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What’s The Next Big Thing? Ultimately, No One Knows

So, what’s hot right now? Which manuscripts are selling faster? What would you love to see? Editors and agents hear these questions at every writer’s conference, and I wouldn’t be surprised if after a while these start to get a little tedious.

Many times when I heard these questions tossed at an editor during the conference, they toss this answer back, “what have you got?”

I mean, I can understand. If a writer is to slave away for years on a manuscript, wouldn’t it make sense to maximize her chances of success by working on something that has a better chance of getting accepted? Wouldn’t it make sense to work on something… popular?

But remember, we aren’t sewing dresses here, baking cookies or making toys.

Writing is an art, and arts wouldn’t be arts if everything was this neat and tidy. Art doesn’t always make sense. And is that such a bad thing?

If you’ve been a part of this business long enough, whether as a writer, an agent, or an editor, you learn quickly, that in our industry, there are no guarantees.

Frustrating?

I’d say, exciting!

Think of the possibilities. Look to your heart for answers. Be brave.

When J.K. Rowling first had a vision of a boy with glasses on that train she was stuck in, do you think she wasted her energy worrying about trends?

Still, during the opening of last month’s free craft weekend run by the New Jersey SCBWI and organized by our new RA Leeza Hernandez, agents and editors graciously shared what they knew.

Dystopian and paranormal stories, especially those featuring shape-shifters, such as werewolves, have oversaturated the marketplace and are really “a tough sell right now,” most panelists agreed. It seems many editors are yearning to read something closer to reality these days.

“We’ve been talking a lot about just contemporary, realistic stories,” said Jenne Abramowitz, a senior editor at Scholastic.

“Every time I go to lunch with an agent, I’m asking for a realistic contemporary,” said Sara Sargent, an assistant editor at Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins).

Sara also mentioned that “genre mixing” and all sorts of “mash-ups” evoke some curiosity in the marketplace right now.

“Fantasy is just perennially popular,” she said, adding that she likes stories that feel “very epic” and “adventurous.”

Agent Rachel Orr of Prospect Agency said it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on the culture, not to chase trends, but to have a feel what’s happening in contemporary society, which includes music, film, news, and more.

“Be aware of what’s going on in pop culture, even outside the book culture,” she said.

In the end, though, all the panelists seemed to agree that no one wants a story that tries too hard to please.

“We’re seeing so many books that feel so familiar,” said Sara Sargent. “Give me something new and fresh, something we haven’t seen. It’s so freeing for you guys. You don’t have to chase trends right now.”

“Trends don’t really matter at all,” said Ted Malawer, agent with Upstart Crow Literary. “Yes, we’re seeing too much dystopian, too much paranormal, but what’s unique about your book? If it’s something that you can walk into Barnes & Noble and see on the shelves already, that’s where we’re going to run into a problem.”

The biggest thing editors are looking for is “having an author and a character you can grow,” said Paula Sadler, an editorial assistant at G.P. Putnam’s Sons. “If you [as an editor] love the kid, you love the kid, and you’ll follow that kid to the end of the earth.”

Of course, it’s only human to wonder, what’s the next big thing to take the YA world by storm?

“Everyone is very excited to see what the next big thing is going to be,” said Paula.

Maybe it will be your story. 

Katia Raina is the author of “Castle of Concrete,” a young adult novel about a timid half-Russian, half-Jewish teen in search of a braver “self” reuniting with her dissident mother in the last year of the collapsing Soviet Union, to be published by Namelos. On her blog, The Magic Mirror, http://katiaraina.wordpress.com Katia talks about writing and history, features interviews, book lists and all sorts of literary randomness.  

Right now, Katia is gathering participants for a new challenge for those who’d like to do better next year in sticking to their goals and making their dreams happen. To participate in the “31” challenge – and the giveaway – visit here and leave a comment telling me about your project and committing to working on it 31 minutes a day, every day in January. http://katiaraina.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/dreaming-up-a-new-challenge/

Thank you Katia for another great article from the November Craft Day.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy