One of my pen names
is quite well known
in a very small Romance niche.
That pen name
tends to be included
in any event
that involves that niche
or requires representation
from that niche.
It isn’t because
my books are better
than the books in other niches.
It is merely because
my books are IN that niche.
I’m one of the few,
not one of many.
The downside of this
is
if I want to grow my sales,
I have to find readers (customers)
outside the niche.
That is more difficult,
more time consuming
and more expensive.
“Bob Marley was a magical artist,
but one reason
he’s such a seminal figure
is that most of the other musicians
of his time
(in the North American market)
were lumped together
in one or two other categories,
whereas he was pioneering a new one.
You might not want
to play reggae at your party,
but if you did,
you were going to play Marley.”
Do you want to be
one of the few
or
one of the many?
(Note: There are no wrong answers,
merely the wrong answer
for YOU.)