Thread: How important is it to stick with one genre as an author?

I have about four or five fairly well-developed ideas in my head for novels. The thing is, they are all over the place in terms of genre.

The book I'm working on right now is mainly sci-fi, but the other concepts I have range from comedy to horror to drama.

I was wondering if anyone thought this would hurt an author's credibility. What if, for instance, I got a sci-fi novel published and it did pretty well, and I had sci-fi fans waiting on my next book to come out, and then I put out a period-piece drama? (This is all highly speculative... I'm not anticipating I'll ever have anything published, just wondering.) Would this even be possible for new published writers?

Right now, I'm planning to just try to finish my first novel, which is sci-fi, and then I'll decide if I want to seek getting it published or not. But all these other ideas I have are begging to be written. I can't imagine myself ever being tied down as a "sci-fi author," or a "fantasy writer"... there are too many types of stories I'm interested in telling.

But all these other ideas I have are begging to be written. I can't imagine myself ever being tied down as a "sci-fi author," or a "fantasy writer"... there are too many types of stories I'm interested in telling.

I'd say thats all thats important. You have ideas and you want to write them. So write them and good luck.

I'm in a similar situation myself in terms of having different genres for several ideas. I'd say that it's fine to write different genre's because, like reading, you're encouraged to read everything and anything - my point: you're not told to read only a specific genre, so I think the same principle should be used when writing too.

Originally Posted by VanishingSpy

I can't imagine myself ever being tied down as a "sci-fi author," or a "fantasy writer"... there are too many types of stories I'm interested in telling.

You might want to consider a pseudonym for each genre so the people buying the books know exactly what they're getting: even if it's something as simple as Iain Banks, who uses Iain M. Banks for his SF novels and plain Iain Banks for his more mainstream novels. Otherwise if someone likes your SF novel and then picks up your next book and finds it's a period melodrama, they might be disappointed.

I'd also note that if you put out one SF novel then spend two years writing four novels in other genres before doing another SF, the people who read the last SF novel may have forgotten about you by that point.

I'll take what movieman has said and one-up it. What you want to do is write. Whatever interests you, for however long it holds your interest--then move on.

What your label wants to do is create a brand--with your name on it. So when you write, your name becomes synonymous with whatever genre you've chosen. A box that they can put you in. Unfortunately (and as movieman has already pointed out), your audience will be expecting more of the same if they liked your first book.

The good news is (and it really isn't all that good) that your chances of getting the first book published by a big house are very slender. So, you may feel free to write whatever you wish until you happen upon success. THEN you'll be pigeonholed forever.

Good luck and happy writing!

Originally Posted by KarlR

I'll take what movieman has said and one-up it. What you want to do is write. Whatever interests you, for however long it holds your interest--then move on.

What your label wants to do is create a brand--with your name on it. So when you write, your name becomes synonymous with whatever genre you've chosen. A box that they can put you in. Unfortunately (and as movieman has already pointed out), your audience will be expecting more of the same if they liked your first book.

The good news is (and it really isn't all that good) that your chances of getting the first book published by a big house are very slender. So, you may feel free to write whatever you wish until you happen upon success. THEN you'll be pigeonholed forever.

Good luck and happy writing!

In general I'd second this, but crossovers can be successful. Dan Simmons made his name with some great horror novels -- Carrion Comfort, The Song, of Kali, Summer of Night, etc. He then shifted to SF with the wildly successful Hyperion novels and Ilium and Olympos. After that he wrote succesful detective fiction and has recently come full circle with some supernatural historical fiction like The Terror and Drood. Before he jumped genres, however, he was well established and had a couple of best sellers.

JBS Haldyne Nobel prize winning geneticist wrote "Possible Worlds".

Also wrote, "My friend Mr Leaky" about adventures with a modern day magician, that I loved as a child.

Of all the books that might be written there are very few of them that any one of us could write, so why restrict yourself further?

Whoa...whoa...wait...that can't be right. The concept of being stuck in a genre once you (if you) hit mainstream...that can't be right. I'll agree with the idea of being obliged to stay in a genre, but I wouldn't mind an Agatha Christie fantasy novel, or a J.K. Rowling murder mystery...

Asimov is in every section of the Dewey decimal system (except the 100s, philosophy and psychology). No pseudonyms required.

As a writer, I usually stick with Horror and mystery, with a good amount of fantasy mixed in. However, an author could quite easily decide hey I want to do a comedy. It may take a bit of doing, but it is certainly possible. Pen names may be needed, or they may not.

I have done urban fantasy, space opera, humor, vampires, and I'm currently doing clockpunk.

Restrictions are for people who can't think outside the box and come up with anything else to write about. Not trying to be harsh, but that's just how I see it.

Stephen King -- Horror
Richard Bachman -- Thriller

Two different authors? No, the same one. You don't need a pseudonym, no, but most people buying a Stephen King novel expect horror. Which is why he wrote his thrillers with a pseudonym.

Having high hopes is good, but how about you pick a genre, try to finish ONE novel in that genre, try to sell it, and see what happens? Worry about being pigeonholed if and when your novel blows up the best-sellers' lists.

Also, if for some reason your novel doesn't succeed, don't take that as an indication that you can't or shouldn't write in that genre. It may just be that one novel.

Variety is always good...as long as the end-products are good. Work on the end-product first.

Originally Posted by KarlR

The good news is (and it really isn't all that good) that your chances of getting the first book published by a big house are very slender. So, you may feel free to write whatever you wish until you happen upon success. THEN you'll be pigeonholed forever.

Good luck and happy writing!

I agree with much of your comment, but I have to slap you on the wrist for your "happen upon success" notion - with as much work as I've been putting in I have to believe that there's more to it than sitting back and getting lucky. Oh please let it be more than happening upon success.

I've finished a memoir that has sparked several writing projects, but my main interest is scifi/space opera. At least I've got it down to two genres, and have been actively working to combine them. Such fun.

I think people put too much store in the importance of sticking to certain genres and using pseudonyms. So many stories out there belong to no or all or certainly more than one or two genres and authors using pseudonyms because their fans expect one thing from them but not another is kind of sad.

Thoughts of genre police and readership constraints are coming to mind.

The way I see it is, all stories are worth the telling regardless of genre constraints and maybe if more writers just got busy telling them without feeling the need to hide behind pseudonyms for the poor sensitive readers' benefit, the world of reading and writing might be a happier place.