What sticks out to you in a glutted marketplace?

maybegenius · Jul 8, 2012

I don't think it's a secret that in the last few years, there's been a big boom in the amount of YA titles coming out, and because of that boom, a lot of genres have been getting overstocked with similar titles. It's not uncommon to hear readers say they're tired of X, bored with Y, or sick of seeing the same Z story wrapped up in different packaging. When a certain title takes off, there's often an avalanche of similar titles following soon after.

So, I was wondering -- we tend to be a pickier bunch of YA readers on this board, since we're so attuned to the category and read/write so much of it. In a crowded YA marketplace, what makes a YA novel stand out to you? What makes you perk up and think "Wow, this author really brought their A-game?"

Personally, I tend to notice when someone's put a lot of effort into the construction of their prose. I also notice when a book's been clearly researched and characterization's gone far deeper than skin level. True plot twists also grab me. If I read a book and can go, "Damn, I actually did not see that coming at all," I think that's awesome.

And I really love when someone can take a genre I'm super burned out on reading and own it in such a way that it feels new to me again.

Kitty27 · Jul 8, 2012

1. A new twist on a mythological creature or creation of one brand new.

2. Diversity. I am very interested in seeing characters of color,especially if the author writes them in a non stereotypical manner. I'll automatically give the book a chance.

3. Heroines with common sense and spunk. I cannot with spineless dingbats in YA anymore. I just can't.

4. A zippy story. I'm not obsessed with perfect plot and structure. I like to read a book that MOVES. Nothing worse than a book where it takes a hundred years before something happens.

When you are cursed with an uncontrollable desire to always finish a book like I am,this makes for some torturous reading. I beta read a YA story from a writer here that had me feeling breathless because drama was coming fast and furious.

5. Non-asshat LI's. I am quite tired of barely disguised psychopaths being presented as true wuv.

Mandiloo322 · Jul 8, 2012

Kitty27 said:
1. A new twist on a mythological creature or creation of one brand new.

2. Diversity. I am very interested in seeing characters of color,especially if the author writes them in a non stereotypical manner. I'll automatically give the book a chance.

3. Heroines with common sense and spunk. I cannot with spineless dingbats in YA anymore. I just can't.

4. A zippy story. I'm not obsessed with perfect plot and structure. I like to read a book that MOVES. Nothing worse than a book where it takes a hundred years before something happens.

When you are cursed with an uncontrollable desire to always finish a book like I am,this makes for some torturous reading. I beta read a YA story from a writer here that had me feeling breathless because drama was coming fast and furious.

5. Non-asshat LI's. I am quite tired of barely disguised psychopaths being presented as true wuv.

Excellent points all! I second them.

I like it when a story has a specific setting that comes alive throughout the story, almost like an additional character. It's even better when it's conveyed in only 1 or 2 sentences.

Also, I know writers have nothing to do with cover art, but I also look for covers that don't resemble anything around them. Particularly covers that don't feature a person on the front - I'm tired of partial female faces/bodies and silhouettes.

eparadysz · Jul 8, 2012

For me, there are a lot of books that are enjoyable to read but pretty forgettable. What makes one stand out so I think about it months later is moral and/or psychological complexity. Stories in which the good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and the course of true love runs smooth as soon as the MC figures out which of the two attractive guys is her soulmate -- they fade away pretty quickly.

chocowrites · Jul 8, 2012

anything that's really well-constructed (so for me this primarily means controlled prose, and characters that could be alive). Stuff that's sort of weird/strange/idiosyncratic especially in terms of voice will stand out to me too.

Yeah, actually, a voice I haven't heard yet is probably the #1 thing I'm looking for as a reader.

bickazer · Jul 8, 2012

If a title's high fantasy - not a dystopian that seems like fantasy, or a portal fantasy, or urban fantasy - it automatically catches my attention. There's more coming out, yeah, but it still seems so rare compared to other genres.

KateSmash · Jul 8, 2012

A dystopia that sounds like a real dystopia rather than a paranormal romance dressed up in science fiction clothing. I'm so burned out on dystopia that it takes a real powerhouse premise to get me interested.

Fresh world building. No more cities behind walls/domes/fences/bubbles, etc.No more urban fantasy set in the Victorian Era and called steampunk. No more upper middle class suburbs. Take me somewhere I haven't been a million times.

And, lastly, give me a main character I want to spend 300+ pages with. And give her something more important to think about than moping because how will she ever choose between Boy 1 and Boy 2. Someone that shows real growth beyond their LI.

