The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Changing Genres
By Greer Macallister | April 5, 2022 |
You may know me as Greer Macallister, bestselling author of historical fiction, but lately, I’ve taken on another identity. I have a new book out (you may have heard of it) and as the author of Scorpica, my identity has shifted in two key respects: my name on the book jacket is G.R. Macallister, and it’s not historical fiction, but epic fantasy.
All in all, the genre shift has been a pleasure. I wrote something ambitious, complex, and satisfying, proving to myself I was capable of something entirely new. As to the less-pleasant aspects, I went in with my eyes open. I knew that putting out a new book in a new genre, different from the one in which I’ve established myself, would require flexibility and patience. Of course that’s what’s needed as an author in general, but the genre switch put extra pressure on both of those character traits, to say the least.
Do I regret changing genres after four books (while reserving the right to switch back at any time)? Not at all. But do I have advice for those thinking about making the switch? You bet.
If you’re an author with an established readership in one genre looking to publish in another, here are three things to watch out for:
Don’t underestimate the time that it takes. Maybe if you’re shifting between subgenres this might not be an issue, but in my case, making the move from writing historical fiction to writing epic fantasy wasn’t just about writing a different book. It was about learning to write a different kind of book, almost from the ground up. Reading up on current fantasy was a fun task to assign myself, but it was a task nonetheless — hours and hours of reading, to fit in among all the other reading I do for work and for fun. So that’s a bunch of time up front. Plus there’s…
You might need to shake up your team, which takes even more time. The agent who has sold all of my historical novels is fabulous and wonderful, but she doesn’t represent epic fantasy, and the publisher who published those books doesn’t really do adult fantasy either. Which meant it wasn’t just the writing itself that was different, but every other aspect of managing and selling this new book. My incredibly kind agent gave me the go-ahead to connect with a separate agent just for my fantasy work, and my agreements with both were written to accommodate the other, and it’s been a dream so far. But making that dream happen through querying and negotiation took an extra half-year on top of the writing work, and without extraordinary luck it could have been much worse. Other friends shifting genres have had to leave old agents and find new ones, or strike out on their own with self-publishing ventures, and both of those are even more time-consuming. And on top of that…
Readers may not follow you — and they’re not the only ones. I was certain that some of my readers who enjoyed historical fiction focused on strong women would also enjoy epic historical fantasy focused on strong women, and they were. But I was equally sure that plenty of my historical fiction-loving readers would never read fantasy no matter who writes it, and I was just as right about that. And it’s not only your readers who may or may not follow you to the new genre. The same applies to the rest of your network. I found that fellow authors who would be glad to blurb my historical fiction might or might not have any interest in fantasy; some bookstores who were happy to host me for historical fiction events politely let me know they didn’t have enough of a fantasy readership among their patrons to justify having an event for my fantasy work. Again, none of this was unanticipated–I’d thought about it beforehand–but you never know just how much this applies to you until you’re in the thick of it.
So don’t be afraid to change, but recognize that the scope of that change might be even more daunting than you first realize.
What other potential pitfalls might accompany a change in genre for the established author?
Raised in the Midwest, Greer Macallister earned her MFA in creative writing from American University. Her historical novels have been named Book of the Month, Indie Next, LibraryReads, Target Book Club, and Amazon Best Book of the Month picks and optioned for film and television. Her latest novel, The Thirteenth Husband, is inspired by Aimee Crocker, the Paris Hilton of the Gilded Age. Macallister also writes the ongoing Five Queendoms epic fantasy series as G.R. Macallister. A regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and the Chicago Review of Books, she lives with her family in Boston, MA. www.greermacallister.com
Well, GR, I’d say there’s another thing that one should evaluate for a change like this: Do you have the passion for it? Not just enough enthusiasm to produce a respectable entry to the genre–that’s not going to cause a ripple among a passionate fandom like epic fantasy’s, with dozens of new titles vying for attention every month. No, you’ve got to have it in you to want to make a full-on splash–which (somewhat ironically) requires one to take a deep dive into the nuance, atmospherics, and cultural minutiae that fans require.
It’s clear, reading Scorpica, that GR has that sort of passion. Well done, Greer. Thanks for the tips.
Great perspective, Vaughn, and I really appreciate the kind words about Scorpica! It has been an absolutely transformative experience to dive headlong into epic fantasy, and I’m thrilled I get to keep doing it for at least two more books.
Good things to think about. I have two more books under contract in the Upmarket (“Clean”) Women’s Fiction realm (though one is a male protagonist, 1st person POV, so that is already stretching it a bit, and the other is dual timeline with one being historical, more like my debut than anything I’ve written after).
