Is Writing in Multiple Genres For You?

Today I am so excited to welcome to the Alley one of my favorite debut authors--and quite frankly one of the coolest chicks I know--the incredible, smart, versatile, and sassy C.E. (aka Carla) Laureano!


The single most frequent question I get asked by other writers is: how did you get published in two genres simultaneously? It’s usually followed by the statement, “I’ve always wanted to write multiple genres, but everyone tells me to pick one and stick with it.” I’m proof that it is possible to write in more than one genre at the same time. But the bigger question is, should you?

I didn’t actually intend to start out publishing in two genres, but a series of most likely unrepeatable circumstances ended up bringing me two offers simultaneously—for two different book series in two different genres. Never one to turn down an opportunity or a challenge, I accepted both, with the caveat that we had to arrange my release dates not to conflict with each other. I was already writing three books a year, and the second books in both series were already partially completed. Surely I could manage to write another two and a half books in two years?

Carla's Debut Contemporary Romance

The thing I didn’t realize is that two book contracts don’t mean twice the work. They mean an exponential amount of work. I’m often working on three, four, even five books at the same time in various stages of production. At one point, I was marketing my first romance while editing my first fantasy, rough drafting both the second fantasy and the second romance, and plotting the third fantasy.

Add in a heavy amount of promotion for each series—including multiple guest posts per week, social media chats, and my own blog—and it’s easily two full time jobs on top of my regular schedule. That leaves very little time for little things like eating and sleeping, oh yeah, and breathing.

 

Does that mean I would have done things different? No, not necessarily. But I also recognize that this pace is not something that everyone can sustain, nor do I recommend that everyone try. I tend to be happiest when I’m busy and multi-tasking, and I spent most of my career in a high-volume, high-stress corporate environment. Even so, the pace takes its toll. I have to be intentional about taking time for myself to recharge and connect with family and friends. However, to be successful at writing in two genres simultaneously (especially if you’re writing under a pen name for one or both), you have to treat each genre like a separate endeavor. You can’t slack off on marketing one genre while you’re busy with another; otherwise you’ll lose the readership you tried so hard to build. In my case, the overlap between my contemporary romance and fantasy readership is not as large as it would be if I wrote contemporary romance and romantic suspense. This is where the one-genre authors have a big advantage: they can devote their full attention to developing and maintaining one readership while writing books only for that readership.

So, some questions to ask yourself before you dive into the madness of multiple-genre publishing:

1) Do I have the time, energy, and emotional wherewithal to devote to what amounts to TWO full time jobs, on top of my regular day job and family responsibilities?

2) Can I shift gears from one project to another without losing focus? Will it be a problem for me to write a contemporary romance while editing a mystery?

3) Do I have the energy to maintain social media and marketing presence for two separate audiences?

4) Am I prepared to drop one genre/series should the other one prove to be much more profitable and demand more of my time?

All this assumes, of course, that you are pursuing traditional publication for both genres and that your publishers don’t require restrictive non-compete or first-rights clauses. Some authors choose to maintain a traditional publishing deal for one, while self-publishing the other. This has the advantage of letting you work your indie deadlines around your traditional publisher’s schedule. But it also means the entire responsibility for editing, cover design, formatting, marketing, and sales will fall on you for one genre.

Bottom line: pursuing publication in two genres can be a great opportunity when undertaken as a part of a thoughtful business plan with a full understanding of the challenges that are entailed. But for many writers, especially those with day jobs or multiple responsibilities, taking it slow with one genre at a time may be the best choice.

Is there anything else you want to know about my experience writing multiple genres? Ask me below!

I’m happy to share my thoughts.

About Me

C. E. Laureano has held many jobs—including professional marketer, small-business consultant, and martial arts instructor—but writer is by far her favorite. She was a finalist in the speculative fiction category of American Christian Fiction Writers’ 2012 Genesis contest, and she is active in ACFW’s South Denver chapter. Author of one previous novel—the 2014 RITA Award double-nominee, Five Days in Skye—Laureano lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.

Connect with her: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest

 

 Don't miss her Fantasy DEBUT!!! 

 

Oath of the Brotherhood 

An island at the edge of the world. An ancient prophecy. A reclusive warrior brotherhood. When evil encroaches, who will find the faith to fight it?

To his clan, Conor Mac Nir is a disappointment—gifted with a harp, but hopeless with a sword. To the beautiful young healer Aine, he’s one whose gift calls out to her own . . . and captures her heart. To the reclusive warrior brotherhood called the Fíréin, he may be the answer to an ancient prophecy . . . if he can be trained to fight. Can Conor and Aine find their true path as an ancient evil engulfs the isle of Seare? Must Conor sacrifice everything he loves, even Aine, to follow the path God lays out before him?

 

Buy now at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook.com

LOVED having you as our guest on the Alley! We are so excited about all your success!

