Is Writing in Multiple Genres a Mistake—or a Smart Author Strategy?

This post is a surface overview on the logistics of writing in multiple genres. I’m going to touch on the issues that I wondered about when I started writing and planning out my path. Mainly, am I setting myself up for failure if I want to write and publish in multiple genres? 

Have additional questions about writing in multiple genres that I don’t cover? Drop them in the comments at the bottom of this post. 

Now let’s get started with the simplest, foundational question. 

Have authors written and published in multiple genres and subgenres without failing? 

Yes! 

Many well-known authors in the marketplace have written in multiple fiction genres or subgenres. 

Sometimes the author chooses a pen name for differing genres, like J.K. Rowling and Agatha Christie. Other times the author publishes multiple genres under their one author name, like Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L’Engle. 

It is possible and acceptable. Look up your favorite authors and see if they write in any other genres or subgenres—you might be surprised.

General Pros and Cons of Writing in Multiple Genres 

 For some reason, unbeknownst to my small mind, I’ve been captured by a love for writing in multiple genres. For myself, I write in multiple genres because those are the stories that have presented themselves to me. I am not at all opposed to authors sticking to one genre, and I predict I will write multiple books in each genre I tackle.

The stories that captivate me are an eclectic lot. I’ve equally loved reading dystopian science fiction and paging my way through a Dickens novel. I appreciate multiple styles of narrative and the particular prose each genre lends itself to best. And then when you blend genres—whole new worlds open up! 

However, I do get frustrated at times. I wonder if it would be easier if all my story ideas fit in one genre, and it probably would. Each genre I tackle requires a learning curve. 

Take pacing, for example. Fantasy, thrillers, romance, literary fiction, and slow-burn suspense all move at different speeds. You must read many books in each genre you write and study them to understand their structure and style. 

Further Reading on Story Pacing: “Story Pacing: The What, Why, and How for a Fiction Writer”

Practically, it makes much more sense to master one genre and stick to that genre. Spreading out your resources and brain power isn’t practical. But if the stories God has dropped in your mind are in multiple genre boxes, it’s not a bad thing. It may be harder, but it’s also good. 

On the publishing side of things, I’d have to guess it’s easier staying in one genre. Most literary agents don’t work in all genres, so it gets complicated when you’re finding an agent or scary when facing the prospect of needing to find another agent down the road. I’m not to that stage of writing myself at the creation of this blog post, so I’m giving my opinion on this point rather than my personal lived experience. 

There are also author platform considerations. Later on in this post, I will explain in more depth the complications of building an author platform when you write in multiple genres. It takes a little more strategy, but it’s not impossible! 

Publishing in Multiple Genres

When is a safe time to branch out into another genre? 

There are many authors who either published several books or waited decades into their career before entering a new genre. 

On the flip side of the coin, other authors have ventured beyond their debut genre not long into their career. 

To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what the magic strategy is to do this successfully. That is, other than being super successful after your first books, which sadly most of us (and I’m including myself) will probably never reach that level of success (and that is okay!!!). My biggest concern is accidentally sabotaging myself. 

What I do know is that I’ve been told it is possible. I’ve asked published authors, book marketers, and even a literary agent about this topic, and they all have told me it’s possible. 

No one told me it was a bad idea.

I didn’t receive vibes that this was a road that should not be taken. Therefore, I’m going to embark on this path to learn more information. I will share with you the publishing insights I glean! 

Setting Up an Author Platform with Multiple Genres

For a long time, I struggled merging all my writing interests under one website/platform/name. I considered using different author names, but I didn’t want to touch that nest of confusion and juggling. And I REALLY didn’t want multiple platforms, because I can barely maintain this one by myself. 

After years of bouncing ideas back and forth in my head, I finally asked someone who knew what they were talking about. At a conference I booked a one-on-one session with a book marketer. We discussed this topic, and she suggested I divide my one website into portals for each genre. Brilliant! 

 I immediately set to work on this plan, and finished the project a couple months after that appointment. 

Then on my email list, I segmented subscribers into content preferences—thriller readers, fantasy readers, and fiction writers—so that I’m not bombarding subscribers with content they aren’t interested in. 

For example, if a reader is interested in my books but not learning how to write, they can now subscribe to my thriller book and/or fantasy book newsletter content and not get my other emails about how to write a novel. They can select one, two, or all three preferences when they sign up AND change their preferences anytime they like. This massively solved my multiple genre author website problem. 

Once I applied the suggestions to my website and email newsletters, I implemented the same structure on my social accounts on Instagram and Pinterest. These changes boosted my productivity online, because now there’s clarity on who my three (at the writing of this post) audiences are and what content I can post that they would like. 

This system really helped me, but it’s not the only solution. Each author is different and needs to find the solution that works best for them. 

The Takeaway

The overviews I provided above are just skimming the surface of the topic of writing in multiple genres. I am traveling this road currently and suspect I will uncover more insights and meet with people who know more about this than I do. 

But I felt this was an important post for me to write, because I struggled with these same questions and wonderings for years. I grew anxious with the prospect that I would be sabotaging my future as an author if I wrote in multiple genres right out of the gate. I don’t want to fail because I made an easily correctable mistake. 

The biggest takeaway I hope readers glean from this post is that the professionals I’ve asked say that WRITING IN MULTIPLE GENRES IS POSSIBLE. They did not discourage me. They did not tell me to stop branching out and stick to one genre. So I’m going to follow their advice. 

I’d love to know—

In what genre or genres are you writing? If you are published in multiple genres, what’s been your experience? Answer in the comments.