3. Lack of Research on Genre

Different genres have their own set of conventions about word count, character ages, etc. Some new writers end up with a manuscript that’s too long, too short, or a premise that doesn’t clearly fit into a category.

Genres exist to make it easier for publishers to market a book and for bookstores to know where to shelve a book. Even if you’re doing a cross-genre, clearly decide under which category your manuscript falls. It will likely fall under one genre more than the other.

If you want to reinvent the wheel and do away with genres, realize the risks you’re taking.