Dear O'Abby: Has the YA market disappeared?

 Dear O'Abby,

I don't know if I'm right about this, but it seems like it's become more difficult to get interest for YA books from both agents and publishers.  I've been writing YA for a long time, and about 15 years ago I found that I had a much better request rate from queries than I'm getting for my latest book. Has the YA market slowed down?  Or are agents and publishers just looking for different things now?

If you know anything I should be taking into account, I'd love to hear it.  I won't bore you with the whole story, but basically I'm hunting for an agent for the first time in a few years,, and it seems like I'm querying in a whole new landscape.

Sincerely,

Stranger in a strange land

Dear Stranger,

You're right.  The YA landscape has changed in the last 15-20 years, so if you're just jumping back in, you are seeing a difference.

You see, 15 years ago, YA was kind of a new thing.  Not entirely, of course, but as a category, it was still pretty fresh.  When I was growing up, there was  YA section at the library, but it was tiny - a few books by S E Hinton, Robert Cormier, Paul Zindel and Gordon Korman.  I basically moved from the kids' section of the library to Stephen King and Virginia Andrews because YA as we know it today didn't really exist. 

Today the YA section is my local library is a full section with multiple shelves plus a couple of big displays for the librarians' choices and a theme that changes monthly.

And that's why you're seeing a change to acquisitions.  There is a whole lot of amazing YA literature that already exists, a whole back catalogue of those books that were acquired and published over the last 20 years.  15 years ago when you were querying, agents and publishers were hungry for YA because it was proving popular with readers and there wasn't enough out there to satisfy demand.  Writers obviously take longer to write books than it takes for readers to devour them, so there was kind of a frenzy of acquisition at this time.

Now that there is so much YA available, agents and publishers are more focused on filling gaps in the market, especially around broadening representation.  So the kinds of YA book that were getting snapped up in 2010 are not receiving the same level of interest now. 

Hopefully that answers your question.  It's tough out there, I know, but don't give up.  

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: What does publishing look like in 2024?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm a published author whose been out of the publishing arena for a few years (I had kids, had to get a day job, got out of the habit of writing....) and am hoping to dive back in this year with a new novel I've been working on for a few years. 

I know the world changed a lot through COVID and I'm just wondering what publishing actually looks like in 2024. Do you have any insight into trends or anything that might be useful to know as an author heading back into publishing after a period of time away?

Kind regards, 

Old Hat

Dear Old Hat,

I'm not sure how long you've been away or what kind of book you've written, or even if you're looking at traditional or self-publishing, so my answers may not be what you're looking for.  Feel free to check back in with me if you need to know anything specific!

Political books are popular.  Some of the biggest sellers in the past few years were books by political figures (Barak Obama, Bill Clinton) or about them (Donald Trump, Joe Biden).

In kidlit (children's and YA books) diversity is a must. Since publishing realised there was a distinct lack of diversity in books for young people, publishers have actively been seeking out books featuring people of colour, those living with disabilities, those from the LGBTQIA+ community and others who have historically been underrepresented in fiction. 

Self-publishing is booming. With the popularity of e-books skyrocketing during the COVID years, the number of authors choosing to take control of their own work and career is growing. And with readers increasingly using social media platforms to access information about what's good, authors are becoming more digital savvy in the ways they market to them.  There's a reason people are talking about "Book Tok" and "Bookstagrammers".  If you're going to sell books in 2024, you'd better be good at social media if you want to stand out!

While the publishing giants keep trying to consolidate and become one giant publishing machine, some small presses are seeing significant growth.  Some of these presses are very niche, but they are also more likely to take risks on unknown authors or books that don't fit neatly into a specific genre.

Audiobooks continue to grow in popularity.  And as self publishing tools make creating audiobooks simpler, we are likely to see even more growth in this area.  

