When becoming an author, must one stick with one genre?

I believe that the transformation of a writer to an author should involve a lot of trial and error and it includes experimenting with different genres…

freedom to write whatever pleases you should be one of the best things of being one right?

But I sometimes feel authors are forced to stick to one genre to maintain their fanbase.

I mean you wouldn't expect JK Rowling to write an adult fiction or detective novel (wait till the end😅)

But there are many who likes to expand their work. Chetan Bhagat’s genre as per google includes romance, realistic fiction, non-fiction, motivation, suspense and thriller….

Unlike Chetan Bhagat some authors likes to write anonymously to not surprise their fans😅

JK Rowling as Robert Galbraith.

A wonderful muggle world detective thriller😅

~jeffin