Riding the Trends of the YA Market

There has been some scuttlebutt lately about what the new trend in YA fiction will be.  Paranormal, and to a smaller extent Urban Fantasy, have dominated this market for the past few years and several agents are predicating a change.  Their prediction – YA contemporary will be the next big thing.


For those of us writing YA contemporary this is a good . . . great thing.  It puts us ahead of the curve and in the perfect position to capitalize on the market.  But what about those of us who live, write, and love the paranormal genre.  How much longer will this market sustain our passion?

This is a double-edged sword for me because I write both genres.  Cedar, the ms  currently on submission is a YA contempory.  So is my current WIP Inside Out.  But I have a third ms that has been kicking around my hard drive over 18 months, one that was never queried.  I open up Seven Shades of Crazy every couple of months, tweak it, and send it back out to beta readers.  If the agent predictions  are right, then now is the time to polish it up and send it out.    


Now do I think the paranormal genre is going away?  Absolutely not!  In fact the agent blog below indicates that it is these manuscripts that currently garnish the highest advances – something about editors wanting to play it safe in a proven market.  That said, do I want to read yet another story about a brooding vampire with an unwavering moral compass?  Nope, but send me ghost story or a ms that walks along the fringe of reality and I am all yours.  In this genre I think it is about amazing writing and new twists; if your words sing and your characters truly memorable than your manuscript will sell itself regardless of what road the YA market decides to take.


Here is the opinion of a few agents on the subject of the next trend in YA. I am curious to see where you all weigh in. http://agencygatekeeper.blogspot.com/2010/08/contemporary-vs-paranormal-ya-trends.html

Retreat and Defend

First things first!  Any of you currently in possession of Mockingjay please stand up.  I am currently standing on my chair waving it around like some crazy pre-teen who just secured a autographed picture of my favorite * cough* vampire.  I now will retreat to some dark corner of my house with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon twist to tear through it before my 13 and 11-year-old kids realize I have it.  Wish me luck as I try and fend off the two rather persistent kids who want to read it as badly as me!

Balancing Subjective Opinions!

I am on my first round of editor submission and a few rejections have hit the inbox.  Unlike my query rejections, I am finding that editors give substantial and thought-provoking reasons for passing on your manuscript.  There is no blanket rejection language such as "I did not connect with the voice" or the rather vague "it is simply not right for us."


Now, being obsessed with spread sheets and anything else organizational-based, I have taken these few rejections and outlined the reasons, seeking a common thread with which to re-evaluate my ms.  There in lies my problem – there is not common thread. 

The right side of my brain fully understands that the decision to take on a manuscript is completely, 100% a subjective decision – either the book resonates with you or it does not.  But the left side wants to hack it up and piece it back together in an attempt to address the issues above.  Besides the fact that I am pretty sure my agent would kill me, I am not sure it can be done.

Each editor had a wholly different reason for saying no.   What one editor saw as a major flaw the other had no problem with.  Can you address all the  issues in one sweeping edit or do you end up with three different versions of the same book each trying to address the very subjective opinion of one editor?  At what point are you writing your story to please one person?   And then do you run the risk of contaminating the underlying theme of the book an a futile attempt to add-in scenes, dialogue, and content to rectify an issue that only one editor sees as a problem?

Arghhhhhh . . . I haven’t felt this confused about my MS since my days in Query Hell!

The Waiting Game -- How Do You Pass The Time

I am finding that the submission process is a lot like the query process – full of waiting, waiting, and more waiting. I check my email several times a day hoping for an editor response than worry that my manuscript just isn’t good enough.  I’m telling you . . . being an aspiring author is truly a test of one’s patience.

I’ve done all the things I can to ensure the success of my manuscript.  I hacked it up beyond belief and then pieced it back together to create a manuscript I’m proud to call my own.  I started developing my platform and began the ominous task of blogging.  I even burned a Yankees hat for good measure and a bit of luck. (Sorry folks but I live in Red Sox’s Nation)  Now, all I can do is wait.

But waiting isn’t in my nature so I kicked my life into overdrive to pass the time.  For me that means I turned into an obsessive cleaning machine.  My hardwood floors have been waxed, my closets de-cluttered, and the grout on all five of my tile floors scrubbed with bleach and a tooth brush.  Out of things to clean, last night I turned to cooking.  My freezer is now stocked with nine – yes nine loaves of zucchini bread, two lasagnas, and three batches of meatballs complete with homemade tomato sauce.

As a joke, my husband suggested that I now focus on the outside of the house.  I think I may just do that. Our deck is in need of new boards and how hard could that be. . . . just rip the old ones up and hammer some new ones down!  Maybe after that I will re-plant the garden and build a patio. LOL!

So what do you all do to pass the waiting-game time?  Are you obsessive in channeling your energy like me or are you one of the lucky few who can sit back and enjoy the peaceful waiting time?

What Do You Expect From Your Beta Readers

Up until a few months ago I always used the same set of amazing beta readers.  I am used to their critique style and in turn are pretty familiar with mine.  I still trust them completely with my manuscripts and always get way too excited when a see a new chapter in their WIP hit my inbox.


I am the midst of beta reading/ critiquing three manuscripts for three different authors for whom I have never read for before.  I am pretty up front with them about my critique style – I am horrible with grammar, am good with characterization, and am a PIA when it comes to dialogue.  I wouldn’t say I am a harsh critic . . . rather a sarcastic one.  Although no one has complained yet, I'm beginning to wonder exactly what kind of “critique” most of you like to receive.

I am a line by line, track changes, this-so-doesn’t-belong-in-this-chapter kind of beta reader.  That said I am curious as to what type of critique you all prefer.  Do you prefer the “questionnaire” type of beta read where we complete a set of pre-determined questions?  Are you partial to the line-by line, point-out-everything kind of critique?  Or are you more of the steam-of-consciousness person that hopes your beta reader will insert comments wherever and whenever they want to?

Round and Round we Go

I fair amount of my writer friends are currently entrenched in query hell - - that ping pong of emotions where you get an email saying I loved your first ten pages send me more followed by an email that says I just didn’t connect with your voice. I know that rejection is a necessary part of the game, but you sure need to have an enormous tolerance for self-inflicted pain to survive this rung of the publishing ladder.

As a humbling reminder, I have a folder of all the query rejections I received. I combed through it this morning and came to two conclusions. First, I think it is standard practice for every rejecting agent to tell us: “agenting is very subjective, and even though we could not take on your project at this time, another agent might feel differently.” Sure doesn’t feel subjective when  your inbox is piled high with rejections for your manuscript!

Second, I still don’t understand how you can like my voice enough in the first 50 pages to request a full then turn around and reject me for “not connecting with my voice.” I am beginning to think that “not connecting with your voice” is code for simply not liking my story. I almost wonder if a simple, two-word rejection of “Sorry, no” would have been easy to tolerate. At least it would’ve left no room to read between the lines.

I still get rejections for Cedar – got one just last week for a query I sent way back in December. I laughed and saved it to my rejection folder. Incidentally, I also got a request for a full with a very nice note attached apologizing for the delay in responding.

I would love to hear how your ride on the query-go-round is going and am interested in what your favorites “rejection lines” are.