-Amy & the Alley Cats

 

The Writer's Notebook

A few days ago I finished reading a book of interviews with writers. All of them are successful Australian authors who've written bestsellers, received critical recognition for their work, and in most cases, earn a comfortable living from their writing.

When you immerse yourself in the mind of writers for a solid 280 pages, patterns begin to emerge. In this case, the predominant pattern was not one I'd been expecting. It's a takeaway so simple that if I hadn't heard it repeated at least a dozen times by a dozen different authors, I probably would have just skimmed right past it.

Simple. Elemental. And yet, it's something I don't do.

Do you want to know the one thing that most of these authors have in common?

Well, let's use a process of elimination. It's NOT any of these things you may be thinking:

• Their path to publication. Some had agents, some didn't. Some self-published first and were discovered through that avenue. Some wrote for years before breaking in; others wrote a couple of chapters and were contracted on that basis by the first publisher they submitted to (one at the age of fourteen!)

• Their chosen genres, which were varied - from crime thrillers to literary works.

• Their approach to research, which ranged from the extreme dedication of one author who learned French in order to be able to read primary sources for her novel set in France, to another author who said "the joy" of writing science fiction is that "you don't have to do any research."

• The amount of words they write per day, or even the requirement of writing a certain amount of words in a day at all. (John Marsden, author of the multi-million bestselling "Tomorrow" series for young adults, surprisingly said of his writing time, "it may only happen twice a week or it may not happen at all some weeks.")

• Their approach to platform and marketing, which varied from "out there" to "really not my thing - my publisher does it all."

• Even their love for the craft. (One award-winning and prolific author cynically remarked, "I mean, there are important things that people can do in the world. Writing more novels in a world that doesn't need any more novels is not one of them.")

So what on earth could it be?

The answer surprised me.

The one thing most of these authors had in common is this: 

They use a notebook to record their observations of daily life.

Image by Stoonn, freedigitalphotos.net

So simple it's easily overlooked, and yet actually - the more you think about it - so fundamental.

We're not talking about a notebook where you jot ideas for your WIP - plot twists, character descriptions and the like. That probably comes more naturally to all of us, out of necessity. 

By comparison, the observation notebook seems almost... trivial. Non-essential. 

But when a dozen successful authors, interviewed independently of each other, all cite this one common habit as a foundational element of their work, it sure made me sit up and listen.

It also made me think. What's the big deal? Why is it so important? This is what I came up with. You could probably add more to this list.

4 Benefits of using an observation notebook:

• It will breathe life into your characters. The personality quirks, physical appearance, facial expressions, modes of dress, habits and reactions you observe in the people around you are rich fodder. If you want to create characters who seem real, instead of cardboard cutouts, observe real people everywhere you go - and record those details.

• It will enrich your settings. How often do you sketch a setting in a line or two, using the same stock-standard phrases - because you really can't visualize the setting with any certainty in your own head? Our memories are unreliable. We forget the pungent, particular details of the places we've been - unless we write them down.

• It will keep your writing brain in gear. Many of us compartmentalize our writing and non-writing time. I know I do. But this makes it harder to switch gears when you do have time to write. The habit of keeping an observation notebook has the power to change your daily mindset, so that you approach the whole of life with the curiosity and keen observation of a writer. To use another metaphor, keep your writing brain simmering away with ideas instead of turning off the heat once your writing session is over - it'll be that much quicker to bring it back to a rolling boil when you next sit at your computer.

• It's an endless source of ideas and inspiration. In an interview with novelist Louise Zaetta, she was asked whether she ever experiences writer's block. Her answer? "No, and I'll tell you why not. There's a beautiful way to avoid writer's block, and that is to have a notebook with you at all times where you endlessly record the things that happen in life. Out and about. Anywhere. At someone's place for dinner. I once interviewed Claire Astley, who said she does that. She has her little basket of bits of paper on the floor. Whenever she gets stuck she just pulls one out, and it may have something on it that she observed a year ago and she'll write about that. Somehow or other you can fit everything you have observed into your work. There's hardly anything you'll ever have observed that you can't use. So if you have a good notebook you should not have to suffer from writer's block, because you can just use something from there. Write that and it will lead you on to something else. It's a marvellous resource." (Literati: Australian Contemporary Literary Figures Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame, 2005)

Image by greenphile, freedigitalphotos.net

I don't know about you... but I'm inspired.

I've used an observation notebook in the past, but only very sporadically, and never for long. It was a habit that didn't stick, because I never fully internalized the value of what I was doing, and therefore didn't prioritize it.

From now on I'm making a commitment to carry a notebook with me everywhere I go, and take a minute here and there throughout the day to jot down the rich and colorful details of daily life, which will otherwise be forgotten.

Who'll join me?

TWEETABLES

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Karen Schravemade lives in Australia, where she juggles writing with being a SAHM to three small kids. She's had short stories published in two literary journals and is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such. Find her on her website, Twitter, and getting creative on her home-making blog, A house full of sunshine.