Here We Trend Again...

I got an email advertisement from Publisher’s Weekly the other day for Ashes, a dystopian YA which debuts this fall.  It seems there are still publishers wanting to put out books in that sub-genre, which surprises me since I think this push will be coming to an end.  Then again, with the long lead time of print books, this novel has, of course, been in the works for a while.

Agent Mandy Hubbard blogged a recap of her meetings in NY with acquiring editors and apparently, there were a few places still hoping to put out a YA dystopian novel before the wave ends. 

So what’s next?

Well, as USA Today predicted last week, mermaid stories are on the rise.  And it’s worth noting that our own Tera Lynn Childs was at the forefront of that trend, and before that she was writing about Greek mythology, another trend that’s cresting.  I think she must have a crystal ball.  Tera, 'fess up!

But really, it’s just amazing how the Collective Unconscious seems to work in the publishing world.  A few really great books on a unique subject get other people thinking and writing and then a new wave is born, I guess.

Mandy wrote that what editors hoped would be big (though they couldn't say it would be for sure) was more realistic fiction -- so you can imagine that I smiled at that one.  Just the other day I saw a table at my local Barnes & Noble that was marked “For Sarah Dessen fans” and featured books by Justina Chen, Sarah Ockler, and others.  I imagined that my books, though they have a supernatural element, could be on that table someday...

The main thing I know about trends and predictions and buzz is that nobody knows anything for real.  A great book, no matter the subject, is going to find a home.  And with the growing sales of e-books, authors have the ability to put those books out there on  their own now, too.

I think readers are smart, especially YA readers.  They can smell b.s.  They want real characters and compelling stories.  They want to be entertained.  They want to feel something.

That is the trend to watch.  The trend to write to.


What do you guys think?  Are you over dystopian fiction?  Are mermaids going to make an even larger impact this year?  Have you read any vampire books recently?

Hugs,

Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com

The Clearing - 2011 Rita Finalist Best YA Romance
Wherever You Go - Harcourt, November 2011
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen

And the Next YA Trend is...

I’m not one to follow trends. I like writing in directions that are not over-saturated and that suit the stories that I have in me to tell. Other writers want to find what’s hot and go there to add to the diversity of the trend. I say, whatever works for you (and your readers).

What’s funny to me is that trends are not easy to calculate - you just know when you’re in the middle of them. Take Dystopian YA - Scott Westerfeld had a jump on that type of story, but it took Suzanne Collins to bust it wide open. Now, it’s a whole sub-genre of YA. And we can all tell the tale of Vampire fiction, I’m sure...

So what is the next big trend in YA going to be? Well, that’s hard to say - but I have seen signs in the unpublished world that paranormals where characters can communicate with animals seem to be on more than a few minds. Whether or not it’s a trend that editors will buy is another issue.

I just want to know - where is the hard Sci-fi? Where are the mysteries? There are a lot more places for YA to go that just haven’t been widely visited yet. I’m excited to see what the future holds. Sometimes I think fiction can be like a Field of Dreams - "If you build it, they will come."

What do you think? What do you see trending now and what do you wish you could see more of?


Hugs,


Heather
www.heatherdavisbooks.com
Wherever You Go - Harcourt November 2011
The Clearing - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen