Fi Romance: The relationship is set in the future or a reality with futuristic/scientifically plausible elements, and influenced by it. This can include aliens.

Examples: Arrival, Jupiter Ascending, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Her, Passengers, The Island, The Adjustment Bureau

Romantic Suspense: An investigation into unanswered questions plays a central role in the narrative, often undertaken by those in the (or developing a) romantic relationship. Can include more Thriller narratives as well - with a suspense driven plot with high stakes for those in the central relationship.

Examples: The Janet Evanovich novels, The Lovebirds, Hart to Hart, Sliver, The Handmaiden, The Tourist, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Charade, The Woman in the Window

Soap Opera: A serialized story marked by large casts, a focus on romance and family and larger-than-life situations and melodrama..

Examples: Melrose Place, Grey's Anatomy, Riverdale, Dynasty, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, Passions, The L Word, Pretty Little Liars

YA Romance: The main relationship is between teenage characters, and deals with coming-of-age type matters. Explicit sexuality is usually avoided.

Examples: The Fault in Our Stars, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Love, Simon, The Kissing Booth, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The Princess Diaries, Clueless

Fantasy Subgenres

Dark Fantasy: Stories with the intent to scare, terrify or thrill within a fantastical world. Overlaps with horror, but its main defining characteristic is it takes place in an unrealistic world.

Examples: Legend, Pan’s Labyrinth, Nosferatu, Crimson Peak, Edward Scissorhands, Underworld, Dracula

Erotic Fantasy: Explicit sexuality plays a large role in the narrative.

Examples: The Sleeping Beauty series by Anne Rice, Eyes Wide Shut, Crash, Blue is the Warmest Color, The Devils

Epic Fantasy: Features a sprawling world, a large struggle between good and evil, a large cast of characters and multiple installments. All epic fantasy is (usually) high fantasy, but not all high fantasy is epic fantasy.

Examples: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Witcher, A Knight's Tale, Snow White and the Huntsman

Fairy Tale: Often told from the point of view of a younger character, the main thrust of the story is about imparting a moral or a lesson.

Examples: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Repunzel

Fantasy Thriller: A work set in a fantastical world or with fantastical characters, but whose primary impact is to instill suspense in the reader.

Examples: The Old Guard, Death Note, The Time Traveler's Wife, Constantine, The Host, Jumper

Hard Fantasy: The most extreme version of high fantasy. Specifically, the details of the world are laid out in extreme, often lengthy, detail.

Examples: Game of Thrones; The Mistborn series; The Kingkiller chronicles series, Lord of the Rings, The Golden Compass, The Court of the Air

Historical Fantasy: Set in an actual historic period, but with fantastical elements (ex: The American Revolution where goblins fight alongside the colonists).

Examples: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, Outlander, The Fountain, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Paranormal Fantasy: Mythical creatures (werewolves, vampires, ghosts) feature heavily, or drive, the narrative.

Examples: True Blood, Twilight, Warm Bodies, The Lake House, Only Lovers Left Alive, The Host, The Curse of the Werewolf

Romantic Fantasy: Romantic relationships play a primary role in driving or shaping the narrative.

Examples: The Shape of Water, Love and Monsters, House of Earth and Blood, Stardust, The Princess Bride, Beauty and the Beast

Urban Fantasy: Set in a contemporary (or near contemporary) urban setting, but featuring fantastical elements (creatures, magic, etc).

Examples: Hellboy, Supernatural, Big Trouble in Little China, The Vampire Diaries, Shadowhunters, The Secret Circle, Midnight Texas, Bitten

YA Fantasy: A fantasy where the protagonists are teenagers/young adults and the story deals with their coming of age.

Examples: The Harry Potter series, The Percy Jackson series, Twilight, The Hunger Games, Beautiful Creatures, Fallen, Vampire Academy

Historical Subgenres

Historical Comedy: A humorous story set in the past.

Examples: Monty Python’s Life of Brian, The Favourite, Saun , The Importance of Being Earnest, Shakespeare in Love

Historical Erotica: Explicit sexuality plays a large role in the narrative.

Examples: The Handmaiden, The Tudors, The Affair of the Necklace, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Pillow Book, The Diaries of Miss Anne Lister

Historical Fantasy: Set in an actual historic period, but with fantastical elements (ex: The American Revolution where goblins fight alongside the colonists).

Examples: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, The Shape of Water, Tuck Everlasting, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Illusionist

Historical Mystery: The primary thrust of this story is a mystery set in a time period in the past.