I don't think we can talk about publishing in 2024 without mentioning AI.  As far as I can tell, AI hasn't managed to write a good novel yet, but as its use becomes more and more normalised across other types of writing (marketing, PR, articles etc) and the machine consumes vast quantities of other peoples' writing to "learn" how to write, I  suspect it is only a matter of time.  Personally, I don't think this is a good thing as writing is an art and good art is created in response to human experiences and emotions. But I don't think the people who stand to profit from more use of AI give much creedence to what I think.  There are already AI-written novels out there, I'm sure, even if they are not brandishing that fact on the cover (which is probably also AI generated).

And that's just a few of the things I'm seeing in publishing.  Just let me know if there is anything else you would like to know.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: What does publishing look like in 2023?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm jumping back into publishing (or trying to publish my books) this year after being away from it for several years (kids, day jobs, caring for elderly parents - all the usual life disruptions) and am noticing that things have changed quite a bit since I last published a novel.  What do I need to know about publishing a novel in 2023?

Faithfully,

Out of Touch

Dear Out of Touch,

Obviously no one has a crystal ball, so please take anything I say here with a grain of salt as any predictions are based on things we've seen in the last few years, and as we all know, life throws curve balls more often than we might expect.

But here are a few things we are likely to see in 2023.

1. Non-fiction outselling fiction - with the world becoming increasingly fractured and baffling, and  looking almost as dystopian as a sci-fi/fantasy novel, people are searching for ways to understand how we got here, how to navigate the place we are in, and what we need to do to make the world a better place or ourselves better as people.  

2. Audiobooks grow in popularity - Audiobooks have seen a huge boost in popularity, especially amongst Millennials and Gen Xers.  The ease of consuming a book audibly, plus increased production values have led to the audiobook becoming the preferred format for many readers. With celebrity narrators and authors narrating their own work and/or sharing podcasts about it, audiobooks should no longer be an afterthought, but an important part of your publishing strategy. I mean, who doesn't want to be able to read while cleaning the toilet or dusting the blinds?

3. AI is not going anywhere - While I think it will be some time before we see novels of any quality being written by AI, 2023 will see this new technology being used across a wide range of publishing and publishing adjacent functions from cover design to audiobook narration to publicity to creating summaries of books to be published online.  In fact, I don't think we can even imagine how much the impact of AI will have on our industry yet.  

4. Diversity remains important - While we've seen an explosion in the representation of previously under-represented groups in recent years, particularly in YA, there is still a long way to go.  The representation of people from different cultures, races, genders, sexualities and abilities in fiction will remain important in 2023, as will supporting authors representing these diverse identities. Sensitivity readers will be an important part of the editing process to ensure representation of specific groups is accurate and non-offensive.

5. Platform is important - Platform has always been critical to those publishing non-fiction, but in 2023 even novelists will need to up their game when it comes to having an online presence and platform.  Book related TikTok has blown up in 2022 and with it, a whole new generation of avid readers has been created.  As the social media landscape evolves and changes, trying out new platforms and experimenting with new ways to reach readers has never been more important.

I'm sure we will see other big changes in the course of the year.  It will be interesting to keep up with them and to see if things actually do swing the way we think they will.

X O'Abby.

The Universal Psyche and the Stories We All Know

Have you ever had a fleeting idea for a story, gotten busy with something else, and then seen a suspiciously similar idea pop up somewhere else? On a TV show, movie, or even a published book?

It's eerie. How did they come up with such a similar idea to yours? *gasp* Is someone stalking you?

Every kid I know invented the concept of A Bug's Life before A Bug's Life began. They had to have stolen the idea from some six-year-old kid.

Or have you ever written something you thought was completely unique only to discover that Western Space Dystopian Steampunk was now the over-saturated trend in the marketplace? Darn that Firefly!

But even when there isn't a TV show or movie to revive an old concept, most writers I know have accidentally written something that fits within a trend. Here are some of the things I've seen sink into the universal psyche in the past few years:

• vampires
• werewolves
• Victorian England steam punk with a touch of paranormal
• ninjas
• genies 
• mermaids/water elementals
• fairy tale retellings
• dystopian society where some form of government controls everybody's minutiae 
• school/orphanage for gifted or troubled kids
• witches
• superheroes
• villains

That's just off the top of my head. 

