Battle Royale is at the top of the list (and they point out that The Hunger Games is an Americanized version of Battle Royale) and so is The Inferior by Peadar O’Guilin which I can't recommend enough.

More people need to discover The Inferior. It is a hidden gem.

Have you read Battle Royale? Battle Royale is genius. The Hunger Games is a version of Battle Royale without teeth, depth or emotion. It is most certainly not genius.

To put it in perspective: Battle Royale is The Beatles. The Hunger Games is the Monkeys.

Like Anonymous, at the time, I assumed far too much about what was being printed between the pages of children's books – before exploring the genre, I too mistakenly assumed this was rather unsophisticated writing. My friends, nothing could be further from the truth! Which is part of the reason I am now a devoted follower of all things YA & middle-grade. I think some of the very best storytelling is being done in these two genres, and I will never assume that my intellect needs to be brought down a peg to either read it or write it in the future. And I also agree with Jim in that The Hunger Games is beyond genius. It's breathtaking, and fabulous. I do not need to compare it to anything else, as I love it just on its own as a beautiful and masterful piece of work.

Point two:
To Lance's point, I heartily agree with his very sage advice to do your homework before signing with an agent, and learn as much as you can about them, but I will also point out that a car and your taxes are not expressions of your own individual creativity…well, perhaps there are some tax returns that are in fact quite creative!! But, for the most part, good stories are like good works of at; they should inspire and connect with an individual on a deeper level than just, "Here is my car, please fix it."

That's why I think it's SO important to find an agent who feels as you do about your writing. You want them to "get" you, and feel a sense of connectivity to your characters and your story because they are going to be the face of that manuscript as it's being shopped. After all, you're not going to go along with your agent to a lunch meeting with a prospective editor and tell them all about how wonderful your novel or proposal is – so you need the person that is going to represent you to do that for you. Passion and enthusiasm do sell books. They always have, and they always will. Inspiring such emotions in others will guarantee you some success in this business. I know that first hand, in fact.

Of course. When I take my car into the mechanic, I want them to treat it with respect and care. I don't need the guy to *love* my car, though, and if he refused to fix it because, while he liked my car, it didn't have that wow factor he always looks for … well, I'd probably back away trying not to make eye contact.

I appreciate that this is not a perfect analogy.

My point is that an author needs an agent with expertise. For me, at least, enthusiasm is a bonus. My accountant seemed bored to see me last year, he did save me a lot of money when he pointed out I had a home office and it was deductible.

I was cynical. I always thought when an agent said 'I didn't love it', it was a euphemism, or a standard brush off. The agent equivalent of 'it's not you, it's me'. But it's not, they take on projects they love.

So the moral for budding authors is 'do your homework and find out as much as you can about the agents you're submitting stuff to'.

(I should probably note at this point that Jessica's my agent. Just in the last few weeks she's taken a great deal of time to deal with three separate things for me, shown expertise, seen me right, done it all very quickly *and* been enthusiastic).

There is a big difference between covering some of the same plot points and the way that Hunger Games steals from Battle Royale and both of the Battle Royale movies.

It is kind of hard for me to be analytical if you haven't read Battle Royale and seen Battle Royale and Battle Royale II.

I'll say that if you enjoyed Hunger Games then you owe it to yourself to read Battle Royale. If you enjoy Battle Royale, then you owe it to yourself to dive further into the BR universe and read the BR Manga where you get…

…the rest of the story.

I love how many people in the biz are geeking out about this book. It really adds to the feeling of community. I'm gonna wrap me in my warmfuzzies, and go read about kids forced to battle to the death…

(PS: I would SO be at a midnight release if such an animal existed here. I'll be there in spirit…)

But a) Grrr. Stupid typo. Good catch Nina. I present: my shame.

And b) Other anonymous, I haven't read Battle Royale yet (though I have it!), but the history of authors using the same plot points to different effect is pretty much as long as the history of literature. And arguing that it's "dumbed down" for children seems a little reductive. It's suitable for children, yes, but it's an incredibly savvy, thoughtful, and moving series that is among the best books published to the teen market that I've ever read. Admittedly: just my opinion. Have you given it a shot?

I just found your blog and wanted to contact you, but couldn’t see where, so I’m putting this here. I hope that’s okay.

I'm not grovelleing for an agent – I have one, I just wanted to let you know that
I've written a YA fantasy novel, Lethal Inheritance and like all new authors I need some help getting the word out.
You can read ch 1 at http://publishersearch.wordpress.com/lethal-inheritance/
If you like it, I'd appreciate it if you could mention it to your readers.