Editor’s Note: This post was originally written and published for THE CREATIVE PENN, a wonderful blog managed by the talented author and publishing guru Joanna Penn. I have re-posted it here, on my personal blog, in case you missed its initial run.
There was a time when I ran from the label of being a “horror writer”. It’s tough enough as a self-published author to be taken seriously, but adding the extra burden of a horror tag to my bio made the chances of people rolling the dice on my projects even scarier – and not in a good way!
You see, there’s a difference between the vampire that lurks within the pages of an Urban Fantasy title and the kind I tend to write about. Perhaps mine wear less hair gel and more clothes. I have no gratuitous plot points where my characters shed their shirts to expose their six-pack abs; mine are much more concerned with quenching their undying thirst than with their appearance. And don’t even get me started on the Paranormal Romance genre – their vampires are an entirely different breed.
That being said, we’re all writing about things that go bump in the night. Yet, the Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance genres are much more widely accepted. From literary agents and publishing houses to book reviewers and bloggers, there’s a certain stigma about being a known as a horror writer. Is my vampire less worthy of attention?
Okay, so I’ve belabored the point a bit. But there is truth in my sarcasm. Horror gets a bad rap. For some, it’s not main-stream enough to be accepted. Horror is fringe. It’s true, my take on a vampire may be a bit darker than what you would find in an Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance novel, but shouldn’t the quality of the narrative be what defines its value – not the label?
I had considered switching genres as an experiment. It’s really an easy thing to do. My plan was to adjust my author platform, but instead of labeling my books as horror I would check the box next to Urban Fantasy. I just couldn’t pull the trigger on it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not nearly the genre snob I appear to be – to each their own is my philosophy. But then a funny thing started happening – my books started selling. That first review quickly turned into another and another and soon readers were looking beyond the horror label and taking a chance on my book.
The problem hadn’t been that I had written a horror novel. The problem was that I hadn’t embraced being a horror author. I saw authors with novels in other genres selling far more copies and thought for sure that it was the label that really mattered. My novel Asylum Lake had romantic undertones – so why not call it a Paranormal Romance and jump on that popular bandwagon? Modern day setting with supernatural elements? Bingo – it’s Urban Fantasy! How could I possibly have expected readers to embrace me as an author when I hadn’t yet embraced myself?
So did I imagine this horror stigma? Certainly not. I’ve sold dozens of copies to public libraries and still more often than not find my titles tucked away into the dark corner reserved for horror; safely out of sight…and mind. And there are still several reviewers, bloggers, and even media outlets who refuse to read horror. I may never change the way some people view the horror genre, but I’ve definitely changed my own view.
I’m proud to write about what lurks in the darkness – the hand reaching out from under your bed after the lights go out and before your leg makes it under the blanket. It’s what I like to read and definitely what I love to write. I write horror. Somebody has to do it and if the reviews for Asylum Lake are any indication, I might just be doing it for awhile.
This is such an insightful post, thank you. Stephen King in On Writing also touches upon this subject. I recently had a conversation IRL where we discussed what a huge disconnect there is between what people are *actually* reading (which is mostly “pulp fiction”) and what people feel “should be” reading (i.e. “literatooooore”, whatever THAT means) and how people tend to be ashamed of what they ARE reading.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I believe we ave fallen victim to trying to crate a label for everything. Take away the labels and I’ll read anything that has smart writing, engaging characters, and a plot that keeps me interested.
I write horror (branching out into fantasy/dark fantasy too) and I suppose that their is a stigma attached to it, but then there are mainstream horror authors like King and Koontz out there. I figure that when you write horror (or fantasy) you are appealing to a very specific fanbase, so while the other books seem to sell a lot I think horror is more likely to have loyal fans. Just my two cents on the matter.
Just a quick question though; would it count as urban fantasy if the setting is a small town? My novel will be more fantasy than horror really, and it might even fit into the urban fantasy category even if it might be darker than the typical fare for that sort of thing.
Andrew -
Thanks for your two cents. I agree about the loyalty of fantasy and horror fans. In these genres specifically, readers know what they like and aren’t shy about finding it.
Urban fantasy is a tough genre to define. I think if it’s set in a modern day – regardless of big city or little town – and has some of the common elements of fantasy ( magic, vampires, etc) then you’ll fit safely into Urban Fantasy.
I remember reading how Stephen King’s agent gave him a bit of a hard time because he continued to write horror stories; he didn’t want King to get type cast. King thought it was hilarious and said something to the effect of: “That’s what I write.” I doubt anyone hears King’s name without thinking of horror. I also doubt anyone is going to start relabeling his work Urban Fantasy or or anything else.
I’m with you on the embracing the inner horror writer. Sure, maybe later you’ll write something that you know belongs in another genre – deal with it then…better yet…horrify it.
Good post.
Cher -
I have definitely learned to embrace the darkness. At the same time I am hopeful that my readers will come to enjoy the romance, humor, and other elements that seems to accompany my brand of horror.
I write horror! There, I said it! Actually, I have never claimed any different. I try to seek out likeminded markets rather than try to stuff my horror down the collective main stream throats-go where I’m wanted, you know? Good job on the blog!
What an excellent post! I found myself lamenting over the placement of your books in the ‘dark corner’ of libraries. But you know what? That dark corner is the first place I go to in the library. There may not be as many people willing to call themselves horror fans, but we’re definitely a loyal group.
I think ScribalGoddess hit the nail on the head with the disconnect between what we read and what we ‘should’ be reading. But often I take that to mean that the love of horror is still strong – the only reason some feel guilty about it is because it is a guilty pleasure.
I struggle with the stigma of horror constantly – I’m a kids’ bookseller and author whose passion lies in horror books. Whenever I talk to kids, without leading them in any direction whatsoever, the feedback is invariably that they LOVE horror. The problem is that their parents don’t. It’s such a shame that somewhere between being a kid and being an adult we somehow develop this shame for reading anything that feels like too much fun.
Great post. I cheat a little bit and use the term dark fiction but found I couldn’t drop the horror title completely, although there is definitely a stigma associated with the genre. I sometimes wonder if we might have Hollywood to thank for that. After all, there are plenty of horror movies coming out but most fall into the low-budget or B-movie category. Maybe people think of those when they see a horror story.
I think you might be right, Marty. There have been a fair number of bad horror movies and that may indeed sour people to picking up a horror novel. I think the recent flirtations with everything vampire and zombie-related are helping. Thanks for stopping by my blog.