Grow out of your niche
Recently, I was talking with a friend about the manuscript I’m working on. He has a general idea of the content, so he knows it’s not my usual thing at all. And I told him that while this book represents a significant departure from my norm, I’m hoping it changes people’s minds about me as a writer. He said, “You're allowed to change and mature and explore new things in your art. That should be celebrated.”
I fully agree. But I told him that my business frowns upon evolution, thanks to its unbelievable obsession with “branding.” And while I’m pretty sure I’ve written on the topic of branding before, let me sum up my thoughts: it sucks, and that limitation should bind no author to work they don’t feel passionate about.
And that’s the bottom line. Passion. I’ve known too many writers in my time who were schooled in the “make sales no matter the cost” mindset. Mainly because they cut their teeth in genre fiction, where quantity was desired over quality. But we don’t live in the age of paperback spinner racks anymore, so that attitude needs to go away.
You are not your sales. What you are is an artist, making art, and offering the art for purchase, not your soul. It’s not worth the money to bastardize your work, and to be frank, the money for most writers is not so hot to begin with.
Like my friend says, your growth should be celebrated. So celebrate.