By AK Nevermore

As an author who writes multiple genres that often have elements of one splashed into another, one of the questions I used to hate hearing was, “Where does your book sit on the shelf?”

Okay, that’s a lie, I still hate hearing that question.

Why? Because the truth of the matter is, a lot of the time, I don’t know. I mean, yeah, it’s SFF. But if that was the bar and my book was a patron, it would be cozying up to the biker guys at one end, playing pool with the shapeshifters, grinding with the super soldiers on the dance floor, and then trading snarky barbs with the Barbies in the bathroom. Then it would probably go out back and smoke a cigarette with the guys talking doomsday and fall down a dystopian, genetically engineered rabbit hole.

Damn, that sounds like a fun night.

So, what’s the issue? Well, while my book is wandering around, it’s not sitting at any one table, which means my readers don’t know where to find it.

Yep. That’s an issue.

It was also a hard lesson for me to learn. I mean, I love reading about all those things, but other people? Spoiler, most Paranormal Romance readers are not reading Dystopian Sci-fi and those guys probably aren’t fans of Urban Fantasy.

I mean, if I started talking to those Bikers like I did to the Barbies in the bathroom, things are gonna go downhill fast. And, if I follow the common advice of “going where my readers are” and followed those shapeshifters back to their lair asking about geneticists, I’m totally getting eaten. Not in a fun way, either.

At this point, that other thing people always say, you know, the whole “write the kind of book you want to read” spiel? Yeah. That’s looking a bit like self-sabotage. It’s a totally fantastic way to go about things, but if you actually want to sell books? There probably needs to be some caveats built into that.

Quite plainly, the marketing for one of those genres will not work across all of them.

Oh. Ew. Yeah, that sucks. Trying to figure out a marketing plan for one genre is bad enough, but multiple ones? Hey, it happens, and is case in point because authors have different pen names. Of course, that means maintaining independent platforms for each of the personas you have. (Barf) I know I have enough trouble with one. So, what’s an author to do?

No, seriously, what’s an author to do? I’m still figuring that out, but I can give you a list of things I’m currently giving a go:

• Be deliberate with your tropes and lean into a sub-genre. Elements of XYZ in ABC are fine, but for real, pick a lane. Your Paranormal Sci-fi Historical Dystopian Alti-verse might be amazing, but if you try to sell it like that, no one is picking it up.
• Read extensively in the sub-genre you’re writing. See what people have successfully gotten away with and how they’ve marketed it.
• Do not be afraid to reinvent how you present your work. If you’ve ever pitched a novel, you’ve already done this when you’ve tailored your query to agents. Do the same with your marketing until you’re able to dial it in.

Good luck and if you’ve got any tips, do me a solid and hook me up in the comments!

AK Nevermore writes sci-fi & dark romantasy. She enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year. Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes full time. Her books explore dark worlds, perversely irreverent and profound, and always entertaining.

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