William Shatner and Author Typecasting
My apologies! I’ve been a little absent from the blogging world these past couple weeks but a) I wanted to have an interesting topic to discuss and b) I’ve been putting to bed some fun new things I think you all will enjoy. If you follow this blog, I assume/hope you like my work, so be sure and drop down to the additional news past the asterisks at the end of this topic to find out what holiday surprises I have released/am releasing this month.
So the topic this week involves some personal reflection I’ve been doing. We’ve all heard of actors getting typecast. William Shatner literally became synonymous with Captain Kirk. Henry Winkler had to overcome The Fonz. Daniel Radcliffe continues to struggle to develop an acting presence outside of Harry Potter. Michael Weatherly is trying to step away from Tony DiNozzo with the new TV series Bull (which is awesome, by the way – totally recommend it).
But typecasting means more than an actor doing such an unforgettable job with a role that we just can’t imagine him/her as anyone else. When an actor refuses to do any more sequels in a popular movie franchise or for a long-running TV series, it probably has as much to do with wanting to do some fresh projects, things that stretch that actor creatively, as it is worrying about limiting his/her career to one track. When you enjoy acting…or crafting stories, you don’t want to stay in the same world, book after book after book…
Yeah, I know, I just segued on you all there. Authors can get typecast, too. Compared to the fans of the Harry Potter series, very few want J K Rowling to leave the world of Harry Potter. Same for JR Ward leaving the Black Dagger Brotherhood to write about angels or Bourbon Kings, or Diana Gabaldon to write about John Grey as her main character instead of Jamie and Claire. Though John’s a great character; I’m reading Written in My Own Heart's Blood right now and he’s a wonderful part of the story. But when they really love a series and its characters, readers don’t want the author to leave it. So essentially, the author gets “typecast." Meaning, they get so identified with a favorite series their audience isn’t really interested in anything else they do. Or not nearly as interested.
I have two series that have never done well, compared to my Vampire Queen, Nature of Desire and Knights of the Board Room series. Those two series are Daughters of Arianne (3 books) and Arcane Shot (2 books). I have re-read these books after a certain amount of time has elapsed so I can see them with fresh eyes, and I love them. The craft is strong, the characters great, and they’ve gotten great reviews from the smaller numbers who have read them. But the bulk of my readers just don't go for these. I have long term, dedicated readers who tell me consistently how much they love one or more of my three popular series, yet who’ve never even cracked the spines on the other two.
Does that bug me? If it does, I’d be the pot calling the kettle black. I’m the same way in my own reading. There’ve been plenty of times I’ve had an author I adore decide to write a brand new series and I don’t look into those books. I wait for her/him to write another book in my favorite series of their work. In the meantime, I move on to another favorite author who DOES have a new book out in one of his/her series I love. Leisure time reading is precious, and I want what I want. Professionally, I'm kind of ashamed of myself, but as a reader...I still do it.
But there’s another reason I don’t get bothered when my readers don’t jump to read every new thing I put out. Some time ago, I heard secondhand about an interview with Daniel Radcliffe, where he was asked if he was worried or upset about being typecast as Harry Potter. His response went something along the lines of yes, at one time he had gotten somewhat out of sorts over it. But his father immediately called him on it, pointing out that he’d had the privilege of not only bringing to life a beloved character that had captured the hearts of millions of people; he did it well enough that they would forever associate him with that character.
Obviously, I don’t have anywhere near the following of Harry Potter. But from that, I realized an author who has created a world or characters that her readers love so much they only want to read her books that are associated with it, has been given a gift most people who write a book never get. These are old statistics, pre-dating self-publishing, but at one time, out of all the writers who write, 10% get published. And out of those, 1% can earn a living on it without having to supplement it with a day job. So to be not only in that 1% (as long as I can make it work, God/dess willing), but having three series that have incurred the strong support and devotion of readers? How on earth could I ever complain about that?
I’ll still occasionally write other books outside those series. The one I just did, Medusa's Heart, is a prime example, because I also have a responsibility to respond to my muse and keep my creative process fresh and energized. But I won’t expect huge numbers out of that book – just the satisfaction of knowing the other books give me the freedom to fly into new territory on occasion, which strengthens my craft for when I return to the worlds my readers love the most.
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EXCITING NEWS FOR THOSE WHO LOVE MY BOOKS! I have two new things happening in the month of November:
FIRST: Do you like the FREE VIGNETTES I write revisiting my characters, but you’ve always wanted a print and/or ebook COMPILATION of them all in one place? Introducing Cantrips: Volumes 1 and 2, which will hold ALL my vignettes through 2016, including the brand NEW one I’m finishing up right now: Doms and Sisters, a Knights of the Board Room novella.
We already have some ebook buy links up for Cantrips: Volume 1, but if you’re going to want the print versions, hold off until they go live in the next week or two. Both volumes will be part of the Kindle Match program, where you can get the Kindle version for free if you buy the print format. Check out all the info on these here. Because we’re arranging the vignettes in the order in which they were written, the new vignette will be at the end of Volume 2. However, Doms and Sisters will still be available as a free download on the JWH Connection forum site, with all the rest of the vignettes individually, as they always have been.
SECOND: I’m now offering four MUG DESIGNS that celebrate the different series, as well as a “signature” mug that yes, has my signature (lol). See the wrap around designs here for each of these, as well as how to order one or more if you want one.
