Read the Genre Books You Write

Our month of career research is coming to an end, and none too soon for me! I'm ready for lighter, funner topics. But, in the meantime, we have two more posts to get through.

Do you read the genre books you write?

How often? Do you always enjoy them? What do you do when you pick one up and it doesn't excite you at all?

I hate to think of any book as "homework," but we need to read many books in the genre we are writing in.

When you read four or five books in the same genre, you get a feel for the length, the pace, plot points, characters, and the tone. If you continue to read your genre regularly, you'll also get an idea of what themes are oversaturated.

It's vital to read current books. Why? Fifteen years ago, writing styles were different. You may have fallen in love with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, but publishers might not be willing to take the risk on such long books now, especially by a new author. (The exception is if you're Diana Gabaldon, of course!)

Another reason to read a variety of books in your genre is to verify your book does indeed work for that market. If you're writing for any of the Harlequin category imprints, check the eHarlequin site often for their guidelines. Listen to the editor podcasts. It's vital to understand what editors want for the line you're targeting.

The best reason to read in the genre you write is because you love it. Trust me, the love will come across in your writing. Let's say you write an urban fantasy on a lark, but you've only ever read one urban fantasy in your life (you love to read political thrillers). Let's also say your book is genius, and a publisher quickly snatches it up. You're thrilled; however, you don't really want to write another urban fantasy because you want to write a political thriller; after all, that's what you love to read.

A publisher would not be happy to take a chance on a new author only to find out the author plans on writing future books in a completely different genre. When a new author builds an audience, the audience wants similar books to the one they initially fell in love with. Don't expect an audience to follow you from genre to genre unless you're on bestseller's lists, and even then, they might not. Do you think Stephenie Meyer fans wanted to read a warm, women's fiction after reading Twilight? No, they wanted more--much more--Twilight.

What do you think? Do you think it's important to read the genre books you write? I'd love to hear your genre, and don't be shy, throw in a favorite author, too!

Join me on Wednesday when we'll discuss online writing classes.

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