June 2010

What’s a “YA Memoir”?

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Dear Editor…

I’ve seen some editors and agents state that they would like to add a YA memoir to their list.  My understanding of YA is that it is all in the moment.  How would a YA memoir work in terms of POV?  Are there examples of published YA memoirs?

Sincerely,

Kellie

Dear Kellie…

“YA memoir” is tricky to pin down since it’s just emerging as an “official” category, but Gretchen Hirsch, an associate editor at Atheneum, took a stab at defining it for us: “The unifying theme seems to be people who grew up in unusual or even tragic circumstances – with hope for the future.” While these memoirs are written in first person, past tense, the narratives put readers in the moment with their immediacy and their ability to ditch the preachy sophistication that often accompanies an adult’s critiquing of his childhood. Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff and Three Little Words: A Memior by Ashley Rhodes-Courter are two of Gretchen’s favorites. Both narratives use a straightforward, declarative style. There are also notable YA writers who’ve marketed their autobiographies to their YA audience, with crossover appeal to adult fans: Walter Dean Meyers’s Bad Boy: A Memoir, Jack Gantos’s Dark Hole in My Life, and David Small’s highly visual Stitches. While YA Memoir doesn’t seem to be a trend per se, there’s definitely growing interest in this category. If you’ve got an “unusual” past, might be time to revisit it in your writing.

Happy writing!

The Editor

10 Rejections and Losing Hope Fast

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Dear Editor…

Ten agents have requested to read my full YA ms. One has rejected it but said, “I loved the voice. I think it’s fantastic. Obviously you are an incredibly talented writer. However, I actually have a client who writes YA with very similar themes.” Wouldn’t she know that from reading my query?

Sincerely,

Losing Hope

Dear Losing Hope…

Back up a step. 10 requests for the full ms? You’ve obviously got an effective query letter and an intriguing concept. Huge! Already, two reasons to hang onto Hope. A third reason: Even if an agent is being nice while rejecting, “loved” and “fantastic” are strong words that are easily avoided, so I’m willing to bet that your narrative voice is, indeed, well crafted. Those are reasons enough to get that chin of yours back up and keep at this. 10 rejections suggest something could be stronger in the ms; you’d do well to get it professionally critiqued or join a critique group to try to identify areas of weakness. But it may just be that you haven’t found the right “chemistry” yet between agent and manuscript. Agents hope for that inexplicable attraction every day, which could be why the agent in question asked to see your full ms despite hints of similarity with a client’s work. If she’s repping something similar, clearly she likes that type of material and you picked your submission target well. Hey, reason-to-be-hopeful #4! You’re on a roll. Don’t stop now.

Happy writing!

The Editor

How Do I Find Small Publishers?

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Dear Editor…

I have a mid-grade novel, which I have not found a place for yet. I’ve tried most of the major publishing houses with no success.  I wondered where I could find a list of small publishing companies, and would submitting to them be the next logical step?

Sincerely,
Betty

Dear Betty…

Small publishers are a solid idea; the “big” houses don’t publish every book out there, after all. Smaller houses often know how to target niche markets well, and they can be more willing to take on books that don’t scream “bestseller” from the git-go. The Literary Marketplace (LMP) is a great directory of American (and Canadian) publishers of all sizes, available online and in book form. But since you’re writing MGs, Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market might be a better place to start, as it focuses on the children’s book industry. In both resources you’ll get publisher contact information, specific editors’ names, and each house’s topic/genre preferences. Do research each of your potential publishers online, as the definition of “small publishers” is morphing daily with advances in digital publishing and online marketing capabilities. You want to find the right level of “small” for you. At your phase of submission, I recommend you aim for long-established houses, with a solid backlist and proven professionalism. Don’t be afraid to stand in your local bookstore for a few hours at a time, opening up books similar to yours and checking the copyright page for its publisher. I think you’ll be surprised by how many smaller houses are getting books into stores.

Happy writing!

The Editor

When Did Editors Get So Young?

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Dear Editor…

I’ve attended some writers’ conferences, and I’m always a bit surprised at how young the agents and editors are, compared to me and many other writers. Do you think the age difference can work against a writer?

Sincerely,

Kathy

Dear Kathy…

On the contrary, I recommend you pursue young editors and agents at full speed because they are often in high list-building mode. That means they’re more likely than those long in the tooth to fly around the nation for smaller events like writing chapters’ Agent/Editor Days, making them more accessible to submitting authors, and they are more likely to offer an ‘open call’ for submissions when they get there. They are also more willing to work through a round or two of revision on a promising project. And very importantly, in almost every case these young’uns have deeply experienced mentors hovering in the background. Mentoring is a big thing in the ranks of literary professionals, and that, coupled with youthful enthusiasm, brings young agents and editors up to speed on the marketplace and their craft very quickly. These ‘kids’ are hungry, driven, and acquiring; does it get any better than that? If you have an opportunity to connect with an editor or agent, forget about your abundance of gray hairs and their lack thereof. It’s about the books, always.

Happy writing!

The Editor

What Is My Novel?

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Dear Editor…

My character is a 7th grader, she’s 13 years old, my novel is intended for middle school age students. I have been querying it as “Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction” but I just read on a blog that middle grade is considered ages 7-10? Am I wrong? HELP!

Sincerely,

Danielle

Dear Danielle…

Your novel is exactly what you thought it was: a solid MG. Your protagonist’s age and grade are right for tween readers. The 7 to 10 age range you cite sounds young to me, more befitting of the chapter book category. MG is commonly considered to start at age 8, extending up to age 12, at which point the YA category kicks in. Your character is thirteen years old, but she will appeal to older tweens, perhaps 9/10 to 12, as most kids like to read ‘up’. Because young readers tend to defy strict categorization, there’s a lot of wiggle room on the top and bottom of the age ranges, but here’s a breakdown that can serve as your general reference for teen/tween categories:

Chapter book: Ages 7 to 10; fully developed characters and longer text (roughly 100 or more pages) broken into chapters; may include decorative ornaments and/or limited black-and-white illustration.

Middle grade fiction: Ages 8 to 12; longer text, may or may not be illustrated.

Teen fiction: Ages 12 and up; more sophisticated plots, characters, and subjects.

Happy writing!

The Editor