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Daughters of Arianne, and Arcane Shot are such beautifully crafted series Joey. In fact book 1 of DOA is what firmly cemented you as an author worth your weight in Gold. I'd always loved the Little Mermaid story as a girl, so when I saw the blurb for book 1 of the series, my initial reaction was No. No, no,no...just no. I mean take a childhood favorite and turn it into an erotic retelling that would speak to the adult me? I couldn't see it.....And then I bought it anyways. Best decision I ever made! All the elements that I had loved in the original story now had a depth and poignancy that resonated for me. Love, Faith, Hope, Trust and Sacrifice (not to mention the sizzling hot sex) turned my little girl fantasy into a woman's dream :-) I finished that book, as well as books 2&3 in record time. (And am still begging for more please!) Arcane Shot followed suit (also more please!). So I totally understand when the Muse takes you in a new direction and gives us more than what's expected from you. And I'm solidly behind her ( I can keep her supplied with chocolates..whatever it takes). And to any new readers out there who may be wondering whether to take a chance on these 2 amazing series...just do it! I promise you won't be disappointed <3
I like Arcane Shot better than DOA, but they are both beautifully crafted. I love how you always make the worlds and characters you create so believable. I will read anything you write!!
I loved the Nature of Desire series, Vampire, and DOA! I'm not much of a series reader (need a lot of variety), but I slowly work my way through the ones I love. I'm not much different as an author, and have struggled with low ratings because those that love one of my books can't stand the next, for the simple reason they are unrelated. While this can make me sad if I let it, and makes marketing a bear, it doesn't change what I write.
Debi wrote: "Daughters of Arianne, and Arcane Shot are such beautifully crafted series Joey. In fact book 1 of DOA is what firmly cemented you as an author worth your weight in Gold. I'd always loved the Little..."Debi, thank you so much for that story! I always love hearing how people became regular readers of my work, but when they particularly fell in love my work through some of my less popular books, it gives me an extra charge (and that necessary validation to the author's soul of "low sales do not mean book sucks", lol.
I probably should have included in my post an acknowledgement of the other reason people sometimes won't go for a new series - there's an element in there that has never "grabbed" them, so it's very hard for it to draw them in, even when it shows up in a favorite author's work. For instance, I don't enjoy sci-fi romance, particularly if it's traditional sci-fi.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Firefly, Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy, but that's space opera, where it's very character-centered and romantic, and the sci-fi is just window dressing, mostly (very carefully crafted and beautifully done window dressing, but done in such a way in never distracts from the central relationships/characters).
So, sometimes the reason is as simple as "She wrote about mermaids. I don't really care about mermaids, and have never been interested in a mermaid story." However, when people do take the chance, they eventually figure out ALL my work is "space opera" (grin). You just hit that nail on the head wonderfully with your description. The relationship, sensuality and emotion are always what drive the book, no matter the genre, species, etc.
But I can certainly understand how it's harder to coax readers to find that out when on the face of it, it's a genre/premise that doesn't usually engage them and there are so many books out there that have premises they do prefer! Can't argue with that since, as I mentioned above, I'm the same way myself.
Thanks for your wonderful comment!
Carol wrote: "I like Arcane Shot better than DOA, but they are both beautifully crafted. I love how you always make the worlds and characters you create so believable. I will read anything you write!!"Thank you, Carol! I love hearing that. Ruby and Derek grabbed me from the very first chapter (think it was the cowboy sorcerer thing and her running a gun shop - they were just made for each other, lol). Then Mikhael and Raina...don't get me started (grin). I probably re-read those two books at least once a year. So glad you enjoyed them too. :> And thank you SO much for taking a chance on all my writings. Hope you'll always tell me if something doesn't live up to expectations.
Rhea wrote: "I loved the Nature of Desire series, Vampire, and DOA! I'm not much of a series reader (need a lot of variety), but I slowly work my way through the ones I love. I'm not much different as an author..."Rhea, I respect that a great deal, because I've always told myself I will write what my muse wants, when she wants it, rather than only thinking in terms of what's the most marketable from moment to moment, what the latest trendy book is, etc... And sometimes sales suffer as a result, but my creative process/energy never does, and I think out of those two things, I have to be more protective of the creative side. Because if the "juice" goes away, there will be no more books anyhow!
We sound similar in our reading styles. I've often said I'm more likely to have favorite books than favorite series. Part of that is craft related - I stay mindful of needing to read a variety of styles to keep my own fresh, so if I get caught up in reading book after book in the same series, I'm not doing that. But sometimes I can't resist. JD Robb's In Death series is currently the one series where I read every book, but since they come out in mass market about every 5-6 months, there's room to read other books in between. So like you, I might read a full series, but I might take a few years to do it. Case in point, me reading Written In My Own Heart's Blood now, though it's been out for a couple years, I think. I should finish about the time Diana G puts out another, lol. Thanks for sharing both the reader and author viewpoint with us!
I'm a big fan of yours because of the Knights of the Boardroom series. I can't tell you how many times I've read each, especially Hostile Takeover, Ben is one of my all time favorite book heroes. I will get around to your other series thou cause I know you're a good writer.
Betty wrote: "I'm a big fan of yours because of the Knights of the Boardroom series. I can't tell you how many times I've read each, especially Hostile Takeover, Ben is one of my all time favorite book heroes. I..."Betty, thank you so much for that! Did you see the new free novella about Lucas/Cass and Ben/Marcie? It was my usual Christmas freebie I do for my readers every year. The story features Lucas's fantasy about "sisters", and of course Ben is there to help (grin). It's available on the fan forum now under the Vignette section, in all the popular download formats, but if you've never been there before, access info is here: storywitch.com/community.