SBibb · Jul 8, 2012

Books I don't want to put down (or if I have to, I'm longing to pick them up again). Ones that give me an emotional attachment to that world, like I feel I'm there. Ones leave me thinking about it long after I've finished the book. Ones with suspense, leaving me wanting to know more about the world and how it got to the condition it's in (especially if it's a dystopia).

Becca C. · Jul 8, 2012

-- I love when writers make something true-to-life and seemingly ordinary feel magical. Nina LaCour did this in Hold Still. It's so honest and true and touching it's amazing it's not non-fiction.

-- As KateSmash said, a setting I haven't seen a bazillion times. Even if the story is set in your average middle-class, middle-sized town, give it a twist. Give it personality. I would LOVE to see more international settings. I'm pretty much game to pay money for anything that takes me somewhere new.

-- Characters I fall in love with. This means characters with minimum three dimensions, preferably four, five, six... you get it. Characters who are inventive, resourceful, and just plain FUN to read. If it's a series, I want compelling and real character growth, for example, The Agency series by Y. S. Lee. Mary Quinn is one of the best YA characters, period.

-- Of course, the unique LI. Make me fall in love with someone I wouldn't have thought twice about before.

DrunkenLilacs · Jul 8, 2012

Becca C. said:
-- I love when writers make something true-to-life and seemingly ordinary feel magical. Nina LaCour did this in Hold Still. It's so honest and true and touching it's amazing it's not non-fiction.

YES, YES, YES!!!!!

Also:

1. Characters that really inspire me or influence me to look at life in a different kind of light, especially in an odd/magical setting.

2. LI's that aren't two-dimensional cardboard cutouts, but rather real people with flaws. The ones who stand out the most are usually the ones that usually have a clash of ideas with the MC, but figures out how to overcome it together.

3. Really bizarre secrets and twists.

4. Plots that raise questions about our own lives, values, and philosophies, perhaps also in an unusual setting.

Kenzie · Jul 8, 2012

The only thing I need is really great, beautiful writing. Word play, lyrical prose, deeper exploration of characters and ideas. And layers - metaphors, philosophy, exploration of universal Truths. Essentially, a lit-fic kind of approach to YA always stands out to me, regardless of genre. That's a personal preference, of course.

Cyia · Jul 8, 2012

I want more trend-setting novels, rather than trend-following novels. (Yes, I know what kind of novels I've written - shut up :tongue

)

I want novels where, if the girl is the MC, she's the MC. It's not the guy's story that she happens to be present for.

I want heroines that find ways out of their own problems, but aren't so bent on being bad-ass that they refuse help when they need it.

I want more 3rd person novels (again... shut up with the irony...) because I want to see what's going on in rooms the MC isn't occupying.

I want villains who are the stars of their own stories, not two dimensional foils for the heroine to thwart.

I want background characters that have more substance than a prop from a high school play. I want to believe they have lives and goals apart from those attached to the MC.

Mandiloo322 · Jul 8, 2012

I also want books with comic moments that actually make me laugh!

ladybritches · Jul 8, 2012

I agree with pretty much everything the people above me have said. But for me it's mostly about character. I want every character in the story to have their own motives for acting the way they do, not just be following along because the MC needs them to. I want these characters to make hard choices, to struggle with their choices, and to sometimes regret their choices. Make them suffer.

And also, it'd be nice to see some parents with brains in YA novels.

Veroontjexx · Jul 9, 2012

Cyia said:
I want background characters that have more substance than a prop from a high school play. I want to believe they have lives and goals apart from those attached to the MC.

This. I want to fall in love with all of the characters, but it seems like I barely know anything about characters other than the MC and LI.

And setting. I don't want to see the same settings over and over again. This is one of the reasons I loved Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. It was different.

And most of all, I don't want to see whiny heroines anymore. It is fine to have a LI, but come on, there must be more to the story than a pretty boy?

Zoombie · Jul 9, 2012

Interesting characters in fantastic locations doing exciting things.

It's very simple to state. A bit harder to pull off...

Krissy Reynolds · Jul 9, 2012

I'm not very picky and will read just about everything no matter what (doesn't mean I will enjoy them).

But, if there is anything psychological about the story or its about identity (not just memory loss), then it shoots up on my list to read.

That, and if I hear that the ending is tied is a neat little bow with no real consequences...I feel cheated.

Like most of you said characters. I don't just want them to feel real, I want them to TALK real. I can't tell you how many YA's I've read where a 17 year old talks like a 13 year old. Especially, the "best girl friend" who is so immature, it's annoying.

