Understanding YA

I was talking with an author recently about YA's and I thought I would take the time today to really explore this issue. Although I don't represent YA, I do have a lot of experience working with this age group and the books youth read.

First of all, let me say that I personally do not believe many of the YA's we see coming out right now are really YA's. These are stories that have youth as characters but that is about it. In many ways, calling these books YA is like calling a book "women's fiction" because it has a female protagonist. There is much more to this than meets the eye.

When it comes to YA, you have to take the same approach that we take with women's fiction. These are stories that are exploring issues of the world through the eyes of the youth. It doesn't matter if it is paranormal, historical, fantasy or what not, the story is simply using the YA voice as a visual filter to see the world.

What we are seeing right now are not stories that see the world through this lens. We have characters using words or putting them in settings that might be associated with YA characters, but what is coming out of their mouth and the "take away" from the story is not something that is YA. It is purely adult.

I do have to say, I personally believe that we are seeing this due to the complete inexperience of many authors in the YA population. They haven't been kids in a while. They haven't been around youth for a while. Heck, many of them haven't even had kids yet. This lack of exposure is likely going to be a sure sign of a poorly written YA.

I would strongly suggest that true YA authors get out there and discuss the market, not with other authors and certainly not with the book sellers that are hyping up the latest YA paranormal. Talk to the librarians. When I mentioned this to the author the other day, I even suggested taking a look at the Newbery Winners.

Take a look at the 2012 winners:

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, published by HarperCollins Children's Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers

Hà and her family flee war-torn Vietnam for the American South. In spare yet vivid verse, she chronicles her year-long struggle to find her place in a new and shifting world.

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin, published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

On the eve of his induction into the Young Pioneers, Sasha’s world is overturned when his father is arrested by Stalin’s guard. Yelchin deftly crafts a stark and compelling story of a child’s lost idealism.

The 2012 Newbery Medal winner is Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, published by Farrar Straus Giroux

The importance of history and reading (so you don’t do the same “stupid stuff” again) is at the heart of this achingly funny romp through a dying New Deal town. While mopping up epic nose bleeds, Jack narrates this screw-ball mystery in an endearing and believable voice.

Other authors:
Avi
Katherine Patterson
Scott O'Dell
Gary Paulsen
Rick Riorden
James Lincoln Collier
I think you can get the idea here. Heck, we can even toss some titles around here...

Chocolate War
Sophie's World
Eleven Birthdays
Canterwood Crest Series

I think you get the idea here.

Stories that are targeting high school and college level students tend to lean closer toward the adult market and not really in the YA Market.

I personally believe that many of the authors I see wanting to write YA are missing the mark. Libraries across the nation are begging for new books to give out to their students. Teachers are begging for quality stories to give to their students to read. We have to push for these books.

And I do also believe that if we look at sales of these so-called YA's and look at the demographics, I am honestly betting that readers are more likely adults and not so much the youth they think they are marketing.

As always, IMHO,

Scott

Why Scott Passes on So Many YA's

I love YA.

I love the energy and the voice these stories have. And, as a literacy specialist, I love anything that gets the youth of today to pick up a book. So if that is the case, why do I pass on so many of these stories?

When it comes down to it, I simply find that more often than not, writers simply don't understand the voice of a YA. The stories have great premises, the plots are unique and exciting, but the voice is just not there. In most of the cases, I am reading stories that sound too much like the writer is "trying to be a teen" instead of letting this voice come across naturally.

To write successful YA's writers have to really understand the youth. This is not simply the things we read about in magazines or see on the surface in movies or on the TV, I am talking a real understanding. Writers have to be around youth on a very regular basis and be in situations that allow them access to the real youth voice. What I mean here is that too often, the voice that we as adults hear when we are around youth is not the real voice. This is the "edited" version.

The things youth really talk about and feel are not always that accessible to adults. This is especially true if your only connection to youth is through your children. I was working with a group of writers once and we were talking about the things early teens often talk about. I brought up that it is very common to hear girls talk about the physical traits of guys and be very graphic about it. They might not follow through with these ideas, but the comments are very telling. This author's answer was that "her daughter would never talk like that." Really?

