Should Authors Stick to Writing in One Genre?
A fellow writer recently asked me: “How do you stick to one story? I find I have an overabundance of stories I’d love to tell, but they’re scattered over different genres and times in history. I try to write whatever I can, just to get the stories down and find my voice, but it’s so hard to choose just one and stick to it!”
When I first started my journey to publication, the general opinion in the publication business was a resounding “Brand yourself with ONE genre.”
In fact, I remember having a conversation with my agent long ago about branding and genres. I was (and still am) a historical romance author. But at that time I was also branching into the medieval young adult genre. The question I debated was whether to take a pen name with my YA novels so that I wouldn’t confuse my adult readership base.
Ultimately, my agent and I decided that since I was technically still writing historicals with my medieval YA, I would continue writing them under the name Jody Hedlund. As I delved into bio-fiction as well as my upcoming medieval time-crossing novel (Come Back to Me, releasing in June of 2021), I’ve continued to keep my name, since the sub-genres still fall under the broader category of historicals.
However, the fact is, not every one of my historical romance readers like the fairy tale quality of my YA books. Not all my YA readers like my adult novels, complaining they have too many details. Some of my bio-fiction readers are put off by my more sensual historical romances. And it’s possible my foray into medieval time-crossing might not appeal to all of my readers either.
So the dilemma that comes from writing across multiple sub-genres is the potential to have dissatisfied readers. Fans will pick up a book with my name on it expecting a certain reading experience and then will become frustrated when that doesn’t happen.
On the other hand, my experience with writing in multiple sub-genres is that most readers enjoy the variety which ultimately leads to a larger readership. Thus, writing across a number of sub-genres has proved beneficial to me.
What if eventually I decide to branch out into something that doesn’t fall under historicals? Should I (or any other writer) jump into a completely different genre altogether? And if we do, should we write each genre under different names (i.e. take a pen name)?
Before publication, writers can (dare I say, should?) play around and try all the genres they want until they land on their sweet spot, the stories they love telling.
Once a writer is ready for publication, however, they’ll benefit most by sticking with one genre, writing it well, and steadily building a base of loyal readers. Jumping around at an early stage before having a substantial readership could end up confusing and alienating readers. The sage advice of “Brand yourself with one genre” really can be helpful in launching a writing career.
Experienced authors may have more success branching off into new genres without taking pen names. At this point in my career, if I published a contemporary romance, I likely would have some crossover readers willing to take a chance on it. Maybe even many. But there’s no guarantee of success. I’d have to work hard and publish many contemporary romances in order to build up a new base of readers.
In summary: I’m glad I took time to brand myself before dabbling in other sub-genres. I’m also glad that I continued writing in my main genre while branching out. This allowed me to keep growing my primary readership while also enjoying the creativity of trying sub-genres somewhat related to my current works.
So, should a writer stick to one genre? Fortunately, there are no right answers to the question. We live in a publication age when really anything is possible. The most important thing, as always, is telling a riveting story people will want to read. And that can happen in any genre.
Think of your favorite authors. Picture them switching genres entirely. Would you like it? Why or why not?
