a dystopian crisis

Laer Carroll said:

That assumes that all booksellers are clones of each other & think in lockstep. Most probably do think somewhat alike, but there's usually a window of opportunity for a truly outstanding book of any subgenre. The publisher who thinks they have another Hunger Games or the like will work to convince the bookstores & their buyers that this one book deserves a chance to reinvigorate a tired subgenre. Sometimes they will succeed, sometimes not.

Click to expand...

This still sounds like guesswork to me, as you were so quick to point out above. Again, do you have sources to cite? If not, maybe you might want to label what you're asserting as guesses.

Well, I guess I'll wait on the YA dystopian science fantasy I have floating around in my head.

My honest opinion is that no genre is ever dead while there are people who want to read it. Loads of the young people I teach have expressed an interest in reading more new dystopian, because they feel as though they've just discovered it for the first time.

I just think that if you believe your story has something people will want to read, go for it. What have you got to lose? If nothing else, you'll have gained experience and will always have a book on the back-burner for when the time is perfect for it. The only dead idea is the one you don't write down ... and other cliches ...

Putputt said:

Even though the agent or publisher might loveloveLOVE your book, if retailers aren't buying, there's not much else they can do. My book got all the way to the acquisitions meeting at a Big 5 imprint, where the editor fought tooth and nail for it, arguing that it's not even really dystopian, it's Fantasy, ffs, but nope. They slapped her down and told her nobody is buying anything with even a WHIFF of dystopian. She came back furious and sent me a heartfelt e-mail which made me cry because someone has fought so hard for my corner. It's been a rough ride, but I have learnt a lot from it, so I won't tell anyone to not write the book they want to write. Just be prepared for the worst, is all.

Click to expand...

I just found this thread after having several pages of discussion on how fantasy dystopia might be the next big thing one thread over.
Guess most of those new releases are from that backlist.

NaeimGiladisLegacy said:

And with the Hunger Games, I think there's always a chance to hop on the bandwagon. A nod at Ferguson, taking advantage of Syria, or using obvious elements from the Israeli occupation, can also score you interest. There is lots of dystopia in today's world waiting to be exploited. Hell, it's every other keffiyeh-wearing hipster arts and humanities student's wet dream to delve into a confirmation of humanity going to hell. It gives teenage angst justification and makes them feel edgy about their self-inflicted issues.

Click to expand...

I agree. I just finished writing a dystopian story, and it's unfortunately pretty cliched. It's also my first attempt at a novel so obviously it's not great. My plan is to put it on hold for a while, then edit the hell out of it after I finish my current WIP. But I think the best way to go is try to base dystopians off of current day issues. That's what I am doing. A good example right now is Holly Bodgers "5:1." It's going to be released soon in May, and I think it would be categorized as dystopian, BUT its based off of India's current crisis where there's so many men and not enough women.

I also agree with everyone who is saying dystopian is not dead. Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen is huge right now and all the reviews I've read say that its a rehashing of dystopian and fantasy tropes, but its a good mixture of everything, therefore successful, even though its no where near original.

G J Reilly said:

Loads of the young people I teach have expressed an interest in reading more new dystopian, because they feel as though they've just discovered it for the first time.

Click to expand...

My experience too, through my grandkids. They know I'll buy them whatever books they want & have Amz or B&N mail them to them. The latest request (from the 16 & 14 yr old boys) wanted

• Hunger Games series
• Divergent series
• The Book Thief (takes place in Nazi country)

Those might have been sparked by the movies, though they are both readers first & movies second. I don't know.

• Hobbit + Ring trilogy
• Inheritance series (Eragon, etc.)
• City of Bones series