Creativity versus Commerciality: Navigating the World of Genre Writing
Like many of you, I’m familiar with the praise that often comes along with the release of a new book where critics and fans alike deem it “genre-defining” work. This attribute shows itself in almost every subcategory of publishing, whether it’s romance or horror or memoir. To most, the idea of stating that something is “genre-defining” is one of the highest compliments that can be paid. And while it’s necessary to hail the heroes of literature when they capture the essence of their genre so beautifully, so convincingly, that it then goes on to become synonymous with the genre itself, these ideas can be creatively confining. Genre is unique in that it is both concrete and fluid at the same time. When you mention the word “thriller”, your mind typically conjures novels written solely within this schematic, like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. This is when genre becomes concrete because these categoric examples stick to the plot developments associated with the thriller field.
But what happens when a story emerges that has elements of a thriller but is not, in its entirety, a thriller novel? What happens when the novel strays from the standard formula and transforms itself into something existing in the grey area in between? What happens when the fluidity of writing overtakes the confines of commerciality? Typically, these novels fall under a blanket category, such as “fiction”, because the publishing companies must find some way of billing and promoting the book. The novel may be part fiction, part thriller, part romance, but the only way to find that out for yourself is to read it. You’ll know from the categorization as a fiction story that it won’t be real, but beyond that, you won’t gain much of a peek inside the tale until you turn to the first page. There isn’t anything innately wrong with this since publishers do what they need to do to get books sold, but what is done in the veil of commerciality can be damaging to the process creatively.
An article on the subject of genre-bending was published four years ago on Huff Post, where contributor Warren Adler discusses the positives and negatives associated with working outside of a select genre. Adler truthfully states that writers who specialize in serial genres are granted the greatest commercial rewards, which inevitably sets the stage for other writers hoping to follow into the limelight. To become a recognizable name and a financially stable author, it’s easiest to purse one genre concretely versus pursuing several obscurely. And there’s nothing wrong with taking this route if it satisfies you and helps you accomplish your dreams. The label of “genre writer” is only as constricting as you allow it to be. There are myriad ways of being creative within one genre—worlds and characters are still created, developed, and destroyed, regardless of whether you stick to one area or not. Play to your strengths and adopt the genre best suited to your writing style and creative renderings, but if you don’t want to be boxed in solely by one genre over another, then don’t allow yourself to be.
When establishing a writing career, there are numerous avenues to explore in terms of getting your work published. Some people want to go down the traditional path of finding an agent and working with a big-name publishing company whereas others are more interested in the world of self-publishing. Both options have their benefits and exploring what each looks like for your creative process is worth the time and effort. If you like to work without the restrictions of genre, self-publishing is a great avenue because you’re allowed more liberty than if you were to pursue a contract with a larger publisher. If you enjoy writing within a genre, whatever that genre may be, working with an agent and a publisher will likely afford you better opportunities and more wide-spread commercial success. At the end of the day, the way you write and how you want to get published is entirely dependent on the type of success you’re looking for and what will be most satisfying to you creatively.
The main reasons why genre is heavily relied upon to bill and market books are deeply interconnected with one another. Publishers demand specific genres which bookstores then use to categorize and organize sections of their store. Once a writer has been published and readers begin consuming their content, the reader becomes acclimated to that writer’s specific style and heads to the corresponding sections of their local bookstore to find this author. As a lifelong Stephen King fan, I would be somewhat surprised if he announced that his forthcoming book was, in fact, a romance novel and not a horror/fantasy novel. Would I be hesitant to read Stephen King’s romance novel? No, but I may be more open-minded than his remaining legion of followers who may be inclined to opt-out of reading this new novel because it’s outside of King’s established wheelhouse.
And this same issue faces every writer who has made a career for themselves as a serial genre author. Choosing to step outside of the reputation you’ve built for yourself is tricky and it’s a gamble that sometimes doesn’t pay off. J.K. Rowling achieved wild success as the author of the Harry Potter series and then went on to achieve further success as a mystery writer under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. She could have chosen to write the Galbraith novels under her own name and bank on her existing reputation to drive sales, but she instead chose to adopt a pseudonym because it gave her more creative freedom and it allowed her to achieve success as a mystery writer based on merit, not on her existing popularity. She gambled and won big, though not every writer is this lucky. The adoption of a pseudonym when switching genres is a common occurrence, as most writers want to avoid the pitfalls of moving against their existing fanbase while also gaining the ability to creatively write something that satisfies them and see whether or not it’s successful based on the quality alone. Most of the time this works in their favor, though it is not always guaranteed.
We may eventually move toward a world where genre-bending is commonplace—where it becomes commercially viable and generally accepted by the publishing industry, along with bookstores and readers and every facet of existence that falls between these areas. Until then, the best way forward is always through the avenues that feel most authentic to you. Write what you know, what you feel, what satisfies you creatively and makes your writing fulfilling. Whether this is within one genre or several, whether this is commercially successful or successful on a smaller scale, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, you need to be proud of what you put on the page, of the characters and worlds you create and the messages you send. You need to have the creative freedom to speak freely, write genuinely, and be true to yourself. Everything else is just detail.
About Sam Cohen
Sam Cohen is a writer and editor based in New England. She lives with her wonderful partner Caleb, and enjoys learning new languages, drinking lattes, and spending time with her loved ones. Sam is an avid reader who practices yoga and tries to laugh as often as possible. She hopes to be a published author one day. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram.