Comments on: That’s so five minutes ago

By: GhostFolk.com

GhostFolk.com — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:37:22 +0000

I think there is an 11th trend -- a shift in quality in upper YA because of the "expanding readership" of YA novels. I don't think it's that adult readers are reaching for YA as much perhaps as YA reaching for adult readers. By quality, I mean richness of plot, depth of character, and acceptable multi-pov characters for a novel.

I think we have agents and editors to thank for moving the MG/YA novel along this exciting path. And maybe J.K. Rowling.

I would counterpoint the trend in popularity of humor being directly related to the recession (althought it certainly may be!) with the idea that humor is the most challenging form of literature (for any age) and the strong market in children's lit is attracting better and better writers.

Dr. Suess has always been funny and he didn't gain popularity in a down economy. Funny works, funny sells... always has.. but very few people can write humor for a general audience. Especially for youth.

By: Brenda Drake

Brenda Drake — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:39:01 +0000

Picture books are such great treasures that in my family, we pass them down generation to generation. Trend doesn't seem to matter with picture books. A book I read when I was a little girl still captures the interests of my children. So I don't usually buy them unless it's for a birthday or Christmas. I'm going to have to buy more so they don't disappear entirely. That would be too sad.

By: Simone

Simone — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:25:06 +0000

I kept some of my favorite picture books from when I was a kid. I'm with you, Amy; my book's genre is on that list too. We will definitely have to fire it up!

By: DGLM

DGLM — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:06:26 +0000

Amy - Don't worry about that too much. I think you're absolutely right when you say, "Write well and it won't matter."

Teri - I really like "Write What Fires You Up." WWFYU!

- Michael

By: Teri

Teri — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:32:37 +0000

I agree completely with your point about publishing schedules. It's so strange when someone writes a book based on a current trend --- because the chances of (1) someone writing a GOOD book based on the trend, and (2) the trend holding for that long, are miniscule. I don't get it.

Write What Fires You Up. Otherwise, it's a waste of time.

By: Nathalie

Nathalie — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:29:50 +0000

Wonderful to see that more and more adults are venturing into the YA market. There's great stories written there that capture many different audiences and with what I read on that list, there are many different types of YA books to fall in love with. I too, am a die-hard vamp fan, but love the idea of more dystopian, humor and fantasy on the shelves. Although, I thought contemporary/coming of age would have rounded out the top ten.

By: Amy Tripp

Amy Tripp — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:23:44 +0000

I feel like doing a major *headdesk* when I read that list because the MG novel I'm writing has a mythological basis, though I'm not writing it to be 'on trend.' I loved the idea I had and flew with it and now when I see it listed as a trend, I'm wondering how seriously it'll get taken when I'm ready (in several months) to start querying.

I keep telling myself, "Write well and it won't matter."

*sigh*

By: Yat-Yee

Yat-Yee — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:11:22 +0000

Expanding audience, humor: great. Picture books heading the way of dinosaurs: not good. I wonder if people have some sort of dollar- amount-to-number-of-words ratio when they bypass picture books in the store. Anyone who has read the same book five hundred times to a captured and engaged child would know the magic of a beautifully written, illustrated and produced book. Sad.