Most authors I’ve spoken to usually focus on one or two specific genres when writing their books. Many of them view it as a “specialty” and hone their skills at telling those types of stories. Is it worthwhile to explore different genres when you have one in particular?
Actually, there are quite a few arguments that can be made for jumping genres.
Now, you don’t necessarily have to write about a topic you have no interest in exploring. You can be ultimately successful by focusing purely on your chosen niche. I know a lot of fantasy authors who have no intention of writing anything else.
However, trying something new, even if it’s just as a short story, can be quite beneficial in the long run.
5 Reasons to Consider Writing Other Genres
Again, you don’t have to jump ship if you’re truly enjoying what you write. All I ask is for a bit of your time to consider the possibilities, nothing more.
I mean, I don’t really have a dog in the fight, so you can do whatever you like. I just wanted to point out some of the benefits of considering trying a different path as an author.
1. You Don’t Know What You Might Like
You’ve probably heard the saying, “You don’t know what you’ll like until you try it.” I heard that a lot growing up, especially when Mom tried to serve something…shall we say, unique…on the dinner plate. And for the most part, I enjoyed a great deal of things I’ve tried.
When I started writing for Textbroker, I was focused on the Computers and Technology categories. That was my background, and I felt I had quite a bit to contribute. Well, when the workload fell in those niches, I decided to try something else. What I found was that I also had a knack for writing in the Business, Animal, Home Repair, and Travel categories.
My point is that you don’t really know if you will or will not like something until you give it a try.
As a fantasy author, I’ve heard that I am quite adept at writing romance scenes without them feeling cheesy or cringe-worthy. Since then, I’ve dabbled in all kinds of genres and quite enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, westerns, and gothic horror.
At the end of the day, you might find something that you enjoy exploring more than what you’re doing now. Of course, this will only matter if you go into the process with an open mind.
If you already have a negative opinion about something, it’ll immediately skew your mindset.
2. Could Be More Profitable
A lot of people will write and publish books to make money on Amazon. Using tools like KDSpy or Publisher Rocket will help you determine what is currently selling on the platform. Diving into other genres could help you make a few more bucks each month in royalties.
Personally, I have no interest in following trends or writing what sells. I write the story I want to tell. But there’s nothing wrong if you want to jump on those hype trains or trends to hit a currently active audience.
There’s nothing wrong with writing in popular genres to help boost your success. As long as you’re enjoying the process, who’s to say you’re doing it wrong?
Well, unless you plan on using AI-generated garbage. Then, it’s always wrong.
The hardest part is to know what makes a good story in those other niches. At that point, it’s probably not a bad idea to buy a few books and read how other authors are crafting them.
Then again, it’s always a good idea to read other genres than what you write, anyway. But that’s a blog post for another day.
3. Tapping a New Audience
By trying out different genres, you could connect with a new audience who may not know you even exist. And some of them might also enjoy the other stories you write.
That’s because most readers get connected with how an author delivers a story. It’s more about style than anything else.
In any case, exploring different facets of writing could open the doors to all kinds of possibilities. For instance, let’s say that you’re a horror author who decided to dabble in sci-fi. Then, you attract a sci-fi reader who turns into a long-supporting fan. What if that fan was a producer for a streaming service who decided to approach you for movie rights?
I know…it’s a bit far-fetched. It’s a dream that very few will ever see realized, but the chances are never zero. What would most likely happen is that one sci-fi reader winds up buying all of your books regardless.
My point here is that you never know who your writing will touch in a different genre. Now, not everyone who reads horror will appreciate romance in the same way. But you can still sell to romance readers and horror readers simultaneously.
4. Cross-Genre Writing
Have you ever thought about combining two or more genres to tell an interesting story? It happens quite often. However, it usually entails one being a shadow of another to give the story a bit more heft.
For example, there are romantic undertones in Kingmaker, but it’s primarily a dark fantasy.
What I’m talking about here is mixing more than one genre somewhat evenly. Kind of like Aliens & Cowboys, a western that leans heavily into sci-fi. Or, is it a sci-fi leaning toward western?
That’s one of the reasons why I wrote Shadows of Atlantic City. I like dark supernatural stories and wanted to try my hand at a western. In case you’re curious, the next book takes place in Denver in 1874.
Depending on the story and your ability to mix the genres in a way that the audience accepts the flow, you could have a lot of fun writing something ultimately unique.
5. Marketing Other Books
As I mentioned earlier, you could use one genre to market books of another. A lot of readers are quite eclectic and collect books of all kinds. Demonstrating your prowess in other markets might be of great benefit.
For instance, I love horror. But, I also have sci-fi and fantasy books. I don’t just gravitate to one genre as I love stories of all kinds. Well, as long as they have a decent plot, anyway. I really couldn’t get into a lot of “smut” books as many of them I’ve come across just seemed exceptionally unrealistic to me.
Anyway, don’t assume that your audience is only going to center around a specific genre. Sure, a lot of them will only read certain types of stories. But a lot of them collect a variety of books.
That’s why there is an option to add a page of “Other Books by the Author” in most writing apps. You can list off the other genres of which you write while providing a link to where to find them in eBooks.
Won’t Writing a Different Genre Hurt Your Reputation?
People are going to appreciate your work because of your style and how you relay a story. Now, you might not sell as many romance copies of your books to your horror fans, but romance readers can just as easily pick them up.
Although Stephen King is mostly recognized for horror, he has also written fantasies. Not to mention “The Shawshank Redemption” and several others that weren’t related to horror.
It’s the style of the author people loved, not necessarily the genre itself. I mean, there’s a massive difference between Cujo and The Green Mile.
Another instance is that of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Most notably, he was recognized as the creator of Sherlock Holmes. But did you know he also published horror? I didn’t until I picked up the Classic Horror Stories book.
Then, there is the aspect of flexibility. A lot of readers appreciate someone who has the range to write in many different genres. And if you mix them with something like your primary focus, it could make for some exceptionally interesting stories.
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t have to worry about your reputation for writing in certain genres. When all is said and done, it mostly comes down to your storytelling ability and how you make readers feel. We have so many ways to filter books nowadays, and people will find exactly what they want to read without even looking at an author’s name.
Start Off Writing Short Stories
If you’re not sure about diving into other genres, try writing short stories to get the feel and flow. There are several platforms that you can use to test the waters with an audience, such as Wattpad, Inkitt, Vocal Media, or Medium.
You can also use something like Reedsy’s Plot Generator to practice writing short stories for yourself or online platforms to get the creative juices flowing.
I suggest sitting down and writing a 3,000-word story and seeing if you can get a good flow before trying to tackle a full-length novel. You don’t want to be 50,000 words deep into something you don’t like to write.
One of the nice things about submitting a short story on any of the platforms I mentioned earlier is that you can use them for further marketing yourself as an author. Others can follow the accounts and you can build up an audience before promoting your actual published novel.
Unfortunately, not all of these platforms will pay you for your efforts. And those that do, require a lot of views before you make any significant amount of money. However, I still believe they are worthwhile if nothing more than to get your name out there and build an audience.
It’s an effective form of free marketing that has the potential to pique the interest of those who may be willing to buy your books at a later date.
What’s Your Favorite Genre?
Writing books and stories in other genres expands your talents and audience. But, it’s not something that is absolutely necessary to be a success. There’s nothing wrong with “staying in your lane.”
Nonetheless, I find it quite fun to explore the possibilities. For instance, Shadows of Atlantic City was a lot of fun to write while mixing two genres together. I’m also debating on dark sci-fi and more western themes in the future.
But that is after I finish the number of books that I have on my plate already. Book two of the Witcham series is just about done.
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