The next big thing

Windcutter

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Just something with a big hook. A lot of kids filter their tastes in entertainment through movies and video games. So if something is based in the real world, it still has to be really unique. Not just "someone died, I'm coping" or "moving to a new town and falling in love."
A friend just told me some contemporaries started to "imitate the hook" (it's a quote)--like, she said, she bought a book recently because the blurb said something like "they were childhood friends, then he disappeared without a trace, and now she's 16 and he is back, but strange things happen and he doesn't know her anymore, she will risk everything to find the truth". It turned out when they were kids they saw his father hitting his mother, and then his parents sent him away to a boarding school until his father died and left a lot of money to his mother. He thought the girl betrayed him so he didn't want to talk to her anymore. Basically the book was about her trying to get him to talk in effort to clear the misunderstanding.
 

Zoombie

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It also seems the space thing took a decline when we actually went into space--and discovered our limitations. Sixty years ago a lot of people dreamed we'd be flying to Venus soon. Just like cyberpunk was at its hottest at the sunrise of the IT era when people have already tasted what computers could do but haven't yet realized just how much they couldn't. But... futuristic? Genetics-related? Biotechnology? Moving from dystopia (by the way, wasn't it once a subgenre of social SF?) to other visions.

Well, the only problem is engine technology, chemical rockets are expensive, we need a really good ion drive or a fusion rocket for space travel proper...remember, when you are in orbit, you are halfway to anywhere. (The hard part is getting into orbit, see, cause the Earth's gravitational pull is a real bastard).

Previously, someone mentioned "Transhumanism shown as a not a bad thing", and I'm writing a few books like that.

But some people here might not know what transhumans are!

Basically, transhumanism is a philosophical movement that believes in using every form of technology possible to augment and improve the human condition. Using cybernetic limbs to make us stronger, genetic tweaks to remove flaws like aging, cancer, or diabetes, and nanotechnology to create material plenty unlike anything we've ever seen.

My novel that I'm working on - Walkabout - takes place an undetermined number of years after The Weaponless War, a "conflict" with mega-corporations and governments on one side...everyone else on the other. Basically, the mega-corps wanted to keep "Fabbers" out of the people's hands, as a fabber (a box stuffed full of nanobots that create objects from the molecular level) removed scarcity that makes market based capitalism WORK.

So the people left the cities, left the factories, and the world collapsed...and it's never been better.

The MC - a teenager growing up in an anarchist community - is going on walkabout...a global journy wherein he will walk from community to community, to see all the different ways that people live. Hive minds, nano-socalists, recreators, and other stranger types of humanity.

And all he has is his wits...and his handheld fabricator.

And a spunky love interest named Tara-22, whose a member of a hive mind named Tara-Prime, who is curious about the world outside of their walls.

I should finish that...
 

KalenO

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Sci-fi is definitely on the rise, and many agents are asking for it, specifically. Steampunk is another.

I can't remember which agent tweeted it last week, but she said every time she offers rep on a sci-fi or steampunk MS (There was a 3rd category in there, but I can't remember which) she's in competetion with at least 3-4 others.

Also, sci-fi is definitely not narrow (space vampires are nothing new, btw), and horror/romance isn't unheard of either. (Take a look at "Warm Bodies" -- Zombie falling for the girlfriend of his most recent snack food anyone?)

LOL oh I know, I was being tongue in cheek with that. Werewolves on the moon have been done too.

And I saw that tweet you were talking about too, I believe it was Mandy Hubbard.
 

Kitty27

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I hope that multicultural YA paranormal romance-where the character's race is a part of who they are and NOT the entire focus of the book- goes hard and soon because there is an enormous audience begging for it. Hell,any genre with a multicultural cast of characters would make me happy.

I love horror and want to see more of it.
 

Becca C.

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Really interesting thread, everyone.

I don't know, I'm not much of a sci-fi person... but, that said, all it takes is the promise of an amazing story with amazing characters to get me to read something. No matter what the new trends are, I know I'll be reading them. Gotta stay on top of the industry.

Contemporary is my realm, and I agree with the people above who predict more and more high concept contemps. Contemporary YA will never die out, since we always need stories about growing up in the real world, but I do think they'll become more edgy and more unique. And thank God for that. I'm starting to drown in all the "sister dies, everyone mourns" books!
 

