Tuesday 5 November 2013

Something new...About Time!

Everyone’s saying what an amazing time it is to be a teen/YA writer. YA lit is being taken more seriously. Over the last ten years, the teen/YA market boomed, expanding dramatically with books about the paranormal, myriad dystopias (always in a long series) and dark supernatural romances. These books became the next big thing, and then the big thing, as they were adapted and appeared in a cinema near you. Book shops were awash with one or two narrow genres, filling shelves until they were overflowing. But there was barely any space left for any diversity, and dare I say it, bar a few exceptions, anything original.

Agents, at least in the States, are saying they’ve had enough. The market has had enough. It’s all reached saturation point. Now agents are looking for something else. The problem is, they’re not entirely sure what that is.

The genres they now say they’re interested in are crime, psychological thrillers, gritty realism and contemporary dramas. The one-off, stand alone book looks to be making a comeback. If that’s true then hooray!

It is too often I hear people saying that boys are reluctant readers, and asking what we can do about it? Well, given the choice they’ve faced over the last decade, I’m not entirely surprised. I was in a bookshop the other week and a teen, a boy, was asking for recommendations. The shop assistant had very little to offer him – he’d read the small number of general action/adventure series that were on display there, and he wasn’t interested in paranormal or dystopian. Well maybe, finally, the kind of books boys like him might like to read will get a look in now. Of course many other factors will play a part, but this is a beginning, a small kernel, which needs to be nurtured and developed.

To read the full report from the Publishers Weekly about the changing focus of agents and publishers in the US follow this link:
Here’s another link to an interesting US blog post with literary agents there about what they’d like to see landing on their desks:
Of course the most important thing in teen/YA writing, and actually in any writing, is the voice and the story, no matter what the genre. But it is good to hear that, at least across the Pond, agents and publishers are showing an interest in manuscripts across many different genres, which means that the contemporary stand-alone novel has more of a chance to get its voice heard and to find some shelf space in a bookshop or library.

Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman’s work has been diverse, covering different genres, themes and age groups. She has initiated a YA convention to be held in London next year where she will be promoting Young Adult literature. It’s going to be held at the London Film and Comic Con at Earls Court in June 2014. The convention will include publishers and writers, workshops, signings, and talks. It sounds exciting and I’m looking forward to it. I hope it makes a difference.

So what are publishers and agents saying here in the UK where UKYA is on the up and up? I think it’s time to find out...

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@savitakalhan

10 comments:

Sue Bursztynski said...

Thanks for the links! I will check them out. I don't write crime, except one non fiction, and can't read psychological thrillers let alone write them, ditto gritty realism, but we'll see. At least the standalone is a k, though as a teacher librarian, I ave to say that kids ae always asking me if there's a sequel to this or that novel. And those who do write variety, such as David Levithan, can be a problem. What do you offer kids who read and loved Dash And Lily's Book Of Dares when you know he hasn't written anything else remotely like it? Tell girls expecting more junior rom com that his other books are more likely to be YA gay rom com or the sad story of a genderless being moving from body to body? (Actually, they liked that one and some have also read some of the gay rom com, but it's different).

John Dougherty said...

Glad to hear it! I realised there was a problem when I heard a publisher talk about Paranormal Romance as if it was an accepted genre...

Stroppy Author said...

Good to hear that stand-alone is making a comeback in publishers' wishlists. Though it's harder in terms of marketing, so it'll be interesting to see if they really mean it...

Savita Kalhan said...

As far as I know, it's US publishers and agents who are wanting something different, something new and original, I just hope that same thinking spreads to the UK too. The teen/YA market here would benefit from more variety and readers definitely would.
As for series fiction - I have heard a number of authors saying that second and third books in a series are getting cancelled by publishers, which is extremely worrying for writers who may have spent a year writing the book!

Miriam Halahmy said...

I certainly think that young people are keen to read challenging controversial contemporary novels on contemporary issues. But are the publishers willing to take a punt on them?

Sue Bursztynski said...

Savita, yes, it has happened to two of my friends. One of them had books 5 and 6 cancelled and ended up self publishing them. I bought them for my library because one of our students had been reading the series.

Miriam, I have written for a small press called Ford Street Publishng, which has taken on books on themes the big publishers wouldn't - self-harm, drug dealing, gender change - even written by well-known writers whose big publishers wouldn't take a chance even for proven writers.

Savita Kalhan said...

Sue - what a brilliant thing to do! I hope your students appreciate you.

C.J.Busby said...

You know, what slightly depresses me about this 'what are you looking for' kind of discussion, is that all agents and publishers say, 'we're looking for something new, and fresh, and that we haven't seen before' - but then you look at what gets published, and so much of it is copycat stuff. I was browsing Hot Key younger fiction yesterday and no less than 2 authors with 2 books each are writing about sky pirates and floating islands. Hello? Edge Chronicles anyone? To say nothing of the Wimpy Kid knock-offs. Maybe we've got to the end of the angels and vampire romances, but a brave new dawn of diversification in publishing? I wish...

Savita Kalhan said...

Cecelia, you're right. There is a lot of copycat stuff and trends that seem to monopolise teen/YA fiction. I don't really pay attention to what's in vogue with publishers and agents at any particular time, because that's not how I work. But there is definitely scope for so much more variety than currently exists and if readers can access that in the UK, then I think it would be a win all round.

Sue Bursztynski said...

I went to a SCBWI conference a couple of years ago. Publishers there advised us not to bother following the current trend, whatever it was, because that would be gone soon enough. "Start your own trend" was the advice. I can only hope that they will be willing to buy something new when actually offered.