30 things I've learnt from 5 years being published: no 18 – you can write in another genre
September 6 2023 marks 5 years since my first novel was released 😲
I’ve now published 6, and have 2 more under contract.
To celebrate, I’m sharing a new post about what I’ve learnt from being published EVERY DAY throughout the month. This post is part of that series!
Click here for the rest →
Perhaps today’s post is obvious, but I thought it was worth talking about anyway. A lot of the writers I speak to feel very nervous about ‘branching out’ or leaving behind the ‘brand’ or genre that they’ve started writing in.
But often, this is one of the best ways to make writing full-time a viable career.
As you probably know, I currently write under two names: Charlotte Duckworth and Charlotte Rixon.
It wasn’t really something I planned that consciously, but when I wrote The One That Got Away, my agent and I agreed it wasn’t really the same genre as my other books, and that when she sent it out on submission it would be best to send it out under a pseudonym.
However, she did let editors know that it was me who wrote it, so we weren’t misleading anyone.
It was only after I got my deal for that book that I was able to have a year off all other work and write full-time. I still did the odd bit of web design but 95% of my work time last year was spent on writing.
(I actually didn’t love this, hence coming back to web design, but that’s a post for another time!).
I suppose what I want to do is make sure that anyone reading this knows that it’s possible to write something in a new genre, to write something completely different, and go on to sell that book too.
One of the writers I most admire is Claire McGowan who has had a successful career as a thriller writer under her own name, but also writes commercial women’s fiction under the name Eva Woods.
Another writer I look up to is Kate Harrison who writes non-fiction alongside bookclub fiction AND thrillers too!
And actually, having a break from your ‘usual’ genre and writing something new can be really satisfying. I wrote five suspense novels in quick succession and while I am very proud of them all, after a while it started to become a little bit formulaic. Readers know what they want from suspense and it’s important that you tick all the boxes they’re expecting.
Writing my bookclub novel really stretched me creatively. As I’ve said many times, I wrote it just for me, because I wanted to challenge myself and write something different. And I really really enjoyed the process. I think it made my writing stronger.
There are so many other genres I want to write in. I’d love to write non-fiction or biography one day. I’d also love to do a poetry course.
I think it’s important we don’t feel limited in our creativity, or so grateful to get a book deal that we daren’t wander off-track. It is absolutely possible to reinvent ourselves!
And in fact, so many authors I know have reinvented themselves, published new books under different names and gone on to sell far more copies in their new genre.
I think you learn so much about writing from writing, and the more books you write, the better you get, and you can use all the skills you’ve picked up from your first genre to breathe new life into the next one you tackle.
I’ve had praise for my bookclub novel from people saying that it’s more suspenseful than most in its genre - which makes sense when you consider my training as a suspense writer!
I’ve also had some nice reviews from people who enjoyed it and then realised that I was the author, and that they had also enjoyed my previous novels.
Which shows there can also be some crossover in your readers, and that if you do use a pseudonym (because the publishing world is obsessed with ‘debuts’), then it’s actually best NOT to keep it a secret, as more of your loyal readers will be happy to try something different from you than you might realise.
You might also find that you can combine genres, for example suspense with time-travel, - and these ‘crossover’, often ‘high-concept’ novels can prove exceptionally popular with readers.
And of course, if your initial book doesn’t do as hoped, then writing in a new genre is the perfect way to reinvent yourself, to dust yourself off and start over.
You might find you enjoy writing in the new genre even more...
