I don't know much about the publishing industry. This is a hindrance, if you want to be a novelist. Most of my writer, or writerly, friends know every fact, statistic or industry practice while I'm just fumbling along, trying to finish writing my second novel.But I'm learning. Slowly. As usual.
I have ideas, however. And a wee bit of marketing savvy. I think I'll make it if I keep plugging along.
It's come to my attention through the auspices of the orneriest bastard in Nebraska, John Rector (I'd link to him but he has no discernible web-presence other than trolling message boards), that writers need agents, someone who knows the ins and outs of publishing. A Beatrice to their Dante, if you will. Actually, Virgil might be more appropriate.
Anyway, this post isn't about the vagaries of publishing. It's just about taste.
You know. De gustubus non est disputandem.
Recently, my daughter, Helen, who is 6, brought home a book called The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch. It wasn't over her reading level (thank you Maria Montessori) but it was beyond her attention span. So I ended up reading large tracks of the book to her and found myself totally immersed in this YA novel.
What was the most remarkable thing about The Spook's Apprentice (which is the UK title - I don't understand why everybody thinks Americans need the bombastic, Hollywood titles) was that it was far better written than most "adult" novels. Unlike the Harry Potter series, which I've read, this book didn't meander, it got to the point, delivered a lot of story and characterization and fleshed out a magical world, AND satisfactorily tied up the two storylines very quickly, in maybe 200 pages. It has the pace of a thriller and the heart of a coming of age fantasy.
Honestly, it was the most enjoyable read I've had in a while.
I think I like YA novels for their clear, unadorned writing. I'd say it's arguable that Harry Potter is an adult fantasy masquerading as a YA book, just due to the length of most of them, the convolutions of plot, and the density of some of the prose. Don't get me wrong, they're delightful. But, I think what started out as YA become more than that after the success of the first one.
I'm not even gonna talk about Pullman's The Subtle Knife. If that's a YA novel then I'm the King of Andalusia. Bring me the royal cortesans.
Both Erik Smetana and I have an unapologetic love for John Bellairs books. Bellairs was really a precursor to all these magical orphan YA novels you see coming out, the Potter books, the Lemony Snicket. Bellairs, to me, established a tone remarkable for its clarity and quirky characters decades before J.K. Rowling cobbled together Hogwarts from the stones of previous fantastic worlds.
Bellairs also had an ace in the hole. Edward Gorey. His book covers were perfect.
I'm not saying Rowling is bad. I'm just saying, folks have done it before her, and, possibly, have done it better. But since most people equate inherent value with monetary value, I don't have much of a platform other than to say, again, de gustubus non est disputandem. It is hard to argue with the fact that she's a billionaire.Imagine that. Writing a book, or series of books, and earning billions of dollars for it. It's mind boggling.
Anyway, that brings me to my first question...how can I get some of that?
I see a lot of people turning to YA novels. Cory Doctorow is getting lots of traction from Little Brother. Carl Hiassen wrote Hoot and saw it made into a movie. And in researching The Spook's Apprentice, I discovered it too will be made into a movie.
It seems the world loves novels written for young adults.
I'm curious as to the industry ramifications of getting a YA novel published and I'd love some of you more informed folks to enlighten me. Does every library nationwide pick up a copy? Do you have to attend Librarian Conventions (I bet those are crazy, a drunken orgy of unprotected sex and tequila shots) to get your book on the shelves? What are the inherent benefits of writing a YA novel? How much street beating, self-marketing and glad-handing do YA authors have to do?
You see, I have an idea for a novel, it's about this orphan and he's got this special power....
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ADDENDUM: I just noticed that Erik S. has posted an interview with Dan Waters (a former Borderlands Boot Camp attendee) about his YA novel, The Kiss of Life, the follow up to Generation Dead. Go check it out at Erik's tidy little corner of the interwebs.
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1 comments:
A) Bellairs is awesome, anyone who questions said awesomeness obviously hasn't read any John Bellairs. I feel sorry for those people.
B) Yes, rush to my blog and watch the Waters interview, trailer, video goodness. Then go buy Generation Dead if you haven't already. Then read it. Then be blown away.
C) YA FTW! Seriously, of the 100 or so books I read last year, more than half of my top 10 were YA titles. Everything from Zombies (see Generation Dead and more recently Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth) to heavy topics like suicide (see Jay Asher's book Thirteen Reasons Why) to action packed novels to thrillers and books chock full of delicious melancholy (see many of John Green's works, notably Looking for Alaska.
D) My once upon a time thesis turned obsessed project, Brighter Than Sunshine is a YA novel. When I first started drafting the book with plot points and such, I found myself drawn to the story as one centered around teenagers and those on the cusp. This in and of itself lends itself to the subgenre, but then as I began to tackle the finer details it all clicked in a way that I'm not sure it could have as Contemporary Adult Fiction (CAF). My point being that YA books are as you mentioned often as well written if not better written than many CAF titles.
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