Examples: The Alienist, Sherlock Holmes, The Woman in White, The Other Boleyn Girl, Rebecca

Historical Romance: The primary thrust of the story is a romance between two figures.

Examples: Bridgerton, Titanic, Pride and Prejudice, The English Patient, Out of Africa, Jane Eyre, Romeo + Juliet, Sense and Sensibility

Historical Saga: Follows a core group of characters - often a family - over a distinct, often multi-decade, period of time.

Examples: North and South; Pillars of the Earth; I, Claudius, Gone With the Wind, Doctor Zhivago, War and Peace

Western: Takes place in the American west from a period of the late 1700's to early 1900's

Examples: Unforgiven; High Noon; True Grit, The Big Country, Shane, Pride of the West, The Outlaw

Historical YA: The coming of age journey happens in the past

Examples: Anne of Green Gables, Catherine Called Birdy, Romeo + Juliet

Horror Subgenres

Comedy Horror: Horror stories with comedic or satirical overtones or moments.

Examples: Shaun of the Dead, The Dead Don’t Die, Beetlejuice, The Cabin in the Woods, Scary Movie, Lisa Frankenstein

Dark Fantasy: Stories with the intent to scare, terrify or thrill within a fantastical world. Overlaps with fantasy. For the purposes of here it's a fantasy horror story.

Examples: Legend, Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, Sleepy Hollow, The Crow, Ladyhawke

Erotic Horror: Horror that features explicit sexuality.

Examples: The Hunger, Crash, The Hunger, Thirst, The Devils, The Love Witch, Kiss of the Damned

Gothic Horror: Horror written in a literary style that features romance as a central plot element.

Examples: The Haunting of Hill House, Crimson Peak, most Edgar Allen Poe, Nosferatu, Dracula, The Skeleton Key, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Corpse Bride

Paranormal Horror: Uses non-scientific and unrealistic elements - most usually ghosts and monsters - to instill terror and fear.

Examples: Dracula, Godzilla, IT, Only Lovers Left Alive, The Lovers, Fight Night, Thirst

Psychological Horror: Uses mental or emotional states - of the characters and the reader - to instill terror or fear in said characters or the audience.

Examples: Get Out, Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, The Love Witch, Gone Girl, Carrie, The Stepford Wives, Mandy

Sci-Fi Horror: A terrifying story set against a futuristic or probable (i.e. scientifically based) reality different from our own.

Examples: Event Horizon, Alien, The Fly, Love and Monsters, Under the Skin, They Came from Within, A Quiet Place

YA Horror: The coming of age experience has a dark or terrifying element to it.

Examples: It Follows, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Fear Street Trilogy, The Craft, Beastly, Jennifer's Body

Mystery Subgenres

Comedy Mystery: Humor is an intentional, recurring characteristic of the mystery.

Examples: Knives Out, Janet Evanovich novels, The Pink Panther, Clue, Murder Mystery, The Lovebirds, I Want You Back, Game Night, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Cozy Mystery: Sex and violence occur off page, and the setting is frequently in a small, intimate community. Other common characteristics include broad supporting characters and focus on traditional, non-aggressive locales and activities.

Examples: Murder She Wrote, Murder She Baked, The Shop Around the Corner

Erotic Mystery: Explicit sex plays a large and recurring role in the narrative

Examples: Basic Instinct, Body Heat, Eyes Wide Shut, Chloe, The Last Seduction, The Voyeur, The Crush, Fatal Attraction

Historical Mystery: Mystery set in the past, where said era plays a heavy role, at least atmospherically.

Examples: The Alienist, Sherlock Holmes, Rebecca, The Illusionist, The Portrait of a Lady, The Girl with the Pearl Earring

Romantic Mystery: A love story between two people (one is often the detective/investigator) plays more than a tertiary role in the story.

Examples: Janet Evanovich, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Vertigo, Charade, While You Were Sleeping, The Big Sleep, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Paranormal Mystery: Supernatural creatures or phenomenon play a central role in the narrative.

Examples: The X-Files; Supernatural, Angel, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Somewhere in Time, Ghost, What Lies Beneath

Mystery Thriller: Tension and stakes remain throughout the story (not just the ending).

Examples: The Girl on the Train, Searching, Gone Girl, The Bodyguard, Out of Sight, The Tourist, Zodiac, Basic Instinct, Double Jeopardy, Tue Lies, The Prestige

YA Mystery: The teenager(s) in question deal with or solve a mystery.