If you are now jumping on the YA bandwagon right now, I would strongly caution you to stop and consider what you "really know" about this group. I would also recommend really getting out there and dissecting these stories. Figure out what make these stories tick. Again, like any story out there, it isn't the plot, but the voice.

Have fun!

Scott

Queries Again

I guess I am on a roll with query writing this week. Well, here goes another one.

As I stated yesterday, I have had a huge number of authors submitting YA's (yes this was before I closed the submissions... stay with me on this one). In the majority of the cases, the stories were rejected almost immediately simply because the author did not pay attention to what I am acquiring.

If a writer reviews the style of YA that I accept, he or she will notice that it has to fit the Harlequin Teen line. Nothing else. Let me explain by first showing what the specific guidelines are from the Harlequin site:


Length: 50,000–100,000 words
Senior Editor: Natashya Wilson
Editorial Office: New York

Harlequin Teen is…
Fresh, authentic teen fiction featuring extraordinary characters and extraordinary stories set in contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, science-fiction and historical worlds.

We’re looking for commercial, high-concept stories that capture the teen experience and will speak to readers with power and authenticity. All subgenres are welcome, so long as the book delivers a relevant reading experience that will resonate long after the book’s covers are closed. We expect that many of our stories will include a compelling romantic element.

Harlequin Teen is a single-title program dedicated to building authors and publishing unique, memorable young-adult fiction. Stories with the unforgettable romance, characters and atmosphere of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, the witty humor of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries novels, the edgy emotion of Jay Asher’s Th1rteen Reasons Why, the thrilling danger of Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games, the futuristic world-building of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, and the power of Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief are examples of the range and depth of projects that we’re seeking.

Now I post this for one reason. These stories state in two places that there will be a "compelling romantic element." Sending me any story about simply teens is not going to cut it. Sending me picture books and children's book isn't going to work either.

In this case, this is really one of those times when an author needs to do his or her homework. First. to make sure you fully understand and have read the stories the publisher is putting out there. And secondly, make sure that you are meeting the needs of the agent and following their guidelines.

Scott

Young Adult Does Not Mean Immature

So, apparently now every writer out there thinks they can write YA. Hey, Stephenie Meyer did it so I can follow that trend. With that said, I am not going to launch into my normal rant about following trends but to talk about the concept of YA.

Young Adult writing does not mean it is immature writing. In other words, there are a lot of writers that seem to believe that all they have to do is eliminate subplots, add some dialogue they believe is correct for this age group and they have a story. This is far from the truth.

Although the literacy rates are going down (probably due to all of the standardized testing) youth are reading deeper and deeper stories. It isn't just about witty dialogue and "dating issues" but these books really find what is important to the youth go after the subjects head on.

Sure, there are rules we need to follow for the publishers. You know - keep it clean and all that, but please, focus on something substantial and really treat the youth like they want to be treated.

I spent over 15 years working with the secondary level students and the issues they deal with on a daily basis are much more intelligent and deep than simply worrying about who they will go to prom with. Yes, I know Disney deals with this, but they also have a younger market. Heck, my nearly 5 year old has already told me she is going to marry Nick Jonas.

If you want to write for the YA market, there are a few things you need to consider before you even think about submitting to anyone:

1. Make sure you really understand the voice. If you don't actively hang out with this group, the odds are you probably don't get it. And by the way, if you have a kid that is in that age group, it isn't enough. They don't share all the things that you would need to know about.

2. Make it age appropriate. This means knowing your audience. Middle school kids focus on far different topics than do high school age students, or for that matter, seniors in high school.

3. Find a plot that is really worth something. The YA market is not into cute, they want substantial. Heck, the rest of the markets want something substantial. Don't sell us short.

YA is a fun market, but all of the submissions I have received lately wouldn't even cut it with my 5 and 8 year old, let alone my 10 year old.

Scott