What is genre? Do you write in a specific genre or do you write and it gets dropped into some genre because the people marketing it asked for a one paragraph summary, never even looked at your work, and decided where to drop it based on their limited knowledge of your craft?
My god, Joseph! A little edgy today? Did you get up a little bit cranky? Do you need a nap?
All may be true, and the question “What genre do you write in?” remains.
I’ve mentioned my genre is Joseph. Several readers tell me so.
My response is that’s great for branding, rotten for marketing.
Here’s an example: Go find any book by one of today’s best selling authors, but from the very start of their career.
Got one? Notice that the book’s title is the largest print item on the cover?
Now go get their most recent book.
Notice their name is the largest print item on the cover?
Voila! Genre versus Brand. Stephen King started out writing horror and that’s where marketers placed his work. Now he write Stephen King and it wouldn’t matter if marketers put his books in the frozen foods section of a CVS, his (considerable) fanbase would storm CVS to get a copy.
So maybe that’s the key? Genre is where your work is placed before you (you!) become a marketable commodity?
In any case, Genre Schmenre.
Enjoy!
Think I’m onto something? Take a class with me, schedule a critique of your work, or buy me a coffee.
Think I’m an idiot? Let me know in a comment.
Either way, we’ll both learn something.
Get copies of my books because it’s a nice thing to do, you care, you can follow along, and I need the money. My latest is my fiction anthology Tales Told ‘Round Celestial Campfires Volume 2
FWIW, I hold a Creators RoundTable the last Thursday of every month from 7:30-8:30pmET. Watch past RoundTables. Register to participate.
Wilderness House Literary Review EIC Steve Glines and I (Senior Fiction Editor) hold monthly open chats with authors interested in a) writing for us, b) improving their craft in general, and/or c) increasing their chances of being accepted by other markets.
Meetings are held via Zoom on the last Friday of each month from 9-10amET.
So, want to know how to write for us? Want to know what gets our attention? Want to know how to write better for whatever market you’re interested in? Join us for our next “Meet the Editors” Zoom session. Seats limited! Sign up and talk with us. We’re relatively easy going and fun to be with.
Last item, finding these experiments useful? Strengthen my ego and link/friend/follow me.
No Responses