How do you market Contemporary YA in a fantasy/paranormal driven world?

5/17/2012

With my contemporary YA book, DESERT RICE, scheduled for release on June 26th, I'm freaking out a little.

I can't help but wonder how a book without paranormal elements will fair in a market saturated with angels, devils, shiny vampires, werewolves, time travel, or being the only person to possess the keys or powers that will save the world from utter destruction.

There's nothing paranormal here. No magical necklaces with a secret. No "average high school student who finds out they are anything but average." No falling in love with a supernatural creature. No bumping into the new student at school who also happens to be SUPER gorgeous and mysterious. And no, not even one zombie (yeah, I know. Sorry about that).

I've got nothing.

But before you start thinking, "The author is telling us she's got nothing, so this must be a super lame book" I just want to let you know that of all the books I have written, DESERT RICE is by far my favorite. Twelve year old Samantha (or Sam as she likes to be called) is the only character I have ever created (do we really create them or do they simple find us?) who sat on my shoulder, day after day, whispering her story in my ear, and forced me to write words that pained me to do so. Her story took a turn I hadn't expected, and honestly, it was a subject matter I had never planned to write about.

But it was her story not mine. (Readers may not understand this, but every author will be nodding their head).

As much as I love this book and love Sam and her teenage brother Jacob, I wonder about the market place for this kind of book. I love contemporary fiction, especially YA, but what about everyone else out there? Are we so anchored in paranormal and fantasy fiction that books based on every day living, coping with everyday struggles have no room in the hearts of readers?

Many a book store shelf would lead me to believe this is true. Walk into Barnes and Noble lately? What do you see on the shelves in the YA section? Lots of girls in flowery dresses who are either: a) a witch
b) in love with a vampire
or
c) who had a vision of a loved ones death that they, and only they (with the help of a magical necklace or ring) must stop.

Despite the uphill battle I face bringing this non-magical book to the marketplace and hoping there will be an audience for it, it's one I'm willing to climb. I'm passionate about this story. There might not be any sexy aliens in it or talking squirrels, but I think it's pretty damn good without them. I'm not a market chaser, never have been, nor will I ever be.

I write the stories that I'm meant to write--zombies or no zombies. That's all I can do.

All I know is that Sam chose me to write her story, and I'm damn glad she did.

What's your take on contemporary YA fiction? Love it? Hate it? Oh, and if you happen to be a lover of YA fiction, check out my DESERT RICE page. If you think it might appeal to you, let me know. In the next few weeks I will be looking to gather some feedback and reviews, and I would love to give you a copy (ebook format of your choice) for helping me out. Just let me know in a comment below, and I will be in touch with you. Thanks.

23 Comments

Laura Pauling link

5/17/2012 12:06:30 pm

There is room for any great story and great writing. Yes, I think paranormal and fantasy sells a little bit better from what I can tell but there's always room for a great story. I'm sure it'll do great!

Angela Scott link

5/19/2012 03:28:27 am

I appreciate the vote of confidence :) And I really like how you said, "There is always room for a great story". I like that a lot.

Margaret Reardon link

5/19/2012 01:42:32 pm

Fads come and go. The zombies will stagger off into the sunset and the young who read will find your books and go on reading. Best of luck to you.

John Abramowitz link

5/17/2012 02:21:29 pm

At this point I have given up trying to predict what will sell and what won't. You have an attention-grabbing title and cover for your book, and supposedly those are two things that influence a reader's initial decision to pick up a book.

I assume you're going KDP Select -- if so, make your first free days early and advertise them well. That should help get the word out.

5/19/2012 03:32:47 am

I think my publisher is going to put it in the KDP program, that's what they tend to do, but I don't know if KDP is even working anymore...who knows. Thanks for liking the cover. I appreciate that.

Juliana link

5/18/2012 12:19:18 am

Honestly, contemporary YA usually turns out to be the books I needed to read but just didn't know it. I can't tell you how many times I haven't wanted to read a contemporary book and then fallen in love with it- The Sky is Everywhere, This Lullaby. I am sure Desert Rise will be one of those, also :)

5/19/2012 03:35:51 am

A couple of years ago I went through a phase where I almost gave up reading YA. The paranormal and fantasy aspects drove me CRAZY (at least the few books I had tried to pluck my way through). Then I found the book 13 Reasons Why and fell in love. I LOVE contemporary. It is one of my most favorite genres to read, so no wonder I write it, right?

Addy Rae link

5/18/2012 12:19:24 am

Honestly? I'll read any good YA book, and while paranormal and such are popular right now, they are NOT all that readers pick up. I've always enjoyed paranormal, but I've never limited myself to them. The last really good book I read (other than the fantasy series I'm chewing on. I love Michelle West, but, man, her writing's dense and rich!) was 'Hate List'. Not being paranormal didn't even slow me down picking up that book.

The point is, I guess, that the reader shouldn't be pegged into a 'I only read this' slot any more than the author should be pegged into the 'they only write this' slot. Trust that readers are discerning; if it's good, they will find it. :)

I'm not finding this book on Barnes and Noble to add to my wishlist. How is it being released, or am I just confused in my searches?

5/19/2012 03:41:50 am

Sorry, but it's not on Barnes and Noble yet. My publisher is probably going to put in the KDP Select program, so it won't be available through B&N for awhile. If you only have a Nook, let me know. When I get the epub file, I can send you a copy.

