I made a very cool discovery recently. My books are appealing to men! As my paranormal romance novels have turned darker, my audience has widened and that is a very good thing!
Welcome to my world, all you Testosterone filled readers! Seems I'm tapping into new territory...horror readers, dark fantasy, dark paranormal readers...and as one male reader said, "I go for your fiction that is a little farther out there." Best compliment I've received in a long time! So nice for him to write me and give me feedback. I truly appreciate it when I hear from readers. He also gave me some great advice:
"As long as you are writing what makes yourself happy, it will show through your work. That's what makes people so talented, they are just doing what makes themselves happy, and the end product is usually amazing, and other people dig it."
Thank you, Mike! You go down in my book as my first male reader. Anyone else out there?
Genre blending has always been something I'm inclined to do and now I'm experiencing some growing pains with it. Some good stretching pains and some not so good from readers who feel my writing has turned a little too dark. While I'm gaining new readers, I'm also losing a few but that is how we as writers find our true audience.
I can't feel bad about it. I just sold my 1848th book since Circle City released in late March. I could get used to this new audience.
Spread love,
Alisha
3 comments:
I love your writing...whether it be dark and erotic, or sweet and innocent! Just keep writing!
Thank you, Cathy. I'm so happy we met because of books. I still remember meeting because I picked up a book you'd read. You've always been such a supportive friend and I'm so excited for your writing career. You've really grown as a writer. Your big day is coming! You keep writing too!!! Never give up. I'm behind you 100%!
Genre blending is something we all do. Few books sit squarely in one genre or another. That's one reason why Amazon has so many subcategories which help readers find good novels. I am happy to hear you are finding a significant male audience. My own book Old Scores is predominantly a thriller but contains some serious romance. The main character is an author of erotic romance novels and this comes through in the plot and much of the writing. So, like you, I too hope that my work won't be pigeon holed, and will find readers who want a story that is a blend of genres. - Cheers, Pete Grimm
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