I often listen to writing podcasts while walking and getting my steps in. Last week, I stumbled upon an episode about pacing that featured a TV producer-turned-military-romance writer who used two pen names. One for clean romances that she wrote in twenty-one days, using a formula that incorporated all the tropes and beats her genre readers expected, and a second, for spicier books, she published just because she liked writing them.

Unlike this military romance writer, I’ve never used formulas. Not even Save the Cat or the Snowflake Method. I’ve always let my interests, passions, and characters guide me. Because of this choice, for me, writing feels like an adventure. The editing process, not so much. Still, this way of writing has worked for me. But now that I’ve got three published books under my belt, author branding is beginning to feel important. I’m starting to wonder if simply writing for myself is still a good idea, or if I ought to focus more on my readers.

I’ve considered using my reviews as guideposts. I haven’t actually put pen to paper and written down what my readers like and dislike about my books, but I’ve made mental notes. It’s hard not to. My plan is to avoid what pulls them out of my stories, include what they praise, and put it in my next novel. Is this catering to my target audience, or am I merely growing as a writer by applying reviewer feedback? Not sure. But even if I were pandering, what’s the big deal? I care about my beta readers’ opinions. How are readers’ views any different?

The next book I plan to publish is a work of magic realism/literary fiction. It’s nothing like the mystery/thrillers I’ve published so far. The things readers have complimented in my other works, like the fast pacing and twists and turns, are absent from this new novel. This makes sense, given the genre switch. But I have to admit, these omissions give me pause. Will my readers abandon me because I’m writing the way I want, not the way they expect? Should I, like the military romance writer, publish my passion project under a different name to keep my author brand cohesive?

Before I answer this question, there’s something you need to know. I don’t just listen to writing podcasts. I listen to all kinds of podcasts—celebrity gossip, self-help, marketing, real estate, and confidence podcasts. One of my favorite confidence coaches is Erika Cramer. Erika is a big proponent of the belief that your people will find you if you put yourself out there and you’re brave enough to be yourself. Like Erika, I believe that the readers/viewers/listeners/friends who fall to the wayside are simply not my people.

Bottom line, I’m going to keep writing novels that get me excited. Here’s hoping that they’ll continue to excite my readers, too!

Thanks for reading! If this article resonated with you, please leave a comment. Do you write for yourself or mainly with your readers in mind?