JK Rowling did it. Michael Crichton did it. And Ruth Rendell did it too. Now, I’m considering following in their footsteps as well.
There are many reasons why a writer might want to switch genres, and it can completely change their writing business.
As the author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling switched genres and author names when she began writing her Cormoran Strike crime novels for adults. Michael Crichton’s first three novels were medical-based dramas, thanks to his own medical training, before he switched to science-based adventure fiction.
And Ruth Rendell created her Barbara Vine pseudonym for when she wanted to write more psychological-based mysteries instead of her plot-driven Inspector Wexford mysteries.
So why make the switch? Aren’t we effectively starting our writing career all over again? Well, sometimes it’s because authors are looking for something different creatively. Alternatively, it could be for financial or even career development purposes.
It was after having a conversation with my literary agent that first put the idea into my head. I write the Marquess of Mortiforde Mystery novels, a humorous cosy crime series set in the Welsh Borders. After several near-misses with publishers, I currently self-publish the books, although my agent is still marketing them to publishers.
But during one of our catch-ups, she asked me if I had any other ideas. It was at this point I confessed to having an idea for a psychological thriller that just will not go away.
“If it won’t go away, you need to write it,” she said, “if for no other reason than to get it out of your system. And I’d be happy to take a look when you’ve written it.”
Switch Decisions
The more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became about the idea of writing in another genre. I’m both traditionally published and self-published through my non-fiction books. Yet, I’m currently only self-published with my fiction. I would still love to have a traditionally published novel, too. Perhaps that’s what switching genres might do for me.
For Anna Sayburn Lane (https://annasayburnlane.com/), who now writes the Marjorie Swallow historical mysteries, her reason for switching was all about finding a more commercially viable genre.
‘My initial decision to change genre came about because my thriller series was getting good reviews, but not selling well,’ she explains.
She published her first novel, Unlawful Things, in 2018. It’s a literary mystery thriller featuring her London Tour Guide protagonist, Helen Oddfellow. There then followed three more Helen Oddfellow novels over the next three years.
‘It was quite a niche crossover,’ Anna continues, ‘with a literary researcher getting tangled up in historical plots with modern-day repercussions. I loved writing it, and I wanted to keep writing fiction, but I knew I needed to do something new. I’d always liked the idea of writing historical fiction—I love history—so I set about researching that genre to see what was commercially viable.’
By clarifying that she wanted more commercial success from her writing, Anna then began researching her options. But she also realised that it was important to find a more commercially successful genre that she would still enjoy writing.
‘I knew I wanted to stay in the general area of crime rather than romance, even though that’s more commercially sensible! I read a lot of crime fiction, especially classic crime. I did a bit of research using K-lytics and Amazon and realised there was quite a big niche for historical crime set in the 1920s.’
Amazon Analysis
Alex Newton is a business consultant who founded k-lytics (https://k-lytics.com/), and developed a system for analysing data from Amazon to determine which genres were the most profitable, based on sales data and reading trends.
Using this data enabled Anna to take a more business-like approach to her writing and identify a niche that fulfilled both the commercial viability she was searching for and also satisfied her creative cravings.
‘That era had always appealed to me, so I didn’t take much persuasion.’
But her research didn’t stop there. Next, she read widely in that niche genre and learned the tropes and elements that readers demand from those particular stories.
‘I read lots of them, got in touch with a couple of the authors for advice, and started to develop my 1920s lady detective, Miss Marjorie Swallow.’
This is something I’m in the process of now as I write my psychological thriller. Although I’ve always read psychological thrillers and enjoyed them, I’m devouring the genre so I can analyse and learn from those authors have written their books.
Naming Nuances
When switching genres, one of the biggest considerations many authors have to ponder is their author name. Some authors opt for a new pseudonym for their new genre, while others don’t. A lot depends on how big a genre switch an author is making.
