Big Book VS Small Book and Genre Hopping

I write in many genres. I'm currently working on a fairytale retelling, a dystopian, a middle grade, and a contemporary YA for the LDS market. I also have ideas for a chick lit and a thriller.
Yes, I know I bounce around a lot, but I have lots of ideas and my taste in books is eclectic. 

I'm hoping that a couple of those books will be bestsellers(wishful thinking) one day, but what would that mean for the other books I want to write. Once you've made the bestseller list will it be a bad thing to write a smaller book. You know a book that probably won't be a bestseller?


Ally Condie author of Matched was originally published through a smaller press in the LDS market. They are nice, sweet books, but definitely not national best sellers. But they may have been bestsellers in the LDS market. 
I wanted Ally's opinion on the subject so I e-mailed her and asked her opinion on whether or not she thinks it was better to publish in a small press first and if she planned on writing more books for the LDS market now that she is a national best seller. I was also concerned over whether or not her publisher or agent would try to talk her out of publishing any more books for the LDS market.  

Here's her response:

"I can tell you that it seems to have made no difference to have published in a smaller market. They just look at the work on hand--whatever you're querying--not really at anything else. At least, that's how it's been in my experience. Publishing with a smaller company wasn't a negative, nor was it a positive. Also, my current publisher has not tried to stop me from writing for the LDS market, but I have stopped because I only seem to have time to work on one book at once."


I've also had concerns about genre hopping. I've heard it's important to brand ourselves, but I'm not a brand and I do what I want, but will that hurt my writing career?(if I ever have one)


Natalie Whipple recently did a great post on genre hopping and how that will affect your writing career - to read that go here.

Michelle Argyle(Lady Glamis) recently did a series on publishing with a small press - check that out here.


Dave Wolverton/Farland has had bestsellers in the science fiction and fantasy genres along with the LDS market. He's also currently doing some work in the movie industry. Dave claims that in today's market an author needs to be as diversified as possible. Sometimes fantasy or science fiction or whatever genre, doesn't do well and at other times it's hot. So to keep your career alive it's best to branch out.

 So, what do you think? Do you genre hop or are you branding yourself? Have you written a book or are you currently writing a book that you know won't be a bestseller, but you want to write it anyway? If you've published in different genres(like YA vs Adult) did you have to find different agents?