My Books

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Next YA Book Trend

It's been two weeks since I've posted. I've had a crazy-busy week. *slaps hand* Sorry, I'll TRY not to do it again. Now, on to my post, I promise...

An author in my agency posted a really great question on our agency loop. She wanted to know what types of YA books YA readers are interested in now? We had the vampire trend and the angel trend, etc... What's next? I've heard that teens want to read books they can relate with. Being that I am no longer a teenager, what does that include -- sex, drugs, relationships, school, etc.? What are the problems "real" teenagers deal with on a daily basis?

Although, I'm biased. I'm an avid reader/writer of paranormal romance, so I don't understand why you can't throw in a fantastical element here and there. I've grown up loving the fantasy world. My favorite shows were Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Charmed and now Vampire Diaries. I think when it comes to the "supernatural," I'm a lifer. I'm always going to love books that take me away to a new world, set on this planet (with a few exceptions - City of Glass & Across the Universe <~~ love these books).

I'd love to hear your take on what you think the next YA "thing" will be? What trends should we be looking for in the YA section of the bookstore?

Thanks for reading. Talk to you soon! :)

Cheers!
T.H. Browning

5 comments:

  1. Dystopian will continue to grow over the next couple of years, but the next big thing is steampunk/historical. I'm sure of it.

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  2. From what I've seen, most huge trends come about because a book that wasn't intentionally feeding into a trend got huge and then a bunch of other people were inspired by that book and wanted to write something like it. And of course readers who loved that book wanted to read more of the same thing. I mean, the YA vampire trend was created around Twilight, and the current Dystopian thing was made big by The Hunger Games. With that in mind, I would say if a book really inspires you to write something along the same lines, then go for it. Otherwise, write what you want to write without worrying too much about the trends. That way, you might write the book that starts a whole NEW trend... or brings an old trend back... :)

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  3. So true! Many trends start after something has already become popular. I write YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy because I love where the world takes me, in writing and reading. I would, however, like to play around with different genres along the fantasy line. I'm currently writing more of a Sci-Fi/fantasy novel and I love it. Who knows what I might try next? I agree, you should definitely write what inspires you. The reader should feel the same passion reading the book as you felt writing it. :)

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  4. I've never been a big believer in writing to a trend. I think that if you write what you love it shows in both the story and the writing. Force yourself to write something you don't love. . .and well, that's shows equally well.

    But, I think Brent's comment is bang on. I'm hearing a lot of chatter around the steampunk genre.

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  5. Thanks for your comment, E.C. Great point! Write what you love and readers will feel it throughout the writing, storyline, characters, etc! :)

    As both you and Brent commented, I've heard a lot about dystopian and steampunk lately. I actually just finished Across the Universe, a YA sci-fi/dystopian novel, and REALLY enjoyed it!

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