When I wrote for publishers,
the first thing I’d be asked
was which category my story fell into.
The publisher used that category
as an indication of my target market,
a suggestion on how to sell my story.
I’m currently self-publishing my stories.
I don’t have to put my stories
into categories,
yet I do
because readers do.
“…the consumer of content
still thinks in terms of buckets.
She’s judging your podcast
in the first eight seconds,
“what does this remind me of?”
She’s searching for famous names,
scanning the bestseller list,
moving sideways within a category.
Yes, of course we need
your post-categorization genius.
We need you to blend and leap
and integrate new styles
to create new forms.
But while you’re busy
not being pigeonholed,
don’t forget that we pigeonhole
for a reason.
And if it’s too difficult to figure out
how to pay attention to you,
we’ll decide to ignore you instead.”
Put yourself in a bucket.
Ensure your product
delights
the people looking
in that bucket.