Jon King

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I looooooove sci-fi, but I gotta say, I hated Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I wanted to love it, I did - it had a pretty cover, it brought with it the shining concept of sci-fi back in the spotlight. But oi.

The space travel thing could be big, though, if you had the right author and the right company behind a book like K.A. Applegate's Remnants (space-travel cryogenics) or Anne Osterlund's Academy 7 (Space boarding school romance. Yes. It exists.)

I love steampunk, clockpunk, dieselpunk, etc., would definitely like to see that getting the attention it deserves.

Contemporary stuff is definitely on the rise - the dark, gritty stuff, anyway. We're seeing more of it being adapted for the big screen, like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Thirteen Reasons Why. That's my bet, but I think the sci-fi stuff is here to stay.

Whatever happened to the epic fantasy stuff, though? Kristin Cashore's Graceling books were huge for a while there, and The Inheritance Cycle, and the Eon series. I always figured that would take off faster than it has.
 

Mharvey

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Fallen angels seeking redemption and demons who want none of it. That's my prediction. My hunch is the vampire thing isn't going to go away, it's going to evolve. With angels/demons, you have the theme of defying death. With fallen angels, you have the theme of darkness and redemption.

The glamor and fantasy that seems to make big things is still there, but you can also incorporate themes like dystopia much easier (dystopian is my prediction for the next big THEME, seems every YA agent is looking for it nowadays)
 
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Toothpaste

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Gotta disagree. Fallen Angels are SO last season. No. Seriously, they are. They were all anybody was buying around two years ago ish, and while there are some pretty big Fallen Angel successes out there ie: Hush Hush, Fallen, the dystopian thing came along and blew them out of the water.

Which btw isn't the next big trend, it is the CURRENT big trend.

Not that it matters of course if you have a killer dystopian - a good book defies all game playing, but even here at AW we have authors saying they are getting rejections on their dystopians from agents with a "this is great, but there's a glut in the market and I just don't think I can sell this anymore".
 

missesdash

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Gotta disagree. Fallen Angels are SO last season. No. Seriously, they are. They were all anybody was buying around two years ago ish, and while there are some pretty big Fallen Angel successes out there ie: Hush Hush, Fallen, the dystopian thing came along and blew them out of the water.

Which btw isn't the next big trend, it is the CURRENT big trend.

Not that it matters of course if you have a killer dystopian - a good book defies all game playing, but even here at AW we have authors saying they are getting rejections on their dystopians from agents with a "this is great, but there's a glut in the market and I just don't think I can sell this anymore".


Definitely going to second this. Angels and demons are over. A few agents are still looking for dystopian, but we're hitting the end of that as far as submissions go. Lots of the releases for next years and 2013 are dystopian.
 

Rhoda Nightingale

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I kinda thought we'd be seeing mermaids and ancient myths on the rise. I've seen a few mermaid books, but not nearly enough to call it a "trend" yet.

I'm also hoping for more horror. But again, there's just a few big ones right now. Not quite a trend.
 

Windcutter

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Definitely going to second this. Angels and demons are over. A few agents are still looking for dystopian, but we're hitting the end of that as far as submissions go. Lots of the releases for next years and 2013 are dystopian.
I'll reply to the rest later, just wanted to say: it seems to be the thing with all trends, once you start seeing a trend in the bookstores and on the bestseller lists, it's actually too late to write it (well, unless one can write and polish it in two months or so), sometimes even too late to submit what you already have. Which is why I don't really try to.
 

VictoriaWrites

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...

Whatever happened to the epic fantasy stuff, though? Kristin Cashore's Graceling books were huge for a while there, and The Inheritance Cycle, and the Eon series. I always figured that would take off faster than it has.

I think people who write fantasy are going to keep writing fantasy. The fourth book in the Inheritance Cycle came out this month (creatively titled Inheritance) and I believe Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore will be coming out soon. (Unless it already came out. I'm not a big fan of her books, so I'm not sure.)

I think the short answer is that epic fantasy doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone. Even readers who like contemporary as well as fantasy (or any other genre) may be turned off by the size and scope of epic fantasies.
 