Branding is also important here. If you’ve branded yourself as a sweet romance author and you switch to writing gruesome crime novels, it’s probable that most of your sweet romance readers won’t be interested in your new book.
Some authors manage multiple brands well and are open with their readers about it. Ruth Rendell never hid the fact that she wrote as Barbara Vine and continued to write in both genres.
Similarly, Iain Banks wrote literary and psychological thrillers, but he published all of his science fiction books under the name Iain M. Banks. Simply adding his middle initial was enough to differentiate the genre for his readers.
Not everyone wants or needs to change their author name. Michael Crichton published all of his novels under his own name.
An author name change is something Anna considered, but she decided it wasn’t necessary for her.
‘I kept my pen name the same because it’s not a completely different genre—it’s still basically crime—and to be honest, I didn’t want the hassle of multiple pen names. Some of my audience have followed me from the thrillers, even though the historical crime books are quite different in tone.’
My situation is different. If ever I were to secure a publishing contract for my psychological thriller, I’ll probably use a pen name. It’s because my two genres are considerably different, so there’s unlikely to be much crossover between the different readerships. But that’s a decision for when I’ve finished the novel and if my agent likes it enough to send it out to publishers!
Rebranding Review
Even though Anna kept the same author name for both of her series, she realised that her new Majorie Swallow books needed completely different branding from her Helen Oddfellow novels. Readers understand a lot about a book’s genre from the cover, so Anna focussed on rebranding herself for this new genre.
‘I gave my marketing a big overhaul—website, newsletter, social media—and leaned into the art déco style of the period,’ she says. ‘With my first series, I was learning as I went along, so this time I was very intentional about using one style. For example, the book covers were planned as a series with a strong visual identity.’
Has switching genres worked? Anna wrote four Helen Oddfellow thrillers, and her latest Marjorie Swallows novel, Murder on the White Cliffs, is the sixth in her 1920s murder mystery series.
‘The audience built up quite quickly over the first three books, and sales were on a different level to the thrillers,’ she reveals. ‘I found my feet with Facebook ads after experimenting a bit. The book covers work really well—I get lots of compliments about them, especially on visual platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and when I take them to in-person sales.’
When readers find an author they enjoy, they often dip into their backlist, even if it’s a different genre. Anna’s experience shows this hasn’t happened for her. However, that doesn’t bother her.
‘I had hoped the new series would drive some of my new readers to discover the old series, and that hasn’t happened much, but that’s okay. I’ve moved into producing audiobooks for the first time, which has been a lot of fun but hasn’t paid off commercially yet.’
Journey Judgement
Ultimately, Anna’s goal was to find a more commercially viable genre, and she has succeeded with that. Not only that, but its success has now enabled her to explore new formats, such as audio.
Why we write and what we write are personal to us. We’re all on our unique writing journey, so what we do with our writing business is our responsibility. Knowing whether something is a success comes down to understanding why we took the action we did.
Looking back, switching genres was the right decision for Anna and her writing business, but it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. Exploring a new genre takes a lot of time and effort.
‘Do your research first, so you know your new genre at least as well as your previous one,’ she recommends. ‘Know what book covers work, what tropes people expect and enjoy, and think about how your books will both belong in and stand out in your new genre.’
Switching genres needn’t be a once-and-done decision. Ruth Rendell wrote her Wexford novels alongside her Barbara Vine books for over twenty-five years.
Even though I’m exploring the psychological thriller market, that doesn’t mean I’m abandoning my existing cosy crime readers. Who knows, depending on how my writing business pans out, I could do both.
As Anna’s experience shows, switching genres is worth considering if you think it might help you achieve your writing dreams. After all, that’s why so many of us got into the writing business in the first place.
Business Directory: Anna’s Advice
‘Don’t apologise to your readers for switching genre—tell them what you’re doing, why you’re excited about it, and what they can expect from your new books. Some will come along for the ride, others will drop by the wayside, but you’ll have a whole new audience ready to discover you.’
© Simon Whaley