Breaking Boxes and Genre Hopping
At this point in my writing career, I’m mostly known for my thriller novels. Dan Kotler and Alex Kayne have been very good to me, actually—I’m currently living in what I call “the house that books built.” Those who follow my work mostly want me to write those thrillers, and I’m happy to oblige.
But I started my career writing science fiction and fantasy. And to be honest, I miss it.
Recently I wrote and published a novella called A Meme of War, which was a lot of fun to write. It let me dip my toes back into those sci-fi waters. And I think, based on reader reaction, I’ll probably write more stories like that, down the road. I even have a few olde stories I’m thinking of dusting off and making new again.
There’s a part of me that wonders if I’m making a mistake with this kind of thing. My bread and butter—indeed, the very roof over my head—as come from thriller novels, over the past six years. Will readers revolt, if I start publishing other genres as well?
Maybe. But I don’t think so.
Here’s the thing: I never wanted to be a thriller writer. I also never wanted to be a sci-fi writer, or a fantasy writer, or a non-fiction writer. I just… wanted to be a writer.
I wanted to write all the things.
All the things that interest me. All the things that excite me. All the things that make me anxious to get back to the keyboard, to fill the screen, to express the thoughts I have. All I ever wanted was to be someone who explores ideas and new worlds and interesting characters on the page.
So, really, what I want from a reader is someone following me, not the books. Not the characters. Not the genre. I’m looking for readers who like to read Kevin Tumlinson books.
In my own reading, I’ve always followed authors more than genres. That’s due, in part, to the fact that all the authors I love tend to write across a wide range of genres. They don’t stick to just one thing.
A lot of them tend to write under the heading of “speculative fiction,” and I billed myself that way for awhile, too. The idea there is that “I speculate on the story I want to tell, and then I tell it.”
The trouble with that, of course, is that book stores tend to want you to label your work. They want to know where it fits. And, to some extent, so do readers.
So, from a marketing perspective, it’s better to pick a genre. Nobody is out looking for “Kevin Tumlinson books,” unless they already know who I am.
That’s a tough thing to accept. But I think I’ve come up with some comrpromises.
I’ll write what I want, as a speculative fiction writer, and I’ll publish each book as part of a defined category or genre. That will make it easier for readers to discover the work, and to hopefully become “Kevin Tumlinson fans.” But it will also let me write the stuff I most enjoy.
I hope you’ll come along for that. I hope you’ll try out books that may be outside of the genre you enjoy. I’m a character writer—I argue, always, that my stories would be essentially the same, no matter the setting. Because it’s all about the characters. So… my hope is that you love those sorts of stories, and that you’ll follow me for more of them.
But let me know. Tell me in the comments. I’m listening. I may not do exactly what anyone tells me to do, but maybe you have a perspective I haven’t considered.
And finally, I’m going to ask you for a favor: Tell people about my books. Point them to this website. Share with them, everything you’ve read and loved. Help me spread the word. Because finding fans of Kevin Tumlinson books is a tough business to be in. I can use all the help I can get.