By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about whether there is a rule about who should be writing what.
We often think of certain genres as more male or female dominated. Just like we seem to feel that certain genres can effectively use particular marketing techniques and others can’t. Some authors persevere in the genre they feel passionate about. Others give up and move on to write about something else.
The key to using your book as your hook is to be hooked yourself – on what you’re writing about. A book is a labor of love and one that requires tremendous commitment, dedication and persistence. From writing it to getting it published and being responsible for its visibility, you might as well write about something you have a genuine interest in instead of following the trends and genres getting the latest media attention.
Don’t let genre trends tell you whether one is right for you or not. If you are a woman and want to write in a male-dominated genre, just do it. Look at what Kathy Porter has accomplished, not only as a popular female novelist in the science fiction genre but more so what she has done with her stories to attract more women’s interest in the sci-fi subject matter. By not allowing others in the industry to deter her from her life-long passion for science fiction stories, Kathy has herself become a dominant part of this age-old popular subject matter of aliens, ghastly creatures and far out stories.
What you should be writing about is what you WANT to write about. What you have something to say about and what you want to impress upon others. If you love writing about origami paper folding or children’s nightmares, some off-beat recipes with a rare ingredient or a far-fetched story that you feel may make readers wonder seriously about the stretch of your imagination and how the heck you were able to come up with that one – then write about THAT.
Being an author doesn’t have to be about being an international bestseller in 78 countries and 32 languages. Being an author is for writing about what you are passionate about, what you have strong feelings for, what stories you want to entertain, startle or surprise people with and making a difference for readers who invest 8 or so hours in reading or listening to your book.
Too often authors get caught up in the hype of being represented by the top literary agent or being published by a larger publishing house. If they can’t do that, then they don’t want to bother even writing the book. I’ve heard this from too many authors. And what a shame! We’re all missing out on their creativity and great books! And they’re missing out on the chance to leave their legacy and impart their perspective to others.
If you really want to be an author in whatever genre you enjoy writing in, then go for it. Do it. Throw caution to the wind and just write. Listen to your heart and let others butt out of your writing experience. You’ll find the right place, publisher and points of impact for your project. And you’ll have a lot more fun marketing it, promoting it in every which way you can and telling everyone you meet about it.
But the fact still remains, you’ll never be able to use your book as your hook…until you have a book.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.