Changing genre after first published book?

Susan B · Mar 6, 2008

How bad an idea is it to change genres between your first and second book?

I know the conventional wisdom is to "build on your platform"--but how ironclad is that? And do all first books really establish a platform, beyond giving you the credibility of having published a book? Is it less of an issue if the first book is memoir, and for the second you write a novel? (What I am contemplating.)

Any thoughts welcomed!

Susan

escritora · Mar 6, 2008

My published book is practical nonfiction. Because I want to continue writing practical nonfiction, I created a pen name for fiction.

So I guess I didn't answer your question, but thought my experience added value.

Kate Thornton · Mar 6, 2008

I don't see a problem unless your first book is a smashing hit or wins a lot of prestigious awards - then it would make sense to either stay with your genre or come up with a pen name for a new direction.

DWSTXS · Mar 6, 2008

I'm not published yet, but my 2nd novel will be a different genre from the 1st.

BTW Susan B, I'm a big fan of your coins

MKL1025 · Mar 7, 2008

My first two books are in the same genre. My third is going to be a YA book, and my agent doesn't see a problem in switching genres. She said the most important thing is to get a writer's work out there, rather than obsessing about the genre.

jchines · Mar 7, 2008

My agent advised against it. Part of what you're doing is building your audience with your early work. People who like book one will be more likely to grab book two. If book two is drastically different, you've got a bigger risk of losing those early fans.

Ironclad? I don't think so. I do know of some authors who have gotten trapped writing in one genre, where their publisher brings a lot of pressure to keep them from branching out. I wouldn't want to end up in that situation, but I can also see the logic in keeping things in the same ballpark for the first books, in order to build readership.

Claudia Gray · Mar 7, 2008

I'd talk to your agent about it. Generally speaking, you want to get yourself established in one genre before branching out, and it's very common for a first novel sale to be a two- or three-book deal -- in which the publisher will rightly expect a second novel to be in the same genre as the first. However, if you have a strong manuscript in another genre, and/or you really feel the second genre is where you'll be concentrating your career, switching could be the right move.

mmurphy · Mar 7, 2008

From a reader point of view, when I encounter a new writer who writes, let's say a western, then their next book is horror, I am disappointed, because I want to read another western by them.

Susan B · Mar 7, 2008

Kate Thornton said:
I don't see a problem unless your first book is a smashing hit or wins a lot of prestigious awards - then it would make sense to either stay with your genre or come up with a pen name for a new direction.

Well, the book won't be out till December, but somehow I don't imagine I'll be struggling with the problem mentioned above

Thanks, everyone, for weighing in. Good to hear the range of responses.

Seems like the answer is: it depends. Which is basically what my agent said in an e-mail (I think.)

Here's a little background:

My first book is a little off-beat, wasn't the easiest to place. A memoir with broad appeal (I hope) but also a serious (but not academic) work with a specialized musical/cultural focus. (U Press of Mississippi is a perfect "home" for the book, as it turns out, since they publish much of the serious work in this area.)

The original plan for my next book had been to expand on something touched on in the first book, my own disavowed ethnic identity (Slovenian--how's that for obscure!). I'd planned to approach it once again as memoir/narrative nonfiction.

But I went through a period of frustration with the limitations of memoir as a genre (this was before the first book was picked up) and thought I'd be crazy to try another one. Partly out of frustration, partly as rebellion, partly for fun, I started working on a mystery that would let me address some of the stuff I'd been interested in exploring in the next book.

But now, feeling a little more optimistic about the possibilities of memoir (despite the latest round of memoir hoax scandals) I am reconsidering the change in direction.

So that's a little more of the story.

Susan

Changing genre after first published book?

Susan B

Accordion Dreams

escritora

.

Kate Thornton

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

DWSTXS

Mr Mojo Risin...

MKL1025

jchines

Got the hang of it, here

Claudia Gray

mmurphy

Susan B

Accordion Dreams