http:selfpublishingpodcast.com – This is our live-streamed recording session for the Self-Publishing Podcast, episode #51: Writing in Multiple Genres. Full…
http:selfpublishingpodcast.com – This is our live-streamed recording session for the Self-Publishing Podcast, episode #51: Writing in Multiple Genres. Full…
I think it’s bold not to allow yourself to be boxed in – but you will run
the risk of spreading yourself too thin. Most indie authors build their own
audiences and do their own marketing, so catering to more than one audience
will definitely take up a lot of time as multi-genre authors divide their
time, budget and energy to market, engage with and write for multiple
genres. In general, I think authors that write in many genres have one or
two genres that they really excel in, and the rest are just really fun for
the author to write. Do you agree?
I think it’s funny how certain genre switching seems to be fine. For
instance, sci-fi, fantasy and horror can all go together, but sci-fi and
crime might raise some eyebrows. I can see both viewpoints, but I agree
mostly with Dave. I think maybe establish a dominance of a genre first
before branching out. That said, just because it’s not normally done
doesn’t mean there can’t be a first person to do it
I may with very little thought download a free book but I’m 90% more likely
to actually read a book I paid for. So there is that! I found Dave and Sean
because Amazon told me to read Z2134 but after looking into you, everyone
was raving about Yesterday’s Gone so I read it and loved it and it’s not
something I would have ever sought out. Now you guys get tons of my money!
I didn’t realize I speak so loudly on the phone… LOL… OOPS…. But
anyway, I think in the end, in regards to genre, it’s truly about what the
author wants. Though I think I side with Dave on this one. Thanks for the
response guys. It was great to listen to you all having the debate I have
been having in my head.
As I writer, I see what Sean is saying. I want to write in multiple genres
too. I want my fans to read all of those books. As a reader, I agree with
Dave. I have several favourite authors that I will read. But only because
they write specific types of books. Brandon Sanderson writes epic fantasy,
I know that and I want to read those books. If he was suddenly to write a
crime thriller, even though I think he is a good writer I probably wouldn’t
read it and would wonder why he had gone insane.
Is this yet another one of those times when Dave says something on BOU that
makes it so that you remove the youtube clip and edit the hell out of the
audio podcast version, or did you guys just not do a BOU episode for this
week?
One person that kept coming to mind while I was listening to this is John
Landis. He followed Animal House with An American Werewolf in London. Both
are different movies and different genres. But both are absolutely JOHN
LANDIS movies. I know there are different genres. But to me, a genre is a
tool the artist uses to create their art. No matter the genre you use, the
art will still have the stamp of the artist. Just my 2 cents.
I see nothing wrong with switching genres and using the same name as long
as it’s very clear that it’s a different genre than what the the author
normally writes in. Using different kind of cover artwork and title fonts
can help a lot with that – so that it looks like a totally different brand
than normal.
I think Dave is right on the multiple genre thing. I think if you use the
same name across genres it WILL cause problems. I like how Iain Banks
handled this – he uses the author names Iain Banks and Iain M Banks –
mainstream fiction for the first name, and science fiction for the ‘M’
Banks and his fans all know about the difference between the two.