Examples: Pretty Little Liars, The One of Us series, Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars, To All the Boys I've Ever Loved Before, 13 Reasons Why, Beautiful Creatures

New Adult Subgenres

New Adult Comedy: Humor defines the tone of the work.

Examples: Legally Blonde, 500 Days of Summer, 10 Things I Hate About You, No Strings Attached, There's Something About Mary, Pitch Perfect, The Sweetest Thing

Erotic New Adult: Explicit sexuality plays a large role in the story

Examples: Fifty Shades of Grey, After, The Voyeurs, Addicted, 365 Days, Cravings, White Girl

New Adult Fantasy: The protagonist's story takes place in a fantastical setting or with fantastical elements.

Examples: Wonder Woman (2017 movie), The Darkest Minds, A Discovery of Witches, Red Riding Hood

New Adult Historical: The protagonist's story takes place in the past.

Examples: Emma, Jane Eyre, Elizabeth, Outlander, Pride and Prejudice, Bridgerton, Wuthering Heights, Atonement, The Notebook

New Adult Horror: The protagonist's story, tonally, is intended to scare, thrill or terrify.

Examples: Midsommar, House of Wax, Teeth, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Skeleton Key, Truth or Dare, Blair Witch

New Adult Mystery: The protagonist gets wrapped up in a mystery of an investigation as part of the story.

Examples: Search Party, The Perfect Guy, Love, Simon, The Girl on the Train, Silence of the Lambs

New Adult Paranormal: The protagonist’s story involves, or is about, mythical creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc).

Examples: Warrior Nun, Supernatural, Beautiful Creatures, The Vampire Diaries, After, The Craft, The Spell

New Adult Romance: The protagonist's romantic life plays a substantive role in the story

Examples: Insecure, Reality Bites, How to be Single, After Everything, Purple Hearts, Drinking Buddies, Friends With Benefits

New Adult Sci-Fi: The protagonist's story plays against a fantastical setting that has a foundation in reality or scientific accuracy.

Examples: Fringe, The 100, The Circle, Passengers, Altered Carbon, Sense8, Safety Not Guaranteed, OA

Sci-Fi Subgenres

Hard Sci-Fi: Stories overly concerned with scientific accuracy and logic, often going into deep detail to describe it in the course of world building.

Examples: Most Isaac Asimov stories, Gattaca, Blade Runner, The Martian, Star Trek, Black Mirror

New Adult Sci-Fi: The trials and tribulations of new adulthood are described within a fantastical - but plausible - setting

Examples: Most Sarah J. Maas novels, Ready Player One, The 100, 3%, The Expanse, Her

Sci-fi Comedy: A humorous story set against a different - but scientifically plausible - reality.

Examples: Galaxy Quest, Downsizing, Men in Black, Futurama, Rick and Morty, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Sci-Fi Horror: A terrifying story set against a futuristic or probable (i.e. scienfitically based) reality different than our own.

Examples: Event Horizon, Alien, The Thing, Under the Skin, Splice, Possessor

Sci-Fi Romance: The relationship is set in the future or a reality with futuristic/scientifically plausible elements, and influenced by it. THis can include aliens.

Examples: Elements: Arrival, Jupiter Ascending, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, About Time, The Fountain

Space Western: The story details exploring new, sparsely populated frontiers

Examples: Cowboy Bebop, Battlestar Galactica, The Martian Chronicles, Westworld, Star Wars, Outland, Serenity

YA Sci-Fi: Coming of age experiences are told against - and influenced by - a futuristic and/or plausibly altered reality.

Examples: The 5th Wave, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Ready Player One, Ender's Game

Thriller Subgenres

Climate Thriller: The suspense comes from a ecologically based disaster (or impending disaster) and the protagonist(s) trying to prevent it or escape it.

Examples: The Day After Tomorrow, The Poseidon Adventure, 2012, Geostorm, Snowpiercer, IO, Mad Max

Conspiracy Thriller: The suspense comes from a protagonist(s) confronting a large, secretive organization or threat that the rest of the world remains unaware of.

Examples: 24, Dan Brown novels, Prison Break, Enemy of the State, The Matrix, The Bourne Identity, They Live

Crime Thriller: The suspense comes from crime - either committing it and evading capture or solving it in some capacity. Can include forensic thrillers.

