Specialization and Books

In the writing world specialization translates to niche. In fact, one writers’ group I belong to just held a discussion in which writers were asked to identify their niche.

I find this bent toward specialization intriguing. I first became aware of it some years ago when my mom was in the hospital. She had one set of techs who pricked her to test her blood-sugar, another set who drew serious blood to run other tests, another one to give her breathing treatments, another to give her the prescribed medications, a different someone to serve her meals, and others to bathe her and to change her linen, still others to sweep and mop. There was a wound doctor and a primary care physician. Yet with all those specialists, none knew when Mom was reacting in a harmful way to one of the drugs—not until my sister and I mentioned the symptoms to the doctor.

Specialization has its benefits, certainly, but there are down sides too—a loss of communication being one.

I think that same thing might occur in the writing arena. In the effort to target an audience, we lose some who don’t know to look in a niche they do not necessarily identify with. Perhaps this communication problem is why so many books take on a dual tag: romantic suspense or adventure thriller or science fantasy.

Are the tags helpful? I don’t really know. I haven’t seen bookstores expanding their sections to include the new dual tags. Christian books, even in Christian book stores, have yet to be sorted into “sub genres.”

And I find the niche concept confining. I love fantasy, but I also read mystery, romance, even mom-lit, though I am not a mom. I don’t really fit as a niche reader.

So who’s targeting me? I can see it now—books for the eclectic reader. 😛 In parts, you’ll laugh and in other parts you’ll cry. Mostly you’ll be on the edge of your seat because of the tension and suspense, and when you finish, you’ll sigh because you’ll miss the character you’ve been spending these hours with.

Hmmm. I used to call those books just plain good ones.