How I Got Here
I guess the first thing to clarify in this post is: what I mean by “here.” Here is focusing my writing on a specific series, a specific genre, and creating a brand in that market. For the foreseeable future, I’ll be writing and marketing books in the Alec Stover mystery series.
To date, I have jumped around from one genre to another. I’ve written two private investigator mysteries (Bearing False Witness and Access Denied), two police procedural/crime novels (Consequences and One and Done), a suspense thriller with a technology slant (Timebox), and a suspense/horror novel (Panacea). While writing in these different genres has been fun, it has probably been confusing for my readers. Those who liked Bearing False Witness might not enjoy the technology elements in Timebox. Readers who enjoyed Timebox would probably be bored with the pacing and investigative processes in One and Done or Consequences.
This “genre hopping” is not conducive to building a brand and developing a dedicated following – something that is critical for success as a writer. So, at least for the immediate future, I will be focusing on the Alec Stover mystery series. Mysteries sell well. Private investigator novels are a popular sub-genre. And series develop loyal readers. Besides all of that, they’re just fun to write and I enjoy the process. Hopefully that will make the stories fun and enjoyable for the reader, as well.
