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| Credit: anne symons on Flickr |
so this is a purely 100% stubborn position. I'm not the last word on this subject (or any other subject for that matter), and I do not pretend to be. These are just my thoughts, pure and simple.
Okay? Okay.
So once I wrote some manuscripts YA Paranormal. Six, to be exact, although some of them could possibly pass under other sub genres, too. Not so.
Point is, these six manuscripts, one of them if I fell totally in love with. That does not mean I do not have it like the others, I did it and still hope for some of them, but this manuscript I spent years refining. I wrote and rewrote and changed POVs and changed the characters and doubled the length and you guys, it was the best thing I wrote at the time. CPs my loved, I loved and I was really hoping this would be one.
Except he was not the only one. He collected some interest (meaning a fabulous little press has shown an interest, but unfortunately happened at the end). And that was all. No partial application, certainly not complete applications, only years of rejection letters and disappointments.
Looking back, I am glad it all happened, but this post is not. This post is about the dead genres.
As Dystopian YA, YA Paranormal is still widely regarded as a kind-meaning death, it is a genre that has been over-saturated to the point of drowning and is extremely difficult to enter now. Not impossible, mind you (in fact, one of my beautiful CPs and found agent and sold his YA Paranormal MS at the same time I was looking for representation mine), but really crazy difficult. Because most publishers have seen enough YA Paranormal last for quite a long time, so the sale Paranormal YA Dystopian or manuscripts is very difficult, which means finding a representation for these genres is equally difficult.
This is why people in the publishing world often advises writers who seek traditional publication not to write about trends. Because unfortunately, the time between a manuscript sold and end up on the shelves often takes years, so by the time a writer sees a trend, writes, finds representation, gets sold and the release date arrives this trend is long way gone.
it does not mean, however, that if you love YA Paranormal or Dystopia (or death kind, for that matter), you should not write it.
I do not regret the time I spent working on this manuscript that I had put away. I learned so much from him, and I still hope one day to be able to share with the world.
But I will not pretend that it was an easy experience to go through.
I will always and always plead that writers write what they want to read (and, indeed, want to write), and if this is another kind Dystopian Paranormal or otherwise difficult or, more power for you. Write it down, make impressive and do not be afraid to dream.
At the same time, it is good to be aware of the market and whether you try to enter a particularly busy area. It is good to know that you love your manuscript, but maybe things are really tough right now for this genre, and you may have to put aside for a moment. It is good to try anyway and hope for the best, but in the meantime, consider working on another project. . Because what you do is hard, and it is more difficult if you do not have another dream about and hope for manuscript
Agent Sarah LaPolla gave it a few tips days very relevant and concise:
you should always write the book you want to write, but be aware of your competitors and know what you need to stand out against
-. Sarah LaPolla (@sarahlapolla) March 10, 2014 So, if you write in a dead genre, I think it is brilliant and courageous and if that's what you like, then keep to her. But make sure that you are open minded when examining future projects and always keep an eye on the market, so at least you know where you stand. What do you think? Have you ever written in a dead genre
bites Twitter size:
What are the dead genres and how they affect writers? @Ava_Jae Sharing his thoughts on this publishing phenomenon. (Click for tweeter)
Writers, have you ever written a dead genre MS? Share your experience with the blog @ Ava_Jae. (Click for tweeter)
