What is a trope map?
At Tropesmith, a trope map is a market-research report that shows which tropes readers want in a subgenre, which are already crowded, and which stack of tropes a new book could own. A Tropesmith Map is the 39-section version, built for your subgenre, heat level and format.
A Tropesmith Map is market research, not a plotting worksheet, so it tells you which tropes to write toward, not how to plot them. Tropesmith is a research tool, not a writing tool, and the taste, the prose and the book stay yours.
What is in a Tropesmith trope map?
Every Map has the same eight chapters, and the verdict inside them is built for your subgenre, heat level and format. You read it one chapter at a time:
- Your verdict. An opportunity score out of 100, the four measures behind it (demand signals, money, room to stand out and momentum), and your three priorities.
- What to write. Your ranked trope stack with demand against supply, the gaps worth owning, what is moving, and the crowded tropes to skip or subvert.
- Who your readers are. What they say in their own words, why they put books down, and the books they will compare yours to.
- Your cast and world. Your leads, where it happens, and names nobody else is using.
- How to package it. A sample blurb, hook lines, cover direction, and title and search terms.
- How to launch. A price plan, the keywords to bid on for Amazon ads, and what is new on the chart.
- Your plan. Ordered next steps and watch-outs.
- How we know. How many books are behind the Map, how sure we are, and what we left out.
A Map gives lane-level earnings estimates, but no per-book sales tracking and no Amazon search volumes. The brief asks for your subgenre, heat level, length and format, from a standalone of 1 book to a series of 6 or more books. Two complete sample Maps are free to read end to end on the sample Maps page, so you can see the structure before you order.
How much does a trope map cost, and how long does it take?
One Map costs $15, paid when you build it, and it usually arrives by email within the hour.
- 1 credit is 1 Map, and credits never expire.
- The price per Map drops as you buy more: $13 each for 2 to 5, $11.50 each for 6 to 10, and $10.50 each for 11 or more.
- Try it free first: the Lite Map shows your subgenre's opportunity score, greenlight band, market economics and length sweet spot before you spend anything.
The opportunity score is set by the subgenre you pick, so you need one Map per subgenre, not one per heat level or length.
Do I have to choose my tropes before I build a trope map?
No. The trope fields on the brief are optional, and the Map recommends a stack of tropes for your subgenre either way.
If you already know your stack, name the tropes you are committed to and the tropes you will not write, and the Map keeps to both. You can also add comp titles you would love to sit alongside, and the Map says which to lean into and which to step away from. Looking for trope combinations that sell? The free Trope Pair Finder shows which pairings readers name against how many tagged titles carry both.
Trope map questions
What is a trope map?
At Tropesmith, a trope map is a market-research report that shows which tropes readers want in a subgenre, which are crowded, and which stack of tropes a new book could own. A Tropesmith Map is the 39-section version built for your subgenre, heat level and format.
What is a book trope map used for?
Authors use it before they outline, to choose which tropes to lead with and which crowded tropes to skip or subvert. Tropesmith says a Map is most useful before the outline, and less useful once the next book is locked.
How long does a Tropesmith trope map take?
The brief takes about 60 seconds to fill in, and most Maps arrive by email within the hour after you submit it.
How much does a trope map cost?
One Map costs $15, and credits never expire. The price per Map drops when you buy more: $13 each for 2 to 5, $11.50 each for 6 to 10, and $10.50 each for 11 or more.
Can I see a trope map before I buy?
Yes. Two complete sample Maps are free to read end to end, and a free Lite Map shows your subgenre's opportunity score, greenlight band, market economics and length sweet spot.
Does a trope map show sales or search volumes?
A Map gives lane-level earnings estimates, such as what a typical book and a top-10 book in your lane earn a month. It does not track sales of individual books, and it does not include Amazon search volumes.
Is a trope map a plotting worksheet?
Not at Tropesmith. A Tropesmith Map is market research, not a writing tool. It tells you which tropes to write toward, not how to plot them.
Prices and timings are as shown on our pricing page and this page on 18 October 2026. See also how a Map is built.