Cyia

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You can thank Stephanie Meyer for the mini-spike in mermaid stories. After Twilight, she had expressed interest in doing a mermaid book, so I think a lot of authors latched onto that as reason to run out and write a mermaid book. But, Ms. Meyer wrote a sci-fi instead, so the mermaid push never happened.
 

lvae

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I guess we can be sure the next big book has to have:
1) series potential (3 books min)
2) the ability to open up a new genre in YA, so that derivative books can be published and feed back into its popularity.
3) an entirely immersive world (Edward could be real/ worldbuilding in HG)

I'm still mystified by Twilight, to this day. My sisters got sucked into it this year, so I've been hearing incessant murmurs of 'I totally saw the Jacob-Reneesme thing coming, why else was he so drawn to Bella?'

Choco, your post was basically flawless. :p
 

Kitty27

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hmm I enjoy thinking about this. I guess I'll ramble tiresomely about what I've been thinking, since I really don't want to study for my finals.

Anywho.

The two biggest books in the YA genre thus far have been
1) Twilight (2005)--paranormal romance
2) Hunger Games (2008)--dystopian.

These books are unique because they have basically allowed whole genres to open up with their publication. They are different from other bestselling books like HH, Fallen, Divergent, and Matched, because these books can be grouped as falling under these two in some way.

For example:

Twilight spawned PR
A. Fallen
B. Hush Hush
C. Shiver

HG spawned Dystopian
A. Divergent
B. Matched
C. Shatter Me

I'm not saying that these subcategory books are exactly molded after Twilight/HG, but they certainly wouldn't have been pushed so hard by publishers/ garned huge sales without them. These books have built on Twilight's/HG momentum in some way. Some are clear followups, as in HH & Fallen being essentially Twilight with angels [insert other hot pr creature]

Others books are interesting, and I'm not exactly sure where they fall, as they twist the genre in some unexpected way--Starcrossed is oh so derivative of Twilight, but it has that Greek myth element which makes it an interesting example, though it's really just PR. I think Across the Universe I think is perhaps the most interesting hybrid book I've seen so far: sci-fi/dystopian/romance.
I'm not sure if it will be the breakthrough book you'd need for sci-fi, because it almost feels like a partial derivative of HG. I'm not sure where books like City of Bones or Graceling should go. I feel like these are popular books but not enough to spawn growth in a genre.

Anywho.

In 2005, 2008 the big books were published, and now it's 2011. You'd almost think it the most recent breakthrough novel should be published right about now, as it seems to happen every three years or so just when the latest trend has oversaturated.

Maybe that big book has already been published. You can't always tell right away. I mean when Twilight/HG were first published, they were popular, but I don't think the frenzy really peaked until 2008/9 for Twilight and 2010/11 for HG, perhaps because the PR boom had obscured HG, and perhaps the dystopian boom is obscuring the next big book.

I guess we can be sure the next big book has to have:
1) series potential (3 books min)
2) the ability to open up a new genre in YA, so that derivative books can be published and feed back into its popularity.
3) an entirely immersive world (Edward could be real/ worldbuilding in HG)

I have to agree sci-fi is the most logical direction for YA.
I feel like magreal will grow but it's not the sort of thing that will spawn multiple different book series.
I feel like urban fantasy that departs more strongly from PR (ie magic system in our world) could also fit the bill.
Books like Starcrossed, Shatter Me, & Divergent hint at perhaps a big book centered around a girl with some sort of special, highly distinctive supernatural power struggling to come to grips with her abnormality.

But really I don't know.

Engraves this on my lil MS and crosses fingers.

I certainly hope so! This fits my MC to a T.
 

yttar

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Hell, sci-fi could probably make vampires and werewolves hot again if done right. Space vampires, anyone? The cold black expanses of space leave plenty of room to hide from the sun(s)...and if werewolves turn into wolves during a full moon what happens if THEY LIVE ON THE MOON?

These are exactly the kinds of stories I'm looking to read right now.

Yttar
 

alicereckless

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I hope that multicultural YA paranormal romance-where the character's race is a part of who they are and NOT the entire focus of the book- goes hard and soon because there is an enormous audience begging for it. Hell,any genre with a multicultural cast of characters would make me happy.

I love horror and want to see more of it.

There was a book that came out recently this summer with a somewhat multicultural cast, but the focus was on their nationalities as it was linked directly to their powers. Unfortunately, the focus itself felt extremely superficial and more or less detracted my enjoyment of the book.

