Totally swiping that phrase from KatiD/Dear Author…
I have a confession to make and I hate to do it because I want to be glommable. I want readers to want to buy every single thing I’ve written and to stalk my website looking for the next.
But I’m not glommable. The thing with being glommable is that the books offer a similar ‘experience’ from one to the next.
It’s hard to do that when I vary so widely on what I write.
Paraphrasing here on a comment from a reader…
I really enjoyed XXXXX. I hated the YYYYY and I’d like you to focus more on writing just this sort of thing. If these do well, can’t you do that?
(ETA… I removed the titles, because this really isn’t just a book specific thing. I get this a lot. I can’t shut off how my brain functions and the books come from the brain.)
Well. No.
For a number of reasons.
- I’d get bored. Seriously. And if I’m bored, that’s not going to result in a good experience for you.
- A lot of readers loved the Ash books. Yes, they were dark and creepy and there was a psycho killer running amok…some people enjoy that sort of thing. I enjoy that sort of thing, which is why I decided to write it.
- I write fast. My publishers know this and they work with me to keep my options open. My newest publisher St. Martins is focusing on small-town sort of romantic suspense, similar (sort of) to the Ash books. Berkley might be interested in more books like Wrecked but that all depends on how well Wrecked does. They have the FBI Psychics, but contract issues also come into play here and I have to keep that into mind.
Bottom line, though…I’m going to write the stories that a) appeal to me the most and b) that I feel are going to sell well. I have to focus on these two things because if the story doesn’t appeal to me, I’ll be bored and that doesn’t result in a good book for anybody. Readers don’t want to be bored, but if the writer is bored, I can guarantee the reader will be bored.
I have to keep in mind whether or not the book is going to sell well because writing is my job. It’s my only job. If I write 2-3 books and they all flop, I may not be able to sell that next one.
For those who liked Wrecked, you might like some the contemporaries I’ve had at out at Samhain, EC or the ones I’ve selfpublished (Beg Me, Tempt Me ~be warned…Beg Me is dirty). You can check out the genre page.
Some of the books I write totally do have the glom factor because you’ll find the same ‘experience’ with each… it’s just a matter of what appeals.
- The Grimm books (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets fairy tales plus crazy sauce)
- The FBi Psychics (romantic suspense with a paranormal slant)
- My Hunter books (vampires! werewolves! oh, my!)….
- the J.C. Daniels books (yeah, there are only two, but more are coming.)
- And there are like 14-15 straight contemporary titles here
but my attention span is about as short as… squirrel…and I love changing it up. The good news is… there really is something for just about everybody. The bad news… I dunno if I’ll ever be one of the Must Glom authors.
Stunned that a reader even makes a comment like that!
Eh, people like what they like and if they really like it, they want more of it. It’s a compliment in a way, but I like variety. 🙂
I like the different genres that you write in, not all, but that’s OK, you write enough of the others to make me happy!
I admit, I’ve had authors I’ve stopped reading because they’ve gone in a direction that just doesn’t interest me at all, however! that said, you are TOTALLY glommable! You write in different genres but you keep writing in a variety. You don’t leave one behind and never return to it. You stay fresh that way and your stories do too. I’ve stopped reading certain authors not because they wrote a different genre that doesn’t interest me so much, but because they stomped their foot and stated unequivocally that they will never, EVER write books like the ones I fell in love with and that drew me to that same author.
So, shame on whoever wrote that to you. I love your versatility. 🙂
Well, I glommed you. Some I liked more than others, but I enjoy the way you put a book together, in general. So, know you’re glommable for some readers.
It seems like the whole social networking thing has just made people selfish and clueless. It’s like it encourages the exact opposite of “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I find it sad.
But, anyway, the point is that I read all of your books. You’re an auto-buy for me.
Kim
@nightmusic… no, please don’t do the ‘shame on…’ bit.
It’s not about that and I did not write this post to whine, bitch, etc.
I just get these emails a lot and I finally had to address it.
I *get* what people are saying…sometimes I think people think I write in a bunch of areas because I’m looking for a fit. Yes, I’d love to find a magic formula, the one that going to make me a mega-seller (yeah, that hasn’t happened, and no, contrary to what a lot of people think, I’m not a mega-seller.) But I write what appeals.
@Shiloh
I understand. Just write where your heart takes you and you’ll never write the wrong thing. {{hug}}