I could belabor this post or I could do it super-succinctly. I will try to get closer to the latter. As I start getting serious about writing with deadlines and goals for myself, I am forced once again to confront the ghost that has haunted me for two decades of writing and has been part of what has held me back.
I know the marketing reality is that I need to make myself at home in a particular genre. Same for the projects that Rose and I are working on together. As someone who not only loves reading in almost every genre, but also feels at home in and drawn to writing in almost every genre, this is a challenge for me.
Any other writers out there have to face this question for practical reasons? If so, how did you settle it? Any wisdom from anyone? Balancing pragmatic needs with creative desires is obviously the more distasteful side of the business for most of us, and this one part of that is something I could use some guidance and mentoring in.
I will try to leave this post up for a couple of days, because I really would appreciate your advice.
Thanks so much!
.Nevets.
Yes--it's a real bind. I had an agent tell me that she wouldn't know where to place my novel, as it didn't fit into any obvious genre. So there is definitely a tendency in the publishing world to want to pigeonhole so they can market it. But perhaps if each work can be labelled, then you can experiment across genres over time.
ReplyDeleteWisdom? Meh.
ReplyDeleteBut, I do have an opinion. The biggest obstacle to genre-jumping is staying current in each genre (read: self-contained world of published books, projects, trends, gossip, etc).
Does that mean an author can't write in several genres? No. However, that author will pose a unique challenge to marketing and publicity and, as it's been said, it's cold all alone.
Belle, I've run into what you describe with my short stories before. A college contest placed once of my pieces second simply because the judges couldn't figure out what it was, even though they liked it. I thought that was an obnoxious criterion, but I suppose it helped prep me for the "real world."
ReplyDeleteB. Nagel, thanks for the perspective. While I was aware of the marketting, publicity, and platforming aspects, I hadn't thought quite so clearly about the implications for staying on top of trends and so on. All the more reason I need to pick!
Great! lol
I understand your dilemma. I do agree with B. Nagel. I think you really have to decide on something that calls to you in order to immerse yourself in it and keep on top of things. Think about it...we all know "that place famous for the BEST pizza", "the doctor known for his expertise in, blah blah", "the place to go for a tune-up". It makes it easier to market your talent and for people to learn about you if you "specialize".
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it doesn't mean you can't write other genres if you feel like it. Just pick one, any one, to make your name in. Then branch out.
Deb,
ReplyDeleteJust pick one, any one, to make your name in.What can I say? The way you put this really struck home with me. I get what you're saying, and this may free me up to make the decision.
Thanks so much, Deb!
I've had the same problem. I've almost always written fantasy but I went from adult, to MG, to YA, to MG, back to YA (which is where I finally know I belong). Not to mention brief stints into romance, historical, contemporary, i.e. trying my hand at non-fantasy genres.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the book I'm writing now is what I've labeled a YA psychological contemporary (in my mind) but Heather assures me it still falls into the fantasy realm. I suppose it just worries me, because I don't want this book to elbow me out of the fantasy market since that it was I truly love and always return to.
Congrats on hunkering down and choosing your genre and market!
I DO think it will inhibit me from returning to high fantasy, which I've written quite a bit of, but I think I can be okay with that.
My read on the fantasy market is that it's pretty forgiving, and that a foray into something that you might only consider borderline fantasy won't hurt you there.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right about getting back into the high fantasy, though. Even if you wrote high fantasy, they would probably try to squeeze it into YA.
I hope I've chosen a genre and market. LOL I think it's a better overall fit, at least for a starting point, than my other options. I love writing Sci Fi, but the fan culture is a bear. I like writing high fantasy, but I feel like starting out there limits your mobility into genres that consider fantasy play. I like writing literary, but the highbrow culture is not something I mesh with.
Anyway. lol
I'll walk around for a while and see how this psychological suspense thing fits.
.Nevets.