Helping Published Authors Navigate the Marvellous and Messy World of Publishing
Tropes
Below is a list of tropes and typical images / plot points you'll find in the bestselling books in particular genres. Some of them will seem obvious. But what's important is they can inspire you to write novels, marketing copy and blurbs, as well as choose images for covers and promotions that will grab the attention of your genre's most prolific readers. Are any tropes missing? Feel free to contact us to let us know.
Romance
Age gap
Afraid to commit
Alpha hero
Amnesia
Arranged marriage
Best friend’s ex
Best friend’s lover
Best friend’s sibling
Bet gone wrong (then right)
Blind date
Bodyguard
Bully turned nice guy
Dark secret
Damsel or dude in distress
Disguise
Emotional scars
Enemies to lovers
Fake relationship
One night stand
Forbidden love
Friends to lovers
Guardian
Honorable marriage
Injury
Innocent cohabitation
Insta love
Jilted bride
Kidnapped
Long distance relationship
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​Love potion
Love triangle
Loveable rogue
Lovers in denial
Marriage pact
Matchmaker gone wrong
Mistaken identity
Office romance
Opposites attract
Teacher/nanny
Pen pals
Playboy/rake in love
Rags to riches
Reality TV show
Reunion romance
Road trip
Runaway bride
Secret admirer
Secret baby
Secret royal / billionaire/boss
Secret heir
Sibling’s ex
Sudden baby (can be coupled with fling/one night stand)
Three’s a crowd
Undercover love
Vegas marriage
Wallflower
Widow/widower
Working with the ex
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Crime, Mystery and Thriller
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Amateur Detective
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Amnesia
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Animal Companions
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Betrayal by a Trusted Friend or Ally
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By-The-Book Cop
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Cat-and-Mouse Game between Detective and Killer
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Clue Gathering
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Criminal Mastermind
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Corrupt Cop
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Cowboy Cop
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Dark Secrets
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Detective with a Tragic Backstory
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Doppelgänger
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Family Member with a Dark Secret
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Family Secrets
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Femme Fatale
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Final Showdown in a Dramatic Location
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Forensic Investigation
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Gaslighting
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Hard-Boiled Detective
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Hidden Agenda
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Hidden Motives
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Heist
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International Conspiracy
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Investigation That Leads the Detective to Question Their Own Morals and Ethics
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Locked-Room Mystery
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Lone wolf detective
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Mind Games
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Missing Person
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Mistaken Identity
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Murder in a Small Town
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Nosy Neighbor
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Obsession
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Perfect life / family Facade
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Police Procedural
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Psychological Manipulation
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Quirky Sidekicks
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Race Against Time to Stop a Crime from Being Committed
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Red Herring
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Revenge Plot
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Serial Killer
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Small Town with Secrets
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Survivor Seeking Revenge on Their Attacker
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Twist Ending
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Unlikely Detective
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Unreliable Narrator
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Vigilante
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Whistleblower
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Witness in Hiding
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Whodunit
Historical Fiction
Aristocracy and nobility
Arranged marriages
Betrayal and loyalty
Chivalry and honor
Court intrigue
Cultural clashes
Dual identity and secret identities
Epic battles and wars
Forbidden love
Gender roles and societal expectations
Historical events and figures
Love triangles
Man versus nature
Moral ambiguity and ethical dilemmas
Myth and legend
Noblesse oblige
Oppression and rebellion
Political intrigue and power struggles
Protagonist as an outsider
Quests and journeys
Rags to riches
Religious conflict and persecution
Revenge and justice
Royalty and monarchy
Social class and inequality
Survival and resilience
Time travel and alternate history
War and its aftermath
Wealth and poverty
World exploration and discovery
Action
Against all odds
Badass hero
Battle in the rain
Blood sport
Car chase
Confronting the villain
Countdown to disaster
Damsel in distress
Die Hard on an X (e.g. "Die Hard on a plane")
Epic showdown
Explosions
Fight scene in a confined space
Fistfight
Heist
Heroic sacrifice
High-speed pursuit
Impossible mission
Man on a mission
Martial arts showdown
One-man army
Race against time
Revenge plot
Shootout
Standoff
Stealth mission
Superhuman abilities
Survival story
Taking down a corrupt organization
Underdog story
Weapons cache scene.
Fantasy
Chosen One
Coming of Age
Dark Lord/Evil Overlord
Dragons
Dwarves/Elves/Halflings
Enchanted Forest
Epic Quest
Forbidden Love
High Fantasy
Magic School
Magical Creatures
Magic Spells
Medieval Setting
Mythical Creatures
Noble Savage
Orphaned Hero
Portal Fantasy
Prophecies
Quest Object
Royalty
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Swords and Sorcery
Time Travel
Underdog Hero
Unlikely Hero
Villain Protagonist
Warrior Race
Witches/Wizards
World Building
Young Adult Fantasy
Sci-Fi
AI Rebellion
Alien Invasion
Alternate Universe
Artificial Intelligence
Bionic Body Parts
Cloning
Colonization
Cybernetic Implants
Cyberpunk
Dystopia
Faster-Than-Light Travel
Galactic Empire
Genetic Engineering
Intergalactic War
Laser Guns
Lost Civilization
Mind Control
Nanotechnology
Parallel Dimensions
Post-Apocalyptic World
Psychic Powers
Robots
Space Opera
Superhuman Abilities
Teleportation
Time Travel
Transhumanism
Virtual Reality
Wormholes
Xenofiction
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Teen
Bad boy/good girl
Best friends become lovers
Boarding school
Bullying
Coming of age
Love triangle
Forbidden love
High school hierarchy
Mentor/mentee relationship
Misfit/outcast protagonist
Overprotective parent
Popular kid falls for the outcast
Rich/poor divide
Secret societies/cliques
Small town life
Sports teams/competitions
Teen rebellion
Time travel
Tragic past/backstory
Transformation/coming into power
Unrequited love
Virginity/sexuality
Young love/first love
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Literary Fiction
Artistic/musical genius
Coming of age
Cultural identity
Dysfunctional family dynamics
Epistolary form (told through letters)
Existential crisis
Flashbacks/flashforwards
Generation gap
Identity crisis
Imaginary friend/alter ego
Introspection/inner monologue
Isolation/loneliness
Journey/quest
Memory/forgetfulness
Midlife crisis
Moral dilemma
Multigenerational saga
Nostalgia for a past era
Philosophical musings
Psychological trauma
Relationship complexities
Self-discovery
Society critique
Spiritual awakening
Stream-of-consciousness narration
Timelessness
Unconventional narrative structure
Unrequited love
Witty banter/dialogue
Horror
Abandoned places
Body horror
Curses and dark magic
Demonic possession
Death and dying
Ghosts and hauntings
Haunted locations
Jump scares
Monsters and creatures
Nightmares
Paranormal investigations
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Possession and mind control
Psychological trauma
Revenants and zombies
Serial killers and psychopaths
Slasher and gore films
Suspense and tension
Survival horror
Torture and sadism
Undead and the living dead
Vampires and werewolves
Violent home invasion
Witchcraft and witch hunters