If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have predicted that the dystopian “bubble” in YA fiction would have burst by now–but I would have been wrong. It looks like there’s still a strong market for it, though my guess is that editors and agents would say that, if you’re writing a dystopian young … [Read more…]
It’s been more than a year (wow!) since I did my last post on trends in young adult fiction, so I think it’s time for update. As with other types of fiction, there is definitely a bubble-and-burst pattern happening in YA these days. As in, one trend finds massive success with a few key titles, … [Read more…]
If you are writing young adult fiction, you’ve probably gotten at least one of those reviews–you know, the ones that tally up how many “bad words” you used, scolded you for the sensuality level, and pointed out any references to drinking, drugs, or anything else they consider too “edgy” for teens. So….what is too edgy … [Read more…]
It seems like every year I hear someone say, “Oh, the vampire trend is finally dying down.” And yet when you look at the list of young adult releases, there are still plenty of vampire books today, both established series and books by new authors. So…are vampires really a trend? One in danger of dying … [Read more…]
Age of Young Adult Protagonists, Age in YA Fiction How old should a young adult protagonist be? Up until very recently, I worked part-time at an independent bookstore specializing in kids/young adult (YA) fiction. Occasionally, we’d get a new title in, and find ourselves stumped after reading the back cover or flap copy—was the book supposed … [Read more…]