A mysterious organization that operates behind the scenes. A list that influences the entire publishing industry. A mark on every book. To what nefarious plot am I referring? The BISG’s BISAC list! Okay, it’s really not nefarious at all, but to most authors it is mysterious. What is the BISG? The Book Industry Study Group. It produces the list of official genres—the Book Industry Standards and Communications, or BISAC, subject headings—used by most book distribution systems, including those used by self-publishing authors, like KDP or IngramSpark.
Genres are tricky for two reasons.
1. Most books contain elements of more than one genre but must be listed under just two or three.
You, or your publisher, have to choose just two subject headings or genres, with one as the primary, when setting your book up in retailers’ systems or when pitching your book to wholesalers and retailers.
Is your book’s primary category diet or nutrition? Is it leadership or management? Is it self-help or parenting? How do you decide? First, use your message or promise as a guide. Second, consider your audience: Where in the bookstore or under what key word are they likely to shop? Third, what are you already known for? If you have followers or subscribers, what do they think of when they think of you? What would they say is your area of expertise?
2. The BISAC list is only a guide and some retailers take many liberties with that guide.
Amazon’s category structure bears only a passing resemblance to the BISG genres. And if you walk into Barnes & Noble, you won’t see many of the official genres on the signage around the store. Retailers tend to simplify or expand in how they set things up for buyers. But they still rely on the listing of official genres in their backend systems.
Understanding your genre is important for many reasons (including understanding your reader’s expectations). So go to the BISG’s BISAC Subject Headings list and start perusing. The list is organized into major headings and more specific subheadings, and even more specific sub-subheadings. Enjoy the rabbit hole!
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