No, I’m not talking about some bizarre kind of sexual quirk! Today, I’m talking about expanding the number of genres you write in.
One of the biggest benefits to being an indie author that gets talked about a lot is having the control to write exactly what you want and when. At the time I released my debut novel, I thought that I’d have to stick to one genre forever, but as my journey has progressed, I’ve realized that I don’t have to be defined by quirky chick lit. Last year I wrote Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex Slave, which is a psychological-type thriller that was a million miles away from my usual romantic comedies and comedy mysteries. It was great for me because it was a new and exciting challenge. It stopped me getting stale and bored. It made me grow as a writer. And it made me realize that there’s more to me and my books than one type of genre. Just like actors don’t want to get stereotyped, we don’t have to be trapped in a genre box for the rest of our careers. We’re free to write whatever inspires us, or what we want to share with the world, whether it’s under a pen name or our own.
I believe that trans-genre writing can also help to improve sales of all your work. For example, my recipe book will have my trademark humour in it, rather than being a stuffy cookery book, and if readers enjoy that, they’ll check out my fiction titles, too. Ditto for parents reading my children’s books to their kids. Diversification makes you more visible, and in an online world, visibility is key.
This is what I’ve been up to this year:
Released Voodoo Deadly (3rd Amber Fox mystery) – a comedy mystery
Released an erotica title – under a pen name
Worked on a fiction title as a ghost-writer
About to release It’s a Catastrophe – a children’s book
About to release A Gluten Free Taste of Turkey – a recipe book
Contributed to several anthologies.
Next year I’m hoping to write a travelogue, as well as more children’s books, another psychological thriller, and who knows what else! If variety is the spice of life, then we need to make the most of it and turn it to our advantage. After all, we each have many interests, hobbies, and skills that we can utilize to expand our genres.
It’s your turn out in WG2E land! – Are you trans-genre? How is it working for you? Are there any downsides?
Happy Writing!
I am trans-genre. I write YA and adult romance which I self-epublish, I also write for 7-9 yos, which I want to get trad pubbed with. I find it makes me work better and like you say, doesn’t make you go stale. You don’t get bored with writing, writing one genre, finish that and publish it and then work on a different genre. I really like doing it.
Absolutely right, Julie. It’s a great way to keep fresh and excited in writing by constantly challenging yourself.
I just luuuvvv this post, Sibel! U Go, Girl!!! I’m right there with ya as a Trans-Genre! How ’bout we call ourselves Epublishing Trannys for short?!
I started with Contemporary Romance with a Chick Lit tone. Then went Romantic Comedy. Then Humorous Mysteries and Comedic Capers. With a couple Non-Fiction On-Writing and On-Publishing Books mixed in. Then there are my Short Stories and Anthologies in a variety of genres. I’ve got Holiday-Themed Comedies (first Christmas, now Halloween as well). Next year, I’m branching out into a brand new Paranormal and Occult series along with a series featuring Organic and Environmental issues too.
Trans-genre writing is all about what you said right here, my friend:
“Diversification makes you more visible, and in an online world, visibility is key.”
Plus, it’s just a helluva bunch of fun to stretch your writing muscles and muses in new ways!!!
What I’ve found by writing across genres is that my fans come along for the journey (I do use humor in everything I do because that’s “me”) into each new genre and sub-genre PLUS I pick-up brand new peeps too who wouldn’t have found me until I started showing up in the searches for the genres they love too!
***Note: This is an area that by using the categories wisely on each platform, you can begin to reach entirely new readerships!!!
You’re right it is fun to stretch your muses in new ways, and if the fun goes, so does the passion and that filters through in you’re writing. So to be the best you can be, have fun with it!
Whew, what a relief to read this post. I have a romantic comedy that is now out and a Christmas romance coming out in November. Then I completely shift gears and have a romantic suspense slated for spring. I was so worried about coming out of the closet that I’m trans-genre, that I was messing up my writing career and my readers, but now you’ve made me feel so much better. I never looked at it as having more visibility.
Thanks for a fun and informative post.
You’re so welcome! Glad to see you’re a fellow trans-genre! Good luck with the books
Love the headline of this post -LOL! I’m “trans-genre,” too, and absolutely love that we don’t have to limit ourselves as writers. The sky’s the limit! Go indie!
Abso-genre-lutely! Reach for the stars, whatever genre there may be
LOL… I think you’ve coined a new descriptor. And yes, I fit it as well.
“Branding” a name is under lots of discussion now in relation to authors who write across genre lines. I use different pen names for each genre to help the reader know what he/she is getting especially since one of the genres I write in is erotic romance. Readers seem to appreciate knowing what they’re getting and the pen name serves as a clue.
Good post!
Diana
Absolutely, and I did a post about pen names before: http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/its-all-in-a-name
Having different pen names for each genre is a sure way of letting your readers know you’re giving them something different.
Am loving the title too! I am also proudly trans-genre – my books currently available are psychological thrillers, but I’m writing a police procedural, have a ‘cosy-horror’ novella in mind (if there is such a thing), planning a dystopian apocalyptic novel and I write non-fiction too. You’re so right that one of the pleasures of being an indie is the ability to write what we like (well, as long as we don’t always expect it to sell!)
Cosy-horror – I love it! Yep, isn’t it amazing to be able to write exactly what we want and when. How many jobs offer that kind of freedom?
I don’t read only one genre, so I naturally don’t write in one. I write fantasy, romance, children’s books, comedy and historical fiction. I haven’t tried mystery yet, but I will. I decided to use a pen name for my kids’ and youth novels to separate them from the other books that are not age appropriate, but otherwise, I use only one name.
I’ve read a lot on the branding of names, too. I’m not sure if this still matter. I know it did…a lot, but now, not so much. I think. Time will tell.
Neat title for the post.
Ha ha, thanks!
I’m totally with you on this because I read a huge mix of genres, so like you, it feels natural to want to write lots of genres. Why not? The beauty is we can do whatever we want
Loved your post! Well, just call me a tranny! I’ve been nonfiction published thru Llewellyn since 2000. I love writing nonfiction, but had always wanted to write novels- since the eighth grade. So I’m up to three, working on the fourth novel now. I like the idea of different genres, otherwise I know I would get bored. I’ve done different genre short stories, but so far the fiction has been mystery in the e-books.
LOL, Elizabeth! I’ve added some of your non fiction titles to my TBR list!
I’ll read most anything, and I write that way as well. I can’t stuff the creative mind into a box, it keeps escaping. LOL
And three cheers to that, Pepper!
I’m another one, I guess. I didn’t think of a non-fiction writer before but right now my how-to non-fiction books are selling better than my fiction. Fiction is my first love, though, but there are some non-fiction stories I want to tell, and that’s okay. I have ideas for so many different things, all of them interesting to me in some way. The romance genre is also my first love, and I’m not getting away from it entirely, but I have ideas for a police procedural / mystery, fantasy adventure series, another non-fiction I’m currently researching, a women’s fiction with romantic elements, and more steamy romances.
I love not being kept in a box, having to write in one genre or stick to a word count or follow the “rules” that are there but no one admits to having. Being able to write this way is very freeing.
I’m writing a historical apocalyptic novel for NaNoWriMo this year, and last year I wrote an adventure story – both pretty different from my usual YA urban fantasy!
But everything I write is in a different genre to the last thing – I don’t stick in one for three novels running. I get bored doing that.