BISAC Subject Headings List, Fiction
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If you can't find the code you're looking for please go back and review other Major Subjects to find an alternate code or use our Contact Form to suggest revisions to the next version of the list.
Step 2: Determine the specific term which describes your book.
An asterisk (*) denotes a heading that is new for the 2012 Edition.
"FICTION / Anthologies (multiple authors)" and "FICTION / Short Stories (single author)" may be used with other subjects as appropriate: for example, a collection of ghost stories by several authors could be assigned "FICTION / Ghost" and "FICTION / Anthologies (multiple authors)" (it is recommended that the subject describing the genre be assigned first). Note that several genres have a subsubheading of "Collections & Anthologies", thus lessening the need for multiple coding.
Because the FICTION section is arranged by genre, if a geographic breakdown is desired for a collection of fiction, subjects may be assigned in both the FICTION and LITERARY COLLECTIONS sections.
"FICTION / Classics" and "FICTION / Literary" should be used at the classifier's discretion to denote works generally considered to be classics or of literary value.
Use "FICTION / Media Tie-In" when a new ISBN is created and this ISBN represents one of the following:
If your title does not have subject content, i.e. a blank book, please use the Non-Classifiable term below. Otherwise, use the Subject/General term in the closest descriptive area.
NON000000 NON-CLASSIFIABLE
Please note that the BISAC Subject Headings List is governed by the following copyright notice.
© 2012, Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of the attached documents may be distributed or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
If you can't find the code you're looking for please go back and review other Major Subjects to find an alternate code or use our Contact Form to suggest revisions to the next version of the list.
Step 2: Determine the specific term which describes your book.
An asterisk (*) denotes a heading that is new for the 2012 Edition.
FICTION
Use subjects in this section only for individual works of fiction or for collections of fiction. Critical works should be assigned subjects in the LITERARY CRITICISM section (and should not be assigned any subjects in the FICTION section)."FICTION / Anthologies (multiple authors)" and "FICTION / Short Stories (single author)" may be used with other subjects as appropriate: for example, a collection of ghost stories by several authors could be assigned "FICTION / Ghost" and "FICTION / Anthologies (multiple authors)" (it is recommended that the subject describing the genre be assigned first). Note that several genres have a subsubheading of "Collections & Anthologies", thus lessening the need for multiple coding.
Because the FICTION section is arranged by genre, if a geographic breakdown is desired for a collection of fiction, subjects may be assigned in both the FICTION and LITERARY COLLECTIONS sections.
"FICTION / Classics" and "FICTION / Literary" should be used at the classifier's discretion to denote works generally considered to be classics or of literary value.
Use "FICTION / Media Tie-In" when a new ISBN is created and this ISBN represents one of the following:
- a work (or works) of fiction re-issued because of a movie/television show
- a novelization of a movie
- a novelization (or collection of stories) based on an episode (or episodes) of a television show
- an original story (or collection of stories) using characters or settings from (or based on) a movie/television show
| FIC000000 | FICTION / General |
| FIC002000 | FICTION / Action & Adventure |
| FICTION / Adventure see Action & Adventure | |
| FIC049000 | FICTION / African American / General |
| FIC049010 | FICTION / African American / Christian |
| FIC049020 | FICTION / African American / Contemporary Women |
| FIC049030 | FICTION / African American / Erotica |
| FIC049040 | FICTION / African American / Historical |
| FIC049050 | FICTION / African American / Mystery & Detective |
| FIC049070 | FICTION / African American / Urban |
| FIC040000 | FICTION / Alternative History |
| FIC053000 | FICTION / Amish & Mennonite |
| FIC003000 | FICTION / Anthologies (multiple authors) |
| FIC054000 | FICTION / Asian American |
| FIC041000 | FICTION / Biographical |
| FIC042000 | FICTION / Christian / General |
| FIC042010 | FICTION / Christian / Classic & Allegory |
| FIC042050 | FICTION / Christian / Collections & Anthologies |
| FIC042080 | FICTION / Christian / Fantasy |
| FIC042020 | FICTION / Christian / Futuristic |
| FIC042030 | FICTION / Christian / Historical |
| FIC042040 | FICTION / Christian / Romance |
| FIC042060 | FICTION / Christian / Suspense |
| FIC042070 | FICTION / Christian / Western |
| FIC004000 | FICTION / Classics |
| FIC043000 | FICTION / Coming of Age |
| FIC044000 | FICTION / Contemporary Women |
| FIC050000 | FICTION / Crime |
| FIC051000 | FICTION / Cultural Heritage |
| FIC055000 | FICTION / Dystopian |
| FIC005000 | FICTION / Erotica |
| FIC010000 | FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology |
| FIC045000 | FICTION / Family Life |
| FICTION / Family Saga see Sagas | |
| FIC009000 | FICTION / Fantasy / General |
| FIC009040 | FICTION / Fantasy / Collections & Anthologies |
