It is widely acknowledged that most authors are synonymous with a specific genre. Like most things in life, professionally speaking, if you have a specialty you stick within its lanes.
One of the most ridiculous questions we ask teenagers and young adults is what career path they want to take. With minimal life experience and typically next to no exposure to a multitude of career choices, how are they supposed to know what job they want to spend the rest of their life doing? I was always adamant that whatever job I did would not involve office work. I don’t even know why, but I associated any job done from behind a desk as boring.
I pursued a degree in nursing. I loved anything medically related and still do. However, during my training I discovered very quickly that nursing was not for me. Due to a bizarre set of circumstances shortly after my degree I started a temporary role in a law firm handling small claims. Not only did I love the job, I excelled at it. Had I extended myself the opportunity to experience that type of role during high school career week I would have undoubtedly opted for a law degree. My point is, for the majority of us, if we haven’t tried our hand at something we have no way of identifying any hidden talents or abilities we may possess.
So, my question of day is should writers stick to just one genre?
With a multitude of genres, cross genres, sub genres etc. there are very few books that land squarely in one alone. From the Other Side is considered a paranormal fantasy romance book. While world building is a common element in fantasy, it’s not a defining characteristic. I have drafts prepared for a mystery suspense, a psychological thriller with a dystopian flavor, and a second paranormal romance book. All distinctly different genres, yet they share common elements. I consider those elements my forte rather than sticking rigidly to a genre. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m right.
“Write what you read” is quoted often and by many. But I am very much an ADHD reader, in that I flit between genres indiscriminately. Ironically the one genre I tended to avoid was fantasy, only for my first book to be classified as just that.
Of course, there is no hard and fast rule that can be applied here. With an area that is so subjective authors really are free to write how and what they want. But can being flexible across genres be harmful as far as reader perception goes?
When I shared details of my third book with my husband, he asked me if writing a different genre was likely to discredit me to readers and publishers alike? Should I home in on one genre and work to become an expert within that category?
Given the outlines I have for subsequent books I would like to write it comes as no surprise that the thought of discarding any of them because they don’t fit neatly within the box carved by my first book pisses me off.
I want the artistic freedom to explore a range of genres and writing modes. I believe that each will provide an array of learning opportunities I may otherwise miss out on. With a diverse approach I get to explore and grow, and I struggle to find the negative in that.
A publisher, however, is unlikely to share the same opinion.
If you don’t have a designated publisher or agent, you’re definitely setting yourself up for more work. Publishers have very specific tastes. Trying to get a second, third, or fourth book to print in a genre different to your first is likely to mean starting from scratch as far as securing a contract goes.
From a publisher’s perspective, once an author has achieved success within a specific genre it becomes easier to publish subsequent books of the same genre. If you are lucky enough to have secured an agent, switching between genres may be a possibility as agents are likely to have contact with a range of publishers and the expertise to pitch different genres to the correct people. But again, it’s a whole lot more work and if you are just starting out an agent may recommend against it. They may not want the additional cost and increased workload needed to reach a whole new audience with every single submission.
I do think an important question would be how differing are your genres of choice? Is it possible to incorporate elements from a range of genres whilst sticking to core similarities that, despite these differing elements, will still appeal to your reader pool?
Of course, there is also the option to publish under a pseudonym for a second genre. From someone who already struggles with maintaining multiple social media accounts, email addresses, and websites under one pen name, the thought of doubling up makes me want to take a long walk off a short pier.
One thing is for sure, if you want to test the waters the early days are definitely the time to do it. Once you start to build a reader base and your name becomes synonymous with a specific style you will undoubtedly benefit from sticking to one genre, writing it well, and building a base of loyal readers.