Lets Talk Bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish: Authors Branching Out

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Authors Branching Out

Prompts: How do you feel when an author you love does something new and not at all like their previous work? Do you still read all their books, or do you stop after a point? If they write in a new genre that you don’t read, do you read it for the author, or stop following every title the author releases (in the new genre)? What are some of your favourite books where the author veered away from their previous work quite drastically?

How do you feel when an author you love does something new and not at all like their previous work? Do you still read all their books, or do you stop after a point?

Friends, I gotta be honest with you because my answer for today’s topic might be rather boring as, off the top of my head, I can only think of one example of an author who has branched out to a different genre and whose new genre books I’ve actually read. Pretty much all of the other authors I know of are still on my TBR! 😂 The author I have read is Ashley Poston. The first book I read by her was Among the Beasts & Briars, YA fantasy and I did not enjoy myself! 🫣 When I learned that she was writing YA contemporary romance (with some magical twists) I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about reading it but I’m so glad I gave them a try because I’ve loved her romances so much!

Books by Ashley Poston: Among the Beasts & Briars (YA Fantasy), The Dead Romantics (Adult Romance), The Seven Year Slip (Adult Romance)

Generally speaking, I definitely become intrigued when an author whose stories I love tries something new. I think, as someone who would want to read more of anything that author puts out, I’d just be excited that there’s even more books to read by them! It’s also exciting to think about how it gives more people an opportunity to discover the author. I particularly like the idea because if you’re someone who doesn’t normally try different genres or types of stories, this could be a way of stepping out of your comfort zone while still having that comfort of familiarity with the author’s work.

If they write in a new genre that you don’t read, do you read it for the author, or stop following every title the author releases (in the new genre)?

I think this is where it does get a little tricky for me because there are genres that I don’t normally want to pick up and that’s in the horror category. What worries me is when an author starts branching out in that genre I’m not comfortable with and then keeps putting out books in that new genre, while leaving the other one behind (or taking longer to put out books in that first genre that you fell in love with them for). It makes me sad because that means I don’t have more books to read by them, especially if I’ve tried the book in the new genre and I don’t vibe with it, haha. I won’t lie and say I won’t try the new book(s), of course, but I don’t think it would be a priority for me—especially when my TBR is already toppling over as it is! 🤭

What are some of your favourite books where the author veered away from their previous work quite drastically?

Like I said, I can’t really recall beloved authors whose books I’ve read from a different genre. However, I know there are plenty on my TBR that I need to get to! Here are a few:

  • Roxane Gay — Read: Hunger: A Memoir of My Body (non-fiction) | TBR: Ayiti (short stories)
  • Hanya Yanagihara — Read: A Little Life (litfic) | TBR: The People In the Trees (magical realism)
  • Jaqueline Snowe — Read: A lot of her sports romances! | TBR: Tell Me You Trust Me (psychological thriller, Elle Owens pen name)
  • Nora Roberts — Read: A lot of her contemporary romances | TBR: The Awakening (fantasy romance)
  • K.J. Charles — Read: A lot of her historical romances | TBR: All of Us Murderers (gothic mystery)
  • Brigid Kemmerer — Read: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (YA fantasy) | TBR: Call It What You Want (YA contemporary romance)
  • Akwaeke Emezi — Read: The Death of Vivek Oji (litfic) | TBR: You Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty (Adult romance)

Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers who joined the discussion this week! 👇🏽

Leyre @ Read You Leyre
Raji @ Worlds Unlike Our Own
Abyssal Librarian
LaRonda @ Flying Paperbacks

If I’ve missed your post this week, don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments, and I’ll add you to this week’s list of community posts ASAP!

Would you read a book by a favourite author / an author you really enjoy if they wrote in a different genre? What author have you read from in different genres?

7 thoughts on “Let’s Talk Bookish: Authors Branching Out”

  3. Great topic! I don’t participate this week because I feel like I don’t have conclusive answer 😅

    If it’s a really favorite author and the change is minor (same genre, different age groups) I still tend to pick them up. Example would be VE Schwab (darker fantasy in Adult, YA, and MG), Hanna Alkaf (YA & MG thriller), Grady Hendrix (YA & Adult horror), Katherine Arden (YA & MG darker fantasy).

    But if it’s an author I like but not favorite, I’m a bit hesitant even though logically, I know I might enjoy them. I tend to wait until the reviews are in and if they’re ok (3-5 stars) then I most likely pick them up even though it might take a while 😅

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  4. Mh I don’t think ive read authors branching out- ive got ashley poston but only read geekerella, brigid kemerrer her YA not the fantasy.. general rule for me I look at the book more than the author.

    Like book sounds good? I’ll read! My auto-buy are quite niche authors (ruth ware & ali hazelwood for exemple- though you can say the later mix YA & Adult but that’s not a bother for me)

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  6. I have had no issues age jumping with authors, but genre jumping is a harder sell for me. Poston went from contemporary to magical realism, so not a huge leap, but other authors have gone much further from what drew me to them. I suppose it depends on the genre they jumped to as some are more appealing to me than others.

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