Personally, I find it impossible not to have POC characters. The majority of my casts in any of my stories are POC, whether it be contemporary, fantasy or dystopia. :D
 

Maramoser

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I guess it's that quality of "sucked in" that makes bestsellers.

I read an article about Twilight that did a good job describing that quality, IMO:

"And people do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there. James Patterson may sell more books, but not a lot of people dress up like Alex Cross. There's no literary term for the quality Twilight and Harry Potter (and The Lord of the Rings) share, but you know it when you see it: their worlds have a freestanding internal integrity that makes you feel as if you should be able to buy real estate there."

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734838,00.html#ixzz1f8tPk1aw

So really, I think the next book that has that going on will be the next big thing, and whatever genre it is (one of the many shades of speculative fiction?) will become the next trend.

(...raise your hand if you would love to write that book)
 

maybegenius

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I think whenever something becomes a trend you'll have people jumping on board just 'cause. So that might actually be a sign that it is taking off (on the one hand I hope so because my Steampunk YA comes out next fall, on the other hand I'm a little scared of too much competition). But I gotta say, you can delve into all those same topics you mentioned in Steampunk - it can be rather gritty too, I mean Victorian England wasn't all rainbows and lollypops - it's just a slightly earlier era (though it seems to me now people are taking Steampunk into all time periods now).

I think Steampunk and SF are the genres to watch. People have been talking about mermaids for a while now and I do know of some mermaid books that are doing well, but they haven't quite taken off and I'm wondering if it's because they are a little too close to the Paranormal Romance category. Horror too is doing well, but that is a limited audience. Especially if you're like me :) . Wish I liked horror but I'm a wuss.

All this! Personally, I agree with whoever mentioned that mermaids got a big nudge because of SMeyer's mention that she was writing a mermaid book, but they haven't fared very well so far. Which doesn't mean a breakout won't happen, but I also think it's one of those things that's a little too close to the other paranormal romances that there hasn't been something to really break it out yet.

I also have my fingers crossed for a steampunk/SF burst, because that's what I write. Based on what I've been seeing on PM, I'd almost have to go with thrillers. Not horror exactly, but something fast-paced and high-tension with big stakes and some kind of bigger-than-life hook. Several of those have sold lately. It seems like it's springboarding off of the dystopian burst.

Ultimately, though, I think it's near impossible to predict where the readership is going to go. The common theme with the real standouts seems to be some sort of originality and really strong connection to something about the story. With Twilight, it was the characters (namely Edward and Jacob). With The Hunger Games, it was the page-turning action and emotional stakes. So honestly, I think the next big boom will be in whoever writes the book that teens really connect with and snap up. Which is totally unhelpful.
 

lenore_x

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Sometimes I wonder if I'm writing for the wrong age group; I don't care for PR or dystopian. :rolleyes: In fact, those are probably my least favorite genres in terms of concept (there are a few individual books from them that I love, but generally they do not appeal to me). So from my perspective the only place we can go is up!

I wonder if non-epic secondary world fantasy will ever have a day in the sun. Partly because it's what I have on submission right now. Crossing my fingers that I'll start the next big thing... ;)

I would love to see contemporary get a boost, though. It's my favorite thing to read. Luckily there seems to be no shortage of it, but even so.
 

missesdash

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Based on what I've been seeing on PM, I'd almost have to go with thrillers. Not horror exactly, but something fast-paced and high-tension with big stakes and some kind of bigger-than-life hook. Several of those have sold lately. It seems like it's springboarding off of the dystopian burst.


::crosses fingers and toes and arms and legs::
 

Jon King

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The thing about thrillers being the next big thing is that a lot of them don't really have the series factor going for them. Don't get me wrong, some of them do, but a lot of them only work as standalone novels. For it to be really huge, it would almost have to be something like the Jason Bourne books, or Mission: Impossible.
 

jmlee

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Just to be different, I'm putting my money on the Western. As far as steampunk goes, I think agents think it's the next big thing, but... not sure if it really is. It has been around a LONG time and I still don't think it's been the huge hit in YA that paranormal romance became, so far as readership.

...But I write boy YA. And I loved Cowboys & Aliens. So it might just be me on a couch by myself eating cold popcorn. ... watching Cowboys & Aliens.
 
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MAP

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Whatever the next big thing is, I bet it will have a girl in the center of a love triangle with two supernatural-type or just plain awesome boys. :)

That seems to be the common thread.