So what are you really looking for in the books you buy?

[sabolich]

Anne, I agree that not every story is epic. My novel Firedancer started as a stand-alone and went into the drawer for 10 years before a publisher approached me wanting to see my long fiction (she'd only seen my short stories and was impressed). She only buys series but she wanted Firedancer, a lot. Ergo, now it's a series, but I admit it's been hard to wrap my head around extending the plot of a book written and stuck in the drawer in 1999. It's all good, as there was sufficient story there, but what's wrong with stand-alones?

I think there is serious peril for a writer of series to get pigeonholed by fans into expecting them to write the same thing forever (JK Rowling, Jim Butcher). My stuff is all over the map, from alternate history to dark fantasy to soft SF to epic fantasy. I have had the freedom to write what I want because for a long time I wasn't serious about publishing it. (Now I am, because having freed myself from a day job, I don't ever want to go back!) Be that as it may, people reading my stuff never know what they're about to pick up, but my first readers are always eager to see it. Is variety in your writing bad? I don't think the writer should have to stick to one trope just because people expect more of the same.

I like continuing series as much as the next person, and heaven knows, I can't seem to write short novels, as my mind continually spins out epic yarns. However, if I like an author, I am willing to try anything they write, and even stick with them if one book disappoints. Nobody hits home runs every time.

[Anne Lyle]

It is a worry, certainly. I have a project on the backburner that I could make either alternate history or secondary world fantasy, and I'm leaning towards the latter purely because I don't want to get pigeon-holed early on as a writer of alternate history.

OTOH I'm happy to stick to "historically-inspired" fantasy, because that's pretty broad in scope and encompasses pretty much everything I wrote before I got published. It could lose me some readers who love my books for the historical detail - but then again it could widen my appeal to readers who are put off by historical stuff.

I read an interesting ebook that goes into quite a lot of detail on creating your author brand. The stuff about online presence is rather dated (the author is very keen on MySpace!), but the rest is still relevant.

http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Not-Alo.../dp/B003VD1EQC

[sabolich]

Originally Posted by Anne Lyle

I read an interesting ebook that goes into quite a lot of detail on creating your author brand. The stuff about online presence is rather dated (the author is very keen on MySpace!), but the rest is still relevant.

http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Not-Alo.../dp/B003VD1EQC

LOL. I acquired that book just last week on the strength of a Broad Universe recommendation, which totally backs up Kristine Kathryn Rusch's point about books are sold by word of mouth, not bestseller lists, reviews, or nearly any other type of promotion the newbie author agonizes over. I'm about halfway through it and yes, she has many good points to make.

[Lilmizflashythang]

Originally Posted by sabolich

Ah, but do you finish it? I bought a book a couple of years ago that had a terrific opening prologue, but from chapter 1 on the writing was awful and the plot was Dullsville, with characters that never hooked me. I'll try anything that looks interesting, too, but I confess to a lot of page-flipping before I spend money these days.

Only two books did I not finish, they were both by John Grishom, and I felt that they were too slow. I guess you could call it three, but I don't think running out of time on Moby Dick and having to return it to the library counts.

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Originally Posted by Lilmizflashythang

Only two books did I not finish, they were both by John Grishom, and I felt that they were too slow. I guess you could call it three, but I don't think running out of time on Moby Dick and having to return it to the library counts.

No, it doesn't count.