A member of my critique group is wondering if creating a pseudonym for certain genres would bring better sales. That same author is itching to write in more than one genre at the same time, under the same name. Here are some thoughts to consider.
- If you have an uninspiring name for the type of novel you’ve written,
consider using a pseudonym. Rebecca’s Sweet Desire by Horace Shoemaker… Nah. Time to study your genre. Also, once you think you have found the perfect pseudonym, it’s prudent to search Amazon and Google to see if there’s already an author by that name, writing in the same genre. Check. Just in case. - If you’re leaning toward multiple names, will you try to feature the one or more names on one website, or will you need to create and maintain two or more separate sites? Consider your time investment for different Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads accounts. Oh, yes, and newsletters. You’ll need a personal assistant to keep up, or risk spreading yourself too thin to be effective in either genre. Are your two or more genres different enough that you will also need to maintain more than one blog? If you write erotica and children’s books, for example, better consider not just a different nom de plume, but different branding as well.
- The requirements for book covers, Facebook ads, and other promotional materials may also create the need for a different graphic artist, and most certainly a different marketing plan.
- Whether you’re an indie publisher or a traditionally published author, it’s wise to develop one genre first. Traditional publishers and agents know the value of a proven author name, and dabbling in different genres dilutes the efforts to grow an effective reader base. According to Denver literary agent Rachelle Gardner, you must specialize because a publisher can’t afford to start from Square One and reach a whole new audience with every single book. You can read more of Rachelle’s reasons for specializing here.
- There are some crossover genres. Business books and nonfiction self-help books, perhaps. Paranormal and fantasy, perhaps? Mystery and suspense? I write historical romance, and I may be successful someday in drawing some of those readers into my “women’s fiction with strong romantic elements” novels. In the meantime, I’m being patient and developing my historical series.
Bottom line: If you’re prolific and can pump out three to four books a year in each genre in which you want to write, and if you are experienced enough in marketing that you can “double your fun” there, as well, no need to worry about double-dipping your genres.
If you’re a mere human, however, it may be best to take it one genre at a time.
Do you agree? Have you successfully double-dipped genres? If so, share your story!
When I started writing, I decided to use my own name. I figured people who knew who I was shouldn’t have to remember another name for me. I write in 2 genres, mystery and romantic suspense, although I think of them all as “Mysteries With Relationships.” I’ve never wanted to use two separate names. The genres are close enough that I’m not going to confuse readers.
I’ll keep the same name, my real one, for any genre I decide to write…except maybe erotica. No, I haven’t written any wild sexy stuff yet, but if I did, I’d need a sexier name.
Hi, Terry! So your mysteries are “mystery with romantic elements?” Did you release mysteries first, romantic suspense second, or vice versa? Are they both series, or single titles? I’m wondering if you built your initial readers in one genre, then introduced your secondary genre to your first fan base. I’ve heard of good successes with this marketing approach.
My first sales were of romantic suspense (although when I started, I thought I was writing a mystery). I think it took me 8 books before I wrote a “pure” mystery.
Hi, Pat! Let us know when you’re ready for that next big step. 🙂
I ended up with four pen names out of necessity. I read everything, so it was only natural that I wanted to dip my feet into several genres. Largely, I write thrillers that lean fantasy/urban fantasy/PNR. But not always. One of my pen names is for non-fiction, one is for everything PG13, one is for my rated R material, and one for the erotic romance novels I started writing for fun. While I could have just kept one pen name, that would have made it super confusing for my readers to figure out which of my titles was more like the book they just read. Having more than one pen name has also made it easier for non-fiction readers to skip the fiction. While I agree it can be hard to juggle that many pen names, I’ve found that a lot of my readers tend to read more than one of my pen names by default and I will frequently cross market a single book to two different lists IF I think there may be interest. It’s definitely more work, but totally worth it, because I get to write what I want to write (and am not stuck in a single genre), and my readers get to read only what they want to read. 🙂 I also don’t try to hide my pen names from one another since my readership is largely a liberal and alternative crowd. Plus – running four websites was a HUGE PITA. That’s another consideration.
How interesting, Stephanie! The crossover readers must be fun to discover. Thanks for sharing with us.
OMG, the mere thought of running four websites just gave me hives, LOL.