Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Editor For The Day

I was just thinking about this and figured I would put it out to all of you. Who knows, maybe in a massive "grass roots movement" you can let the editors and agents know what should really be out there.

I know as an agent there are certain story ideas/genres that I would love to see more of and some I would like to see less of.

So what are your thoughts.

I am putting you in charge of being an editor for the day. If you can pick:
  1. What would you acquire, right now!
  2. What do you want to see go away?
Scott
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19 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 26, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    I woul dlove to have more contemporary romances and fewer paranormals.

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  2. charlieApril 26, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    I'd acquire e-books that take advantage of the e- and I'd do without celebrity books and "autobiographies" of people running for president.

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  3. kellyeApril 26, 2011 at 10:59 AM

    Ack! It's difficult to play "editor for the day" if you start thinking about things like "these books would have to sell. I have to make money for my publishing company." ( Is that stomach pain an ulcer? Am I taking this pretend thing too seriously?)

    My favorite books are contemporary YA, so I'd say: More, more, more, please. (Well, yes, that IS what I write, too. How did you guess?)

    At the same time, I like to be surprised, so I wouldn't want to rule anything out. I'm not a big historical fiction person, but loved Jennifer Donnelly's A Northern Light and (even more) Revolution (with the alternating contemporary story). I'm not really a fantasy person, but love Harry Potter and books by Holly Black, Melissa Marr, Laini Taylor....too many to mention.

    I'd want to see original, fresh characters, plots and structure, especially if you've got a vampire or dystopian setting. I'd love to read about stuff that doesn't get as much attention, too. As soon as I say this, I know there will be 50 books to prove me wrong, but the first thing that jumped into my head is girls crazy about science. There are some terrific GLBT YA novels out there, and I'd like to see more.

    My 2 cents.

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  4. kellyeApril 26, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Charlie: Yes! Love your ban on presidential candidates. I'd also add: No memoirs from people under 30, though I'd make rare exceptions.

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  5. Sara-MarissaApril 26, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    I'd love to see more sci-fi in young adult and some epic fantasy.

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  6. UnknownApril 26, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    Horror novels seemed to have taken a back seat. I'd love some fresh new frightening tales. Horror elements have been encorporated into so many romance and YA books that I think that true Horror has been forgotten.

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  7. UnknownApril 26, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    Yes Charlie! No more celeb books, people runnign for president, or autobiographies by people under the age of thirty--good thought Kellye!

    I love romance, so I want to see romance, but I would want to see stories that I can't guess the ending to. Too many books I've picked up lately, I read and think "Ok, well, so-and-so did it..." on page 75, and wind up being right, because the clues are so obvious, I feel hammered over the head with them.

    More subtle hints maybe? More twists and red herrings? That's what I would like.

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  8. AliceApril 26, 2011 at 11:31 AM

    I want to see more slipstream out there -- more precisely, books written in a literary manner that are focused on character and rich description but that have plots that really MOVE.

    (This is no doubt prejudiced by the fact that I write it, but I write it because I love it.)

    So many important books are in this category: 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, Perfume, The Glass Bead Game (maybe), Metamorphosis, Bobok.

    A recent example might be "Deathless" by Catherynne M Valente, but I haven't read enough of it yet to tell you for certain.

    A lot of the books like this out there are written with a commercial tone. I like them too, but I grew up on literary fiction and I love it best.

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  9. Silk LabyrinthApril 26, 2011 at 12:14 PM

    As an editor, I would acquire more literary erotica. So many people write poor quality erotica, most of what are play-by-play scenes of sexual contact. Gag! More often than not, literary erotic fiction simulates the mind before anything.

    After I acquired some great pieces of literary erotica, I'd accept more mindf**k books that leave the reader hanging at the end of the book. The kind where you have more questions than answers.

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  10. jesseApril 26, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    I'd love to see more powerful yet approachable social sci-fi, and less books published only on the strength of the "author's" platform.

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  11. Laila KnightApril 26, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    I'd like to see fresh, exciting, sexy fantasy that targets adult readers. All the new fantasy seems to focus on YA. The same goes for science fiction.

    Also, there's nothing wrong with a good paranormal as long as it doesn't follow the same trend. I'm working on two of them now.

    I enjoy playing with horror, so I wouldn't turn my nose up at it.

    I do like a good historical romance as long as they don't make the heroine seem stupid.

    I love anything dubbed as eccentric.

    Thanks for the chance at make-believe.

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  12. Lindsay Cummings authorApril 26, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    more YA thrillers. less YA paranormals

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  13. JJApril 26, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    I'd love to see more horror, more ghostly tales, more police procedurals.

    What my eye never considers and what I never buy are books by or about political candidates, books about Germany/Nazis, books with a strictly romance element.

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  14. AnonymousApril 26, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    Fantasy that isn't the traditional epic mode in style, that borrows more from other genres in style, like mystery or thriller.

    I also prefer upbeat and fun - I read a lot of YA and MG, but I'd love to read adult books that have more of that element, instead of characters in continual pain and angst. Fun doesn't mean it can't have depth - Bujold, Diana Wynne Jones, Peter Beagle are very deep, but still a lot of fun.

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  15. E. ArroyoApril 26, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    I would like to see more different cultures in anything...contemporary, fantasy etc.

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  16. Author Joshua HoytApril 26, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    I would have more sci-fi/magic. Not sure what I would want to see go.

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  17. UnknownApril 26, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    I would like to see mixtures of science fiction and fantasy (sufficiently advanced technology = magic) but keep the social commentary of scifi with the epic melodramatic adventure of fantasy.

    It would be great to see bad boy vampire stories get staked and left out in the sun to fry.

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  18. Alan K.April 26, 2011 at 8:59 PM

    More historical fiction, adventure westerns.Less celebritard memoirs, paranormals,vampires,zombies,Obama stories(really political ads.

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  19. Mindy HardwickApril 27, 2011 at 5:33 PM

    More contemporary YA romance with characters who are more "real to life." Including teen characters who are from blue collar families and small towns in particular smaller towns in the West such as those in Eastern Washington or Idaho, or Oregon. YA romances with teens who attend high schools where sports are a big deal for both girls and boys, and community service is a required high school activity rather than buying $4 Starbucks while on the way to a private high school which are always on the East Coast.

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