After that, I actually have more of a psychological thriller in mind. I know it will take more time and a lot more work (and some extra reading!). I know it will take some stretching while writing (I’ll have to push past my natural inclination toward understatement to push scenes and characters to extremes). I may have to do more advance plotting than I like. I know I’ll have to look for a different sort of publisher.
I’m not sure what to expect when it comes to audience shift. I have a crossover audience now, both in the Inspirational and General Market spaces. I think my General Market readers are more likely to follow me to something different than those who read exclusively in the Christian Fiction space. I think my books are already stretching the limits of some of those CF readers’ comfort zones anyway.
I wonder–was the decision to use a pen name yours or your publisher’s? Was it an easy decision or a more difficult one? Were you always going to use the same last name? I see the benefit to using a pseudonym, but also some benefit to keeping the same name. Love to hear your thoughts on that.
“I wonder–was the decision to use a pen name yours or your publisher’s? Was it an easy decision or a more difficult one? Were you always going to use the same last name? I see the benefit to using a pseudonym, but also some benefit to keeping the same name. Love to hear your thoughts on that.”
I’d like to know this too, Greer. It’s not a new identity per se because readers of your historicals will find your fantasy series and vice versa.
I write primarily for kids and have always used my name for the different types in kidlit, from picture books to young adult, trade or work-for-hire, and I also write a little bit for grown-ups too and wondered whether I should just use my initials, esp. for more faith-based works. I’m not worried about kids stumbling upon my adult work (it’s all very clean). Thanks.
Sounds like you’re putting some good thought into it, Erin! On the pen name front, it was totally my decision, and a very easy one. I definitely wanted to signal that this is a different kind of book. And I hope to continue writing both fantasy and historical fiction, so I want readers to be able to tell at a glance which category one of my books falls into.
How I support those two identities is a little more complicated. My social media accounts are now labeled “Greer/G.R. Macallister”, and cover all my books; I have two separate Goodreads author accounts, although I’m not sure that was the right decision. There’s an art to keeping the readership that’s interested in both without annoying the readership that isn’t, and I’m still working on finding the right way to do that.
Changing genres sounds — at least to some degree — like platform change. Like moving from one house to another, you may be able to bring a lot of things with you, but you probably won’t be able to bring everything. And an international move might mean starting all over again from scratch.
But what a cool passport you’ll have.
I love knowing that a series of books like THE FIVE QUEENDOMS can gain platform almost exponentially over time, as each new book release builds series-buzz, and can hook new fans who’ll purchase multiple books nearly at once. I’ve been that reader; I think the world was reading Harry Potter book 3 when I finally grabbed book 1.
Thanks for the provocative post, Greer, and a realistic view of complex career moves.
I just read the first thirty pages of Scorpica online–it’s fabulous! Just ordered a hard copy. Looking forward to it, congrats!
Thanks so much — that means a lot!
Hi Greer: I meant to comment yesterday but the ongoing task of moving into new digs took over the day. (Good news: I got my office up and running.) Thanks for this insightful post. I’ve just switched genres, and I wonder if I’ve switched enough. Your preparatory reading in the genre seems to be a step I skipped past, assuming I knew enough to just plow ahead. I’ve discovered that to be a mistake, and have had to go back and rewrite quite a bit accordingly. Such a silly oversight: KNOW YOUR GENRE. Cpngrats pn the new venture. Looking forward to digging in.
Such a great post, Greer, supportive and specific. I’ve found that some of what you detailed applies to changing from writing for adults to writing for young adults, even if it’s within the same genre.
Great article, Greer! For an established writer, you are very brave, but I totally understand wanting to branch out into different areas. I am a seasoned writer of NO SPECIFIC GENRE! So my pain and pleasure both run deep. I am always thinking up new stories and they are all so different from one another. My agent probably pulls his hair out every time I send him a new manuscript because whether they are adult or YA, they are each so different from one another. This switch of genres as an author is my downfall, and I don’t mince words about it. I know that if I only wrote romance, or sci-fi, or whatever, that I’d have built a true audience over the last ten years. But because I’m always pivoting, my audience has to pivot as well. Many of them do, but most do not. Readers have expectations of a certain writer and a particular genre. That said, my books do carry similar themes, and many readers tell me that they recognize my unique voice, so that’s a plus. Sometimes I wish I could write the same genre over and over, but, alas, it’s not for me. It would be like wearing the same pants day after day for years! ; )