What does it mean? Why do you, Writer A, cut off from Writer B across the sea, think of writing a story about a leprechaun samurai at almost the exact same time? It's not like you both watched a movie about leprechaun samurais recently! 

I submit that there is such a thing as a universal psyche that operates on a subliminal level. It offers up the stories we all grew up with and our minds twist them into our own kind of unique. In the creative process, many of us end up in a similar place. That's why there's never just one operating trend at a given time. It's not just vampires. It's vampires and fairies and ninjas. But the trends are still there. We're not copying each other (though some writers confess to writing to a trend), yet we're coming up with similar stories. 

The good news for those of you who are facepalming right now: No two stories are exactly the same! Your leprechaun samurai might be as tall as a light pole and preoccupied with treasure, while my leprechaun samurai operates in a microscopic world where demonic amoeba threaten humankind. 

The collective psyche is a good thing. Literature and other forms of entertainment are how we continue the generational discussion of life, death, principle, evil, hope, and fear. What Gail Carriger's over-souled vampires offered the world is different from what Stephenie Meyer's stone-faced veggie-vamps did. Both spurred thought and discussion deeper than the very brief description I just gave them.

So if you just found out your book is not the only novel about a grand duchess discovering her mother was a fairy bent on world domination, take heart. 

There's no way that other story about a grand duchess's scary fairy mom is anywhere close to yours. Just remember, when querying, to pick out that thing that makes your story truly unique - the thing nobody else thought of. That's what'll get you spotted.

Happy Writing! And Happy Weekend!

I Spy A Trend.

Yesterday I came across a post by the awesome Mandy Hubbard. You remember Mandy, right? She was one of our uber-awesome Mystery Agents! 

Anyway. After meetings with a lot of editors (37), Mandy Hubbard ended up with a post about trends in YA/Mg/PB. And it's a goldmine of information. Click here to read it in full. 

I'm not a writer who chases trends. I'm not against trends, but I don't write to them. I write what I want to read and, usually, what voice screams the loudest until I write the darn thing down. But it's important to remember what's hot now might not be when you come to query. After all, publishing a book can take two years (by which time the trend that was on the way out could be back 'in' again). 

Does that mean you shouldn't write (or stop writing) that paranormal, dystopian, historical, sci-fi or *insert trend here* novel? No! 

It's important to remember that, trend or not, an original plot, voice and character will stand out regardless of the trend du-jour. 

Good storytelling is forever. 

What do you think about trends? Any thoughts? Leave them after the beep.

Beep.  

The Next Best Thing: All About Hype

Original here

Confession: my to-read pile is ginormous. Offensive, even. And it only keeps getting bigger. *face palm*

While looking at said to-read pile the other day, I realized I have a healthy balance of genres, all targeted for a YA audience. BUT I also noticed that some books I'd been hearing about for months, while others... not so much. 

I started thinking about a word that gets thrown around a lot in the blogosphere: hype. Particularly, its effect on book sales and reviews. You know, the stuff people are always worried about?

Well... wanna know a secret? *waves forward* Books will be good if they're good. 

Whether they're hyped about or not won't affect the quality of the author's words. It just means his or her sales will *probably* leave people's jaws on the floor. Or at least hanging inches away from it. :D

I don't know about you, but I get really upset when book reviewers/bloggers/readers/whoeverhasaccesstotheInternet start mouthing off against a book because it's been hyped about. Not because he or she read said book and didn't enjoy it for legit reasons. Why would I trust someone who hasn't even done their research? Who brushes off a book simply because the majority likes it? *shakes head* That's a huge no-no to me.

Then there's the opposite--those who ignore works of lesser known authors simply because they're not on the NYT Best-selling list. Because bookstores don't have them placed front and center, easy to find as soon as you walk in. Because nobody's fighting over film rights and blowing up screenwriters' phones for the movie adaptation. 

I have one question for both groups: seriously?

Like I said, books are good if they're good. Hype does not equal quality, nor do hyped-about books suck. At least, not to me.

Now fess up: are you easily swayed by hype when purchasing books? Or do you mix it up with un-hyped-about ones?