November 2011

Did That TV Show Just Kill My Book?

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Dear Editor…

I just pitched my book as “Glee meets West Side Story” to an editor, who loved the idea. Yesterday, I read that Glee is doing WSS. I’ve never even watched the show. What do I do? Is my novel dead? I’ve been working on it for three years.

Sincerely,
Cathy

Dear Cathy…

Brace yourself, because you’re not gonna like my answer: I think you’ve been beaten to the punch. It doesn’t matter that high school music departments have been doing West Side Story for years. One of the most popular shows on television is basing a good portion of its season on its fictional high school’s production of WSS. The burden is now on you to distinguish what makes your book different from what’s happening on TV even though you wrote your story first. Comparisons will be made. You made the comparison yourself in your pitch—albeit without full knowledge of just how on the nose you were. Some editors may be wary about potential difficulties, others may be intrigued by the possibility of piggybacking on a popular show. The concern there is that even though Glee doesn’t have a lock on WSS, the people behind the show have a propriety interest in the franchise and may be active about protecting it. Defending against claims is the author’s responsibility, not the publisher’s. The legal wrangling could be costly and stressful to you even if you prevailed. It would be wise to have an experienced publishing attorney vet your manuscript to judge the amount and significance of the similarities and assess your risk. See, I told you: I’m a total bummer. Sorry I can’t paint a rosier picture.

The Editor

Dare I Submit During the Holidays?

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Dear Editor…

I know that the publishing world shuts down for Christmas and New Year’s. Should I submit my query letter now before the holidays? Or would I have a better chance if I waited until 2012?

Thanks!
Katie

Dear Katie…

If you’re itching to get your submission off your plate so you can focus on holiday fun, send it to publishers now. But don’t expect anything more than stacking on a desk to happen to it before mid-January. Between now and then, editors will be dealing with urgent in-house production deadlines and tying up loose ends on projects already in development before vacationing. Acquisition meetings are pretty rare with everyone coming and going. Even agents reduce their submissions to editors after Thanksgiving . . . which makes this a good time for you to submit to agents. They vacation, too, but their reduced dealings with editors means they have more time to catch up on submissions.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Dear Readers…

The Editor realizes that next week will be full of vacation, family, and food. Hopefully, you’ll spend some time with your WIP, too. In the interest of not contributing to the massive backlog of emails that will likely greet you upon your return to the regular grind, The Editor will take Thanksgiving week off. (Plus, she’s got vacation, family, and food plans, too!) Look for the next DearEditor.com post on November 29.

Best wishes for a safe holiday.

Dear Readers…

May you get some writing time in between the turkey and pumpkin pie service.

Happy Thanksgiving!
The Editor

Do I Pitch My Crossover Novel to YA Agents Only?

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Dear Editor…

I think my coming-of-age novel is a crossover book, appealing to young adults and adults. Do I mention that in a query letter? Do I market it primarily to agents who are looking for YA?

Sincerely,
Valerie

Dear Valerie…

Target YA agents and editors. They are well informed about the adult market and understand crossover potential when they see it. Agents and editors who specialize in fiction for adults tend to be limited in their knowledge of the YA realm and are more likely to see the audiences and marketplaces as separate. It’s okay for you to say that you think the book has crossover potential in your query letter. Stress that the issues are broader than pimples and proms, and that the richness of your ideas has the potential to satisfy all ages.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Is 3rd Person POV Dead in MG Fiction?

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Dear Editor…

Many editors say they are looking for MG novels with a strong voice. So many examples they cite are in first person. Is there still room for 3rd person narration? Would you differentiate the strengths and weaknesses of both.

Sincerely,
Sondra

Dear Sondra…

The scale does tilt lower on the side of 1st person POV in MG fiction, but the 3rd person side is by no means empty. The reason for the imbalance is readers themselves: tweens tend to focus inward as they really struggle with who they are for the first time. It suits their mindset to be inside a character’s head, experiencing the story for themselves. Third person POV risks making them feel a step removed from emotions and events. A benefit of choosing 3rd person is that you get to describe things outside the character. Don’t base your POV choice on the tilt of a scale. Write one of your scenes in each POV, then ask yourself which reveals more about your protagonist’s personality. Your comfort writing the POV matters, but not as much as the character revelations.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Writing YA Historical Fiction with a Reflective Adult Narrator

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Dear Editor…

I am in a quandary about a historical novel I’ve started. I want to show how one woman was captured by the Shawnee, rescued, and married her rescuer. But I also want to show how another woman has a burden for her brother and the fate of her tribe at that time. Ultimately I imagine the women meeting again 20 years later. I feel there are 2 ways of life to show. Is it best to write about them from an older age looking back or to take them from youth when one was captured at 14 and the other was about 20? I am old (75) and wonder if I will be able to capture their young voices and feelings.

—Jane

 

Dear Jane…

Adult narrators who reflect back may fall into the trap of filtering their teen experiences through their adult sensibilities. That is, now that they’re wiser, they’ll comment on why they or others chose to do what they did. That’s more likely an adult book than YA. Teen protagonists aren’t that mature yet, so if you write your ladies as young people, they’ll be more likely to just judge, act, and react, without considering their or other characters’ true motivations first. They’ll mature by the end of their adventures, but they won’t start out that way. You can save their eventual meet-up for an epilogue.

Happy Writing!
The Editor