I had heard, in the past, that writers who have established themselves in a particular niche have difficulty in leaving it. This has apparently been especially true in markets like comic books/graphic novels and children's books. On the other hand, certain people have done an excellent job in broadening their "niches" to the point where they get a lot of "crossover" readers; Neil Gaiman in graphic novels, for example, or Beverly Cleary and J.K. Rowling in children's lit. These writers could probably find an audience in whatever field they chose to write, and brought new respect to their genres that enabled others to do the same. Yet the number of big publishing houses has diminished over the years, as has the number of editors willing to take chances with new material, and I don't know if the ability to cross over is restricted to the big names.
I'm curious if people have opinions or information on this subject. If you write a children's book, are you stuck writing children's books, in the current day in age? If you write a comic script, is your historical novel going to be relegated to the bottom of the slush pile as a funnybook writer who's overstepping their bounds?
Posted by OSTY (Member # 1480) on :
Sometimes it is not a matter of an author not being good at writing other genres but rather the fact that once they are known for one type of writing that is where bookstores display all their books. This is even true for Authors that are genred for other reasons. I fought over and over again with a few of our local bookstores to put OSCs Women of Gensis books in the religious section not the sci fi section. And I still carry the Just A Geek and Dances Barefoot books by Wil Wheaton from the Sci Fi section of Barnes and Noble over to the Autobiography Section.
Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :
The funny thing is that Wil Wheaton never even wrote any science fiction, he just acted in one of the most popular sci-fi franchises. Those two books are, as far as I know, the first two works he ever had published.
I don't really get the whole crossover thing. Are there really people who stick almost exclusively to one genre? Or does it just mean reading something in a genre you thought you would never read. Because I read books from a lot of genres, and yet I can't see myself reading any harlequin romances in the near future, even if one of my favorite authors takes a stab at that particular mode.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
It can also depend on how big the author is. At this point Stephen King could write anything and have it show up in the New York Times top 10. But when he first started Carrie was such a hit the publishers just wanted horror.
My local Barnes and Noble actually has Mr. Card in two different sections. His books like Lost Boys show up in fiction/lit and Ender/Alvin/Homecomming etc show up in Scifi/Fantasy.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
quote:Originally posted by OSTY: I fought over and over again with a few of our local bookstores to put OSCs Women of Gensis books in the religious section not the sci fi section.
That's funny. I had the opposite experience. I had to hunt down a copy of Stone Tables in the 'Inspirational Fiction' section. Before that, I didn't even know there was such a section!
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
quote:Originally posted by Fitz: I don't really get the whole crossover thing. Are there really people who stick almost exclusively to one genre? Or does it just mean reading something in a genre you thought you would never read. Because I read books from a lot of genres, and yet I can't see myself reading any harlequin romances in the near future, even if one of my favorite authors takes a stab at that particular mode.
I suppose, in a nutshell, my question is this: Does an author, especially in one of the frequently "less respected" genres such as children's books or comic books, have to attain such a level of success that readers who wouldn't normally consider works of that particular genre become interested in order to be taken seriously if they write outside that genre? (Boy, that's a long run-on sentence for a nutshell.) Publishers are notrious for refusing to take risks, and in the past, the genre an author starts in is likely to be the genre they're forced to stay in. How much is that the case now?
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling:
quote:Originally posted by Fitz: I don't really get the whole crossover thing. Are there really people who stick almost exclusively to one genre? Or does it just mean reading something in a genre you thought you would never read. Because I read books from a lot of genres, and yet I can't see myself reading any harlequin romances in the near future, even if one of my favorite authors takes a stab at that particular mode.
I suppose, in a nutshell, my question is this: Does an author, especially in one of the frequently "less respected" genres such as children's books or comic books, have to attain such a level of success that readers who wouldn't normally consider works of that particular genre become interested in order to be taken seriously if they write outside that genre? (Boy, that's a long run-on sentence for a nutshell.) Publishers are notrious for refusing to take risks, and in the past, the genre an author starts in is likely to be the genre they're forced to stay in. How much is that the case now?
I think as long as the writer needs the publisher more than publisher needs the writer, the writer is pretty must stuck to that genre.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
Quote: "less respected" genres such as children's books or comic books, have to attain such a level of success that readers who wouldn't normally consider works of that particular genre become interested in order to be taken seriously if they write outside that genre? __________________________________________________
I think its the other way around, we get really attached to the popular works, and we are unwilling to stray from the norm
I often get really annoyed at other Douglas Adams fans for only knowing hitchiker's Guide books. Adams also wrote 2.5 really really interesting and funny fantasy novels in the Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency series, and no-one EVER knows what I am talking about when I mention Adams and this series. Besides that, he also wrote a nonfic book about endangered species called "Last chance to See" which is great, but I know of no-one else who even knows it exists!
It is so hard not to pigeonhole your favorite writer and keep him or her in one genre I think because people are afraid their love of the work will diminish in the transition
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote: Besides that, he also wrote a nonfic book about endangered species called "Last chance to See" which is great, but I know of no-one else who even knows it exists!
I think you'll find that a surprising number of Adams fans know of -- and have read -- this book. Perhaps you're not talking to the right people. Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
You need to come to my university and join The Douglas Adams Appreciation Society. They'd know what you were talking about. Anytime you feel like moving to England...
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:Besides that, he also wrote a nonfic book about endangered species called "Last chance to See" which is great, but I know of no-one else who even knows it exists!
I not only know it exists, I went to see him when he came to give a talk about it in my hometown.
Not that I've read it. And when the talk was over and he opened the floor for questions, predictably enough nearly all the questions were about the Hitchhiker series. So I definitely see where you're coming from.
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