Why Follow Authors Across Genres and Series
I’ve been a reader for most of my life, spending a lot of time in the library as I grew up. This led to many epic adventures across many different worlds. Whether it was riding with the Rohiram on the plains of Rohan or walking the halls of the Battle School with Endor, I enjoyed every second of it.
The authors that shaped those worlds quickly became heroes to me. I enjoyed the journeys they took me on and was even inspired to begin writing myself. Despite all of that I tended to stick with a single series by these authors or the same genre if they were on the same shelf at the library.
Until the last five or so years, this is how I always operated. I’d find a series I’d like on my ereader, a local bookstore or audiobook platform and I’d devour it and then move on. But then I ventured into a historical fiction series you might know, “The Last Kingdom” by Bernard Cornwell.
I loved the series and when it came to an end, I happened to find another short series by him. The “Warlord Chronicles” series was an even more enthralling series for me and I was hooked. For nearly a year, I worked through most of Bernard Cornwell’s catalog of books and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this.
After that, I began to wonder what else I’d missed. This led to a tour of other books by some of my favorite authors and found other gems. I found many other gems including several Warhammer 40k books, the Convergence series by Craig Alanson.
My reading path changed from that day on. I then started looking for authors that I enjoyed reading or that challenged me as an author. After giving a book or a series a chance, I’d dive further into the catalog of any author I’d enjoyed no matter what the genre was.
This new way of reading has helped me find new books and genres that I never knew I’d enjoy. It’s even led to opportunities that I’d never expected as an author and pushed me to write in genres I never would have touched before. As a reader, letting myself follow authors and pursuing their novels has been the best decision I’ve made in years.
With all of that said, I’d highly recommend taking that journey as well. Some books in the catalog may not be a fit for you, but you may also be surprised by how much you like something that’s normally outside your comfort zone. Give it a try and let us know what fun new adventures you find in the comments or when you see me at book events.