| FIC009010 | FICTION / Fantasy / Contemporary |
| FIC009070 | FICTION / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy * |
| FIC009020 | FICTION / Fantasy / Epic |
| FIC009030 | FICTION / Fantasy / Historical |
| FIC009050 | FICTION / Fantasy / Paranormal |
| FIC009060 | FICTION / Fantasy / Urban |
| FICTION / Folklore see Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology | |
| FIC011000 | FICTION / Gay |
| FIC012000 | FICTION / Ghost |
| FIC027040 | FICTION / Gothic |
| FICTION / Graphic Novels see headings under COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS | |
| FIC056000 | FICTION / Hispanic & Latino |
| FIC014000 | FICTION / Historical |
| FIC058000 | FICTION / Holidays * |
| FIC015000 | FICTION / Horror |
| FIC016000 | FICTION / Humorous |
| FIC046000 | FICTION / Jewish |
| FIC034000 | FICTION / Legal |
| FIC018000 | FICTION / Lesbian |
| FIC019000 | FICTION / Literary |
| FIC05700 | FICTION / Mashups |
| FIC021000 | FICTION / Media Tie-In |
| FIC035000 | FICTION / Medical |
| FICTION / Metaphysical see Visionary & Metaphysical | |
| FIC022000 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General |
| FIC022050 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Collections & Anthologies |
| FIC022070 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Cozy * |
| FIC022010 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Hard-Boiled |
| FIC022060 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical |
| FIC022080 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / International Mystery & Crime * |
| FIC022020 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural |
| FIC022090 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Private Investigators * |
| FIC022030 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Traditional British |
| FIC022040 | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths |
| FICTION / Mythology see Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology | |
| FIC059000 | FICTION / Native American & Aboriginal * |
| FIC024000 | FICTION / Occult & Supernatural |
| FIC037000 | FICTION / Political |
| FIC025000 | FICTION / Psychological |
| FIC026000 | FICTION / Religious |
| FIC027000 | FICTION / Romance / General |
| FIC049060 | FICTION / Romance / African American |
| FIC027080 | FICTION / Romance / Collections & Anthologies |
| FIC027020 | FICTION / Romance / Contemporary |
| FIC027010 | FICTION / Romance / Erotica |
| FIC027030 | FICTION / Romance / Fantasy |
| FIC027050 | FICTION / Romance / Historical / General |
| FIC027140 | FICTION / Romance / Historical / Ancient World * |
| FIC027150 | FICTION / Romance / Historical / Medieval * |
| FIC027070 | FICTION / Romance / Historical / Regency |
| FIC027160 | FICTION / Romance / Historical / Scottish * |
| FIC027170 | FICTION / Romance / Historical / Victorian * |
| FIC027180 | FICTION / Romance / Historical / Viking * |
| FIC027120 | FICTION / Romance / Paranormal |
| FIC027130 | FICTION / Romance / Science Fiction |
| FIC027110 | FICTION / Romance / Suspense |
| FIC027090 | FICTION / Romance / Time Travel |
| FIC027100 | FICTION / Romance / Western |
| FIC008000 | FICTION / Sagas |
| FIC052000 | FICTION / Satire |
| FIC028000 | FICTION / Science Fiction / General |
| FIC028010 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure |
| FIC028070 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic * |
| FICTION / Science Fiction / Alternative History see Alternative History | |
| FIC028040 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Collections & Anthologies |
| FIC028020 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Hard Science Fiction |
| FIC028050 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Military |
| FIC028030 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Space Opera |
| FIC028060 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Steampunk |
| FIC028080 | FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel * |
| FIC047000 | FICTION / Sea Stories |
| FICTION / Short Stories (multiple authors) see Anthologies (multiple authors) | |
| FIC029000 | FICTION / Short Stories (single author) |
| FIC038000 | FICTION / Sports |
| FICTION / Television Tie-in see Media Tie-In | |
| FIC031000 | FICTION / Thrillers / General |
| FIC031010 | FICTION / Thrillers / Crime * |
| FIC006000 | FICTION / Thrillers / Espionage |
| FIC031020 | FICTION / Thrillers / Historical * |
| FIC031030 | FICTION / Thrillers / Legal * |
| FIC031040 | FICTION / Thrillers / Medical * |
| FIC031050 | FICTION / Thrillers / Military * |
| FIC031060 | FICTION / Thrillers / Political * |
| FIC030000 | FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense |
| FIC036000 | FICTION / Thrillers / Technological |
| FIC048000 | FICTION / Urban |
| FIC039000 | FICTION / Visionary & Metaphysical |
| FIC032000 | FICTION / War & Military |
| FIC033000 | FICTION / Westerns |
If your title does not have subject content, i.e. a blank book, please use the Non-Classifiable term below. Otherwise, use the Subject/General term in the closest descriptive area.
NON000000 NON-CLASSIFIABLE
Please note that the BISAC Subject Headings List is governed by the following copyright notice.
© 2012, Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of the attached documents may be distributed or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.