I have had discussions with
other others about writing multiple genres. The basic issue is one of branding,
and there are two dimensions to the branding topic. One is if you write a book
that includes multiple genres, how do you brand the book? As an example, one of
the authors on the panel has a book that includes mystery, history, time travel
and romance. On the panel we will explore the question of where this book
should be on a shelf in a library or bookstore. For me, my geezer-lit mysteries
include romance. I was a member of Romance Writers of America for a time as
well as Mystery Writers of America. I classify these books as mysteries with
romantic elements.
The other dimension is
writing books that represent different genres. Then the question becomes branding
the author. One of the other authors on the panel writes romance novels and
suspense novels. Some authors tackle this difference by writing under different
pen names. British thriller author, John Creasy, wrote crime, science fiction,
western and romance novels. He wrote his romance novels under his wife’s name.
Another author on the panel writes cozy mysteries and suspense. She writes some
of her cozies and suspense under her real name. Does this cause confusion for
the reader? My contention is that readers are smart and don’t need to see two
different author names for different genres. Just as long as the information
about the book is clear, readers will chose authors they like or genres they
like.
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