Go your own way

There's just over a month to go until my next book is released, and there is one very important thing you need to know: It is very different from the last one.

'How Soon Is Now?' is big, complex, twisty and sometimes dark. 'End of a Century' is all about sunshine, charm and optimism. It's a much more streamlined piece of work, but no less heartfelt (and contains a few familiar themes). It's a romantic comedy, if we have to slap a label on it.

You could say it's a risk to take a swerve into a whole new lane after work in another genre has been so well-received, but here's the thing: 'End of a Century' is the story I wanted to tell next. I had the whole story of Des, Poppy and the rest (you'll meet them all soon, and you're going to love them) worked out as I was completing work on 'How Soon..?' and couldn't wait to get to work on it.

The beauty – and the risk – of self-publishing is that I'm free to do that. There's nobody from marketing nudging me to do a retread of 'How Soon Is Now?'. No one flashing a bunch of sales charts showing me that, if I really have to try something new, romantasy is the Next Big Thing.

I read an eye-opening article just the other day about the ways in which the traditional publishing industry is micromanaging its output to pinpoint current trends, and that's absolutely fine, if that's your thing. If, as a writer, you want to hit all the beats The Market says you need to hit, go for it. If, as a reader, reading a book that does everything you expect it to do, in the precise order in which you expect it to do it, brings you joy, that's terrific. I am not the reading police. Not yet, anyway.

I like to be surprised by books, whether I'm reading them or writing them. If they're full of recognisable tropes, I like to see those tropes hit from unusual angles and taken to different places.

People like what they know. I get that. But most readers don't restrict themselves to one genre or tone, so why should writers? If you happen to have a story to tell that's nothing like the last one or the next one, go ahead and tell it. What'll come out is sure to be more honest, direct and fulfilling than anything that comes from trying to second-guess what other people – whether it's readers, editors or the marketing department – might want.

Books are a uniquely personal and intimate art form. If you want to communicate something directly to your readers, why do anything less than make that communication uniquely yours? Whether that's variations on similar themes or a wild leap into entirely new territory, it's all good – as long as it's honest and comes from the heart.