Adult Fantasy Genres Explained

I love his writing, sense of humour,  his courses and his podcast. 
I guess that makes me a fan of Brandon Sanderson.

There are videos of Brandon Sanderson's writing course online. I have watched most of them.

This is how he explained the typical adult fantasy genres a few years ago.

Epic 
120k-150k words
A large cast
World building focus
The future of the world is at stake
Stand alone with sequel potential (first)

Heroic
80k - 100k words
Dudes or dudesses with swords!
Small cast
Gritty
Violent
Action

Urban
Around 70k words
Chicks in leather ( or dudes)
Our world setting often with a dark underworld
Paranormal
Mystery
Fast Paced

Dystopian
70k - 80k words
Small cast
Bad future
Power corrupts
Violence and death
Teenagers

and then there is Sci- fi - but that can wait for another day.

He said to write the book you want, but bear in mind the genres. You do not have to stick to the norm in the genre your story best fits.

Twist it if you wish..