The Pitfalls and Perks of Being a Multi-Genre Author

I’m going to speak from my heart in this blog post about the pitfalls and perks of being a Multi-genre Author. Who am I, if not honest and true to myself? In turn, I’m going to convey those feelings to you. Keep in mind that these are my personal thoughts on the subject. This article is not about trying to sway your opinion. It’s about my personal experience. 

The pitfalls – There are none. 

The perks – There are many.

I’ll start by elaborating on the fact that I don’t feel like there are any pitfalls (or roadblocks) to being an author who writes in various genres. I consider myself more of a “storyteller”. I’m like the grandmother who beckons the children to sit at her feet and asks them what kind of story they would like to hear. 

I never considered “boxing myself in” when it came to writing stories. There are infinite stories to tell, and so far, I have explored writing romance, horror (including paranormal and psychological), fantasy (time travel), literary fiction, thriller, and even children’s books. Compare writing in multiple genres to dreaming. Do you dream in only one colour? Do your dreams encapsulate only one type of scenario? Probably not. I let my mind take me where it wants to take me. I let my imagination flow freely. Being an Independent (or Indie) author, I am allowed that freedom of expression. I don’t report back to anyone (i.e., an agent, or publisher) to ensure that my story fits a trend. My name is not synonymous with any one genre; in fact, my name, and brand, are synonymous with being multi-genre. (Or that is my goal at least.) I don’t wish to be know as “Barbara Avon – Romance Author”. I wish to be known as “Barbara Avon – Author.”

I’m often asked this question: “Do you use your real name across genres?” 

Yes, I do. 

The inevitable follow up question to that is: “Does it hinder or help?”

So far, I have not had any reader tell me that they are put off by my choice to write in different genres. In fact, I had a very good friend honour me by saying that I inspired them to try their hand at writing different genres, which brings me to “the perks”. 

I can revel in different worlds. I allow myself to explore not just a romantic situation, but a horrific one, or one that will let me travel in time, or one where I thwart the evil villain. Is this a “perk”? Yes, because I’m going to put it simply: Life is too short for me to prohibit myself or allow myself to stifle my creativity. 

I started this journey later in life. I was 42 when I self-published my first book. Growing up, I used my imagination to escape the doldrums of daily life. I was a shy kid, and especially so when I switched schools and became the “new kid”. I was often alone, reading, listening to music, dreaming. I started writing angsty poetry in my teenage years. When I was awarded an A + for my short story in high school English Class, that was it. I caught the writing bug and knew that one day I would write a novel. What is my biggest regret? It’s that I didn’t start sooner. That’s what I mean about “life being too short”. I had a lot of time to make up for. My first three books are romantic suspense, but (inspired by the great Jack Finney), I thought to myself, “Why can’t I write time travel too? Why can’t I at least try?” They are merely words. Place them strategically one after and another, and eventually, you’ve created something out of nothing. I soon realized that I could write time travel, and then horror, and I even became a serial killer in a book or two. 

I have a box of all my books. It’s a time capsule, of sorts. I want it passed down to family throughout generations, and between the pages, they will catch glimpses of who I was. Because there are many facets to a person’s personality, there is so much to learn about me through my words. Yes, it’s fiction, but authors leave a piece of themselves on the page.

I want to state a very obvious perk: I have the chance to reach more readers. I have the chance to romance someone, or scare someone, or help someone skip through decades. When I started this journey, I had a group of loyal readers (who resided locally) who read each of my books, regardless of the genre. It was clear to me that I wasn’t chained by genre, and the creative freedom remains exhilarating to this day. As an Indie I also have control over cover design, marketing; everything that has to do with publishing a book, from start to finish. I am my own publisher, but let’s face it, readers don’t care if I’m Indie. They want a good story, period. As a reader myself, I want a good story, period. Fiction is our greatest escape, and it thrills me to know that I can help someone escape their life, if even for a few hours.

Here’s my advice if it’s advice that you seek. Do it. If you are a horror writer who has always wanted to delve into fantasy, do it. If you prefer to write under a pen name, do that too. When it comes to pursuing a desire, I’ve always said that I’d rather regret something I did, than regret never doing it at all. 

What’s next for me? After publishing a romance last November, I am currently working on a psychological horror. Later this year, I’ll be publishing another romance. After that, a Christmas story (as is my tradition every year). I’m also asked, “Is there any genre you won’t tackle?” Yes, I will never be able to write Science Fiction. (Side note – I leave science out of time travel stories.) I also would never be able to write Historical Fiction (1900s and earlier), or Regency Romances. (I’m in awe of my fellow authors who are able to expertly write in those genres.) However, I do want to try my hand at romantic comedy soon. I also love marrying genres! No one says that you can’t write a horror story with a romantic subplot. In fact, it’s my brand: “Love is the most remarkable magic – Even in horror.”

When will I stop writing? Never. Not as long as I have my senses and use of my hands. My books will last forever, but I will not. That is the greatest perk of being multi-genre. I’m immortal through my books. I was able to traverse multiple different worlds – and what a ride it was.  

Barbara Avon – Multi-Genre Author
Browse all my books here — Barbara Avon on Direct.me 

Barb’s new release, R E V I V E D is available now!
Check out R E V I V E D and other titles on her Amazon author page.
Happy Reading!