5/19/2012 11:03:48 am

I do only have a Nook. If you have a way other than paypal to pay you it would be best. Maybe money order or something? (Paypal is linked to a defunct account, and they WILL NOT change it. :/)

Otherwise, if you post when it hits Barnes and Nobles, I can always add it to my wishlist then. :) I'm willing to wait for a good book!

5/19/2012 12:02:51 pm

5/19/2012 12:03:05 pm

Patricia Royal link

5/18/2012 01:33:30 am

I am a paranormal type reader myself, but you shouldn't fear. There are plenty of people out there who will throw their hands up and say "Finally, NO vampires!" when they see your book.

Yesenia Vargas link

5/18/2012 08:49:17 am

I love YA in general, contemporary or paranormal. I'm a writer of YA myself. My current WIP is contemporary YA. I think right now there is a definite trend of paranormal YA but honestly I think even teens are starting to get tired of that. Every time I see those covers you mention, I start walking in the opposite direction. Time for something original!

By the way, I would love to read your book. It sounds super interesting. I love the cover and title. What's it about exactly?

5/19/2012 03:43:22 am

If you click on the above Desert Rice tab, it actually has the first chapter and book blurb there. I will get back with you in a few weeks and see if you'd still be interested in reading for me :)

5/24/2012 12:58:26 pm

Just read about it. About to download the first chapter. Sounds super interesting! It's pretty much guaranteed I'll be interested in giving you feedback. You can contact me at yeseniavargas32 at gmail :)

laura thomas link

5/18/2012 09:03:13 am

Hi Angela. Waiting anxiously for Survivor Roundup. Great cover for Desert Rice. From what I could gather this is character driven and dramatic. I would love to read and review it for you.

5/19/2012 03:44:28 am

Awesome! I will contact you in a few weeks then :)

Beth Fehlbaum link

5/19/2012 10:36:53 pm

I write contemporary YA because it's what I love and because, like you, the characters speak to me. I wrote the first of my first three books, The Patience Trilogy, initially as a homework assignment from my therapist when I was in recovery for childhood sexual abuse and learning to manage the disorders I have as a result. Even if I had wanted to toss a zombie or two in the mix (I didn't; the stepfather in The Patience Trilogy is enough of a monster), the story didn't call for it. I'm told that even paranormal authors draw on real life to write their stories (for ex. J.K. Rowling identifies most with Hermione in the HP series)-- and that dystopian stories are like a cautionary tale for the real world.
I dunno about any of that. I just know I love writing Contemp YA. The # 1 rule, I think, for writers, is to write a story that THEY love, without the idea of "But will this sell?". That seems to be the key, because I wrote Courage in Patience, Book 1 in The Patience Trilogy, solely for myself, and only found after writing it that it was a story that had healed me and could possibly help others as well.
Good luck!
Beth Fehlbaum, author
The Patience Trilogy
Courage, Hope, & Truth
http://www.bethfehlbaumya.com

P.S. I host a weekly interview feature called YA Writer Wednesdays on my blog. Follow the link above to my website & click on "YA Writer Wednesdays" for more info. My guest this week is Adam G. Sidwell, author of EVERTASTER, the first release by Trident Media Group.

Stephanie Scott

5/20/2012 12:28:53 am

Think of how well received John Here's The Fault in our Stars was earlier thus year. I know, yes he's John Green, but it was a book about cancer and no magic powers. A supporting character was a crusty dude in Amsterdam! That books shifts says good things for the contemporary market.

While I know a lot are still into paranormal, I keep seeing that agents are tired of the same teen abilities stories pitched to them.

Lisa Orchard link

5/20/2012 08:57:01 am

I believe there's a market out there for contemporary YA! My debut novel "The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer" is a contemporary YA mystery and I've gotten great reviews on it. The second one in the series is coming out this summer. :)

J.L. Campbell link

5/21/2012 04:31:57 am

I wonder the same thing too, Angela, that is whether there's room for something outside of the paranormal in YA fiction. That's why I haven't been pushing too hard on my YA stories, but I do plan to do something later this year.

The way I few this at heart, is that there will always be room for a good story. If the writer is passionate about it and follows his/her dream of bringing it to the market place, then there will be readers out there who will find the book, get what it's about and also love the story.

Steven O'Connor link

5/22/2012 08:13:30 pm

Thanks for your interesting post - and the comments. I particularly relate to Beth Fehlbaum's comments.

I have one traditionally published book, and it's a new-future thriller (my follow-up to it is coming out soon) and I do have some zombies (of a kind, anyway, they're space miners behaving very zombie-like) and assorted other creatures. I'm sure you didn't mean it this way, but I would like to point out, I love writing, and live for chasing my imagination, that's how I am all the time. It's in my DNA. So that's how I am in my writing as well.

I have deliberately made sure to avoid vampires because they are so ridiculously in, but I'd be pretty upset if I thought someone considered, because I have fantasy and sci-fi elements, I was therefore writing to some trend. Write what you'd love to read, that's my dictum. But as I said, you probably weren't meaning to knock those who do love to write with fantastical images and characters. I also love exploring social issues (and I'm a social worker by day). My last book might feature all manner of creatures (most of them made up) but I also tackle social issues such as addiction (alcohol, drugs and video games) and social abuse.

Anyway, all the very best for your new book. Judging by the above interest, I'm sure it will be a success! (Oh, but one last thing - the way you described your character whispering in your ear - hah, that did sound a wee bit paranormal.)

How do you market Contemporary YA in a fantasy/paranormal driven world?

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