Comments on: Writing What You Know About YA

By: Kevin a. Lewis

Kevin a. Lewis — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:41:26 +0000

OK, your Captcha feature is malwaring, hence the double post…

By: Kevin a. Lewis

Kevin a. Lewis — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:28:50 +0000

Sorry, I meant “rarely”, not really…

By: Kevin a. Lewis

Kevin a. Lewis — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:26:57 +0000

Well, since I’m the only one who managed to fight his way past all the teen vampires, witches, and modern-day descendants of various mythological characters cluttering up the waiting room, I guess I’ve got the floor all to myself… OK, so while our fantasy pluggers are busy imitating big-budget Hollywood CGI potboilers, a lot of them at least come up with a decent afternoon at the amusement park, even if it is the ten-thousandth time kids have ridden on that particular roller coaster. But on the realistic side, we (not always but usually) have a pedestrian smorgasbord of earnest teen girls having humorless coming-of-age experiences in Nowheresville, Kansas, downtrodden teen boys who should have killed themselves a month ago, and any number of fashionable disability infomercials. With the exception of that one Sick Lit blockbuster at the top of the NYT list, (and I’m very agnostic about how many actual kids are buying and reading this treacle) this stuff really sells in any great numbers. Now, I think you’re right, John, about the potential for realistic YA, but until somebody takes it out of Park and steps on the gas, it’s not going much of anywhere. Gotta go-a teen zombie just ate the modern day descendant of Cleopatra and it looks like we’ve got a riot on our hands…

By: Kevin A. Lewis

Kevin A. Lewis — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:09:42 +0000

Well, since I’m apparently the only realistic pitcher to get past the large crowd of teen zombies, witches, and modern-day descendants of various mythological characters cluttering up the waiting room, I suppose I have the floor pretty much to myself… I think a lot of the problem behind the realistic fiction drought in YA is both the rather narrow parameters that gatekeepers set on this category and the pedestrian efforts that writers put forth to make sure they don’t push any envelopes. So, while all our fantasy crowd is trying their best to imitate the over-the-top CGI effects of the big screen, the realistic market (such as it is) is crowded with earnest young girls having humorless coming-of-age experiences in Nowheresville, Kansas, downtrodden teen boys who should have killed themselves a month ago, and of course, any number of fashionable disability infomercials. With the exception of that one Sick Lit book sitting on top of the NYT list, (and I still have my doubts as to how many actual kids are reading this treacle) none of this stuff sells all that well. I think you’re right, John-realistic YA could really take off. But not until somebody has the stones to take it out of Park and step on the gas, eh, what?

By: Kevin A. Lewis

Kevin A. Lewis — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:54:39 +0000

Hmmm…Since CNN is reporting that the paranormal and dystopian markets are flooded and editors are stranded on rooftops waiting for help to arrive, I have to agree with you. I’ll make some calls and see what kind of rescue vehicle we can slap together. Hang in there, and try not to learn any Serious Life Lessons till we get there, OK?

By: Chantilla the Nun

Chantilla the Nun — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:53:27 +0000

When John makes a plea, we listen. However, it’s nice if the plea comes with an offer of representation if the manuscript of the realistic YA fiction set in Texas is at least 80% good. Asking an author to spend about a year to write a manuscript and then to reject her YA realistic fiction because it’s not 100% good is devastating. Assuming that you have an editor waiting to purchase such a book, let many authors know about it on other blogs and twitter and help them to improve it from being 80% good to being 100% good. Good luck to you and to the author that you will represent her YA realistic fiction set in Texas.