And, if you describe the LI as "gorgeous" every other page or whenever he is mentioned (and not even using a synonym) *cough* Hourglass *cough*....no. I want just one story that can have a hot LI, but not dwell on it. Describe him once, and move on. If this ever happened--automatic 5 stars.

wampuscat · Jul 9, 2012

I'd love to see something scary.

KillingAurora · Jul 9, 2012

I want characters that I really care about. Characters that you wish were real. Like when you were a kid and you could absolutely lose yourself in a book and believe that the characters were living, breathing, actual people**

I also want a story that moves quickly, and makes sense. I've read a couple of 'this happened because if it didn't I wouldn't have a story' books lately, and it irks me. Obviously the writer creates the conflict... But the conflict has to be believable! And the solution has to be believable too. Whenever I read stories with convoluted, nonsensical resolutions I'm reminded of this quote from The Emperor's New Groove:

Yzma [discussing how to kill Kuzko]: Ah, how shall I do it? Oh, I know. I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless, little flea, and then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives... I'll smash it with a hammer! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I tell you! Genius, I say! ...Or, to save on postage, I'll just poison him with this.

[This cracks me up every single time

]

** On that, my friend's 10 year old still truly believes that he might get his letter from Hogwarts next year. I want a book that makes me feel like that.

Maramoser · Jul 9, 2012

I didn't realize how much the lack of "real" characters besides the MC and the LI bothered me y'all pointed it out just now. In many of the current YA dysto/post-apos, the minor characters feel like tools to set up the main pairing (and then half of the time, they die or get left behind when the protagonist goes on her speshul adventure). I had many problems with what I read of The Mortal Instruments, but at least there were other characters contributing to the plot. I enjoyed the story most when 3+ characters were acting on it. I like romance, but what's so wrong with ensemble casts where everyone is actually doing stuff, or characters who are just friends? Friendship is extremely important!

I like to see stories that feel more imaginative and...magical. World and character-building with fun twists and turns that create an atmosphere where I know I could only be in [insert-name-of-world]. It's hard to describe, but I know it when I read it! I get wrapped up in the story and I see everything so clearly in my head and it's just awesome.

(Is anyone else really inspired by this thread? Now I want to work on my WIPs until they become all of the things mentioned here!)

KillingAurora · Jul 9, 2012

Maramoser said:
(Is anyone else really inspired by this thread? Now I want to work on my WIPs until they become all of the things mentioned here!)

I know, right?

SBibb · Jul 9, 2012

Maramoser said:
(Is anyone else really inspired by this thread? Now I want to work on my WIPs until they become all of the things mentioned here!)

Totally. It makes me want to double-check to see that my manuscript is set up for these things, as well as for preparing for the next stories I want to write.

Stiger05 · Jul 9, 2012

SBibb said:
Totally. It makes me want to double-check to see that my manuscript is set up for these things, as well as for preparing for the next stories I want to write.

It makes me want to scrap my ms and start over! Okay, not quite, since I'm still on the first draft, but there is definitely a lot of meat I need to add to my skeleton in the next draft.

I don't mind if the story only follows a couple characters, as long as there is a reason for not having more characters that goes beyond hormones.

EllenBrock · Jul 9, 2012

For me, it's a believable, interesting, intelligent character with depth and a strong voice. I want to feel like I really know the character that I'm reading. A character so strong that I know exactly how she/he would react in any situation.

I also prefer characters with "real" problems. They can be fantastical, supernatural, or SciFi, but they have to be real. I'm super tired of books about girls deciding who to take to prom or whether or not the guy likes them. That said, I'm not a big fan of plots primarily dealing with romance in any genre.

rynthewin · Jul 9, 2012

Maramoser said:
(Is anyone else really inspired by this thread? Now I want to work on my WIPs until they become all of the things mentioned here!)

You can add me to the list as well! Goodness, it makes me excited and nervous to read everyone's expectations.

I am as not a stickler on setting as everyone else seems to be, but I live for good plots and characters. I'm sick of these boring FMC's who basically follow around these "perfect" LIs. I don't care if she's spunky, but at least let her be her own person! Also, I love it when an author has a distinctive voice that just hooks you in.

What sticks out to you in a glutted marketplace?

might be a giant

So Goth That I Was Born Black

[Shhhh....I'm writing.]

scaredy cat

someday we'll shine together

this was a triumph

Growing tipsier as we speak

Rewriting My Destiny

[Shhhh....I'm writing.]

late to the party

Dragon of the Multiverse

Once Upon A Dream

Recovering adjective addict

...with fire.

much writing. very books

...with fire.

Plotting Princess