Examples: No Country For Old Men, Traffic, Oceans 8, Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, Gone Girl, L.A. Confidential, The Usual Suspects

Erotic Thriller: The suspense comes from a number of factors, but overt sexuality plays a large role in the story

Examples: Wild Things, Basic Instinct, Body Heat, Fatal Attraction, Chloe, Deep Water

Fantasy Thriller: A work set in a fantastical world or with fantastical characters, but whose primary impact is to instill suspense in the reader.

Examples: The Old Guard, Death Note, Pan's Labyrinth, The Prestige, Doctor Strange, Winter's Tale

Legal Thriller: The suspense comes from the action in and around the courtroom and/or the particulars of working on the legal proceedings of a specific case

Examples: Most John Grisham novels (The Firm, The Pelican Brief), A Few Good Men, The Firm, Erin Brockovich, My Cousin Vinny, Anatomy of a Murder, Presumed Innocent

Medical Thriller: The suspense comes from a medical related calamity, and either preventing it or stopping it. Most frequently deals with viruses.

Examples: Outbreak, The Andromeda Strain, Coma, Contagion, Side Effects, Dead Ringers, Flatliners

Mystery Thriller: The suspense comes from the investigation of a mystery of some sort. Much more fast paced than a traditional mystery.

Examples: The Girl on the Train, Searching, Gone Girl, Zodiac, Memento, The Secret in Their Eyes

Paranormal Thriller: The suspense comes from fighting or dealing with a threat or crisis caused by a supernatural being or force of some kind.

Examples: The Sixth Sense, Paranormal Activity, The Others, The Ring, The Skeleton Key, Sinister, Insidious

Political Thriller: The suspense comes from a government related crisis, with the protagonist(s) needing to stop, uncover or otherwise solve said crisis.

Examples: The Manchurian Candidate, Scandal, Designated Survivor, All of the President's Men, House of Cards, V for Vendetta, State of Play

Psychological Thriller: The suspense comes from threats - real or perceived - that are mental in nature. Solution comes from thinking and talking, as opposed to physical battle

Examples: Fatal Attraction, Black Swan, Rosemary's Baby, Shutter Island, Black Swan, Fight Club, The Machinist, Donnie Darko

Romantic Thriller: The main relationship(s) evolve, grow and strengthen amidst any suspense, tension and threats encountered, which are usually faced by the couple(s) featured.

Examples: Sliver, The Handmaiden, The Adjustment Bureau, Rebecca, Vertigo, The Tourist

Spy Thriller: The suspense comes from the dangers associated with espionage.

Examples: James Bond movies, John Le Carre novels, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Skyfall, The Bourne Identity, Mission Impossible, North by Northwest, Spy Game

Techno Thriller: The suspense comes from the use or misuse of technology, with the protagonist(s) trying to prevent a crisis - often using technology itself.

Examples: Jurassic Park, WarGames, The Matrix, The Net, Minority Report, Ex Machina, I, Robot, Black Mirror

YA Subgenres

YA Comedy: The coming of age elements have a humorous twist

Examples: Mean Girls, Booksmart, Pen15, Clueless, 1o Things I Hate About You, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Superbad, Easy A, Napoleon Dynamite, Juno

YA Contemporary: A coming of age tale where the setting (in current times) is relevant to the narrative. Romance is an element but as important as self-discovery.

Examples: The Hate You Give, Simon vs. The Homo Sapien Agenda, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, The Perks of Being A Wallflower

YA Fantasy: A fantasy where the protagonists are teenagers/young adults and the story deals with their coming of age.

Examples: The Harry Potter series; The Percy Jackson series, The Hunger Games, The Chronicles of Narnia, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Historical YA: The coming of age journey happens in the past

Examples: Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, The Secret Garden, Emma, Marie Antoinette

Paranormal YA: The protagonist is, or the protagonist’s story, features supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc)

Examples: Twilight, Beautiful Creatures, The Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch

YA Horror: The coming of age experience has a dark or terrifying element to it.

Examples: It Follows, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Goosebumps, The Craft, It, Scream

YA Mystery: The teenager(s) in question deal with or solve a mystery)

Examples: Pretty Little Liars, The One of Us series, Nancy Drew, Harriette the Spy, The Maze Runner, Scream Queens

YA Romance: The main relationship is between teenage characters, and deals with coming-of-age type matters. Explicit sexuality is usually avoided.

Examples: The Fault in Our Stars, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Love, Simon, A Walk to Remember, Save the Last Dance