The next big thing

Windcutter

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Just for fun, what do you think might become the next big trend? I keep hearing that paranormal is strong but not rising anymore, dystopia is so stuffed with newly bought books there is enough fuel till 2020, YA mystery never escaped the dread corner, and horror doesn’t allow much romance so it will never pop up.
Some people are betting on SF, but it seems like such a narrow niche to me. Like, it will take a new Star Wars to grab the general public’s interest. Historical perhaps, in the classic adventure style? More contemporaries?
 

Zoombie

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My fingers are crossed hard for SF.

And SF is not narrow.

SF stretches from the hard nosed asteroid miners, slide ruler in hand, and fusion rocket at their back, plying their trade from carbonaceous asteroids and hunks of iron, tritium and lithium...to the million kilometer long bow-shock waves from coronal habitats, studded by solar cells and protected by electromagnetic fields the size of small planets, to the graceful arch of Vesuvian cloud cities.

Its heroes are men, women, straight, gay, religious and non-religious. Frankly, the only real similarity between good SF heroes is singular and admirable across all generations and all readers: Intelligence and cleverness.

SF has literally the ENTIRE universe to play with. All you need is imagination...and a physics text book.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!

Plus, does fantasy have anti-mater? No! But sci-fi can have dragons.

HAH!
 
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FictionQuest

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I agree Zoombie, SF is definitely not narrow. I think that science has developed tremendously in the last 20-30 years, and yet SF has been overshadowed by fantasy and other popular themes. I believe the time is right for a return to SF and there is an opportunity to use new developments to take it to the next level.
 

Zoombie

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Plus, SF includes Star Trek, Babylon 5, Firefly, Warhammer 40,000 AND Starship Troopers AND Eclipse Phase.

These things have almost nothing in common with one another.

And they're all awesome.

(Except for Star Trek...most of Star Trek kind of sucks)
 

missesdash

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I think Sci-fi is narrow as far as appeal goes. I've never been interested in it or any of it's subgenres. Either you're into it or you aren't. All the things you named are "the same" for someone like me who doesn't do sci-fi.

I'm thinking that PNR was a sort of "romantic" (as in romanticism) period in YA. I imagine the natural reaction would be realism. So I'm going to go with high concept contemporary.

Also, when I consider music like OFWGKTA and movies like Drive I feel like grit is about to be very mainstream. So edgy, not necessarily dark, but something with teeth.

Interesting question, it's fun to consider.
 

KalenO

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Agreed on the sci-fi front. After all, Anne McCaffrey built one of the most beloved and long lasting sci-fi franchises of all time around a staple of the fantasy genre - dragons. If sci-fi can allow for that, it can allow for anything, lol.

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?

....I just blew my own mind, yo.

But I kid. Seriously though, time travel never goes out of style, space opera has loads of potential with the right breakout book...

The sky really is the limit, all puns aside.
 
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missesdash

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I agree Zoombie, SF is definitely not narrow. I think that science has developed tremendously in the last 20-30 years, and yet SF has been overshadowed by fantasy and other popular themes. I believe the time is right for a return to SF and there is an opportunity to use new developments to take it to the next level.

This is interesting. I read a NYT article some time ago that basically said because technology was so prominent and second nature, we should expect a decline of it in our arts. So that's obviously the opposite of what you're saying, but still very compelling.
 

shaldna

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horror doesn’t allow much romance so it will never pop up.

There has been lots of great horror in YA and MG lately - Jospeh Delaney and Darren Shan to name but two. Readers don't necessarily want romance in their horror, and you have to remember that in YA especially the majority of horror readers are likely to be boys, and boys don't tend to require romance in their books to the same extent that girls desire it.

Some people are betting on SF, but it seems like such a narrow niche to me. Like, it will take a new Star Wars to grab the general public’s interest.

Sci-fi is not narrow, in fact there is more scope in sci-fi than there is in a lot of other genres. Sci-fi is not all spaceships and lasers, sci-fi is so much more than that.

I'm hoping that sci-fi makes a big comeback in YA. There are some great YA sci-fi novels, but there is always room for more.
 

Thump

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o_O! SF is the widest genre out there!

It's not all Space Opera (Star Trek and such)! You have SF set in the distant future, the present(ish) and even the past (Steampunk!), you have SF with dragons, with psychic powers, some SF doesn't even have any technology. You have classics like Slaughterhouse 5, 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, A Clockwork Orange, most of Jules Vernes' books...

Back on topic: I think Horror might seriously pick up as people start getting a bit more cynical. Who says you can't have romance in horror? Also, who says you need romance to sell? Teens are becoming more cynical with time.
Alternatively, Urban Fantasy is a strong contender, maybe the strongest. A lot of scope and enough "reality" to balance out the fantasy.
 

Cyia

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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?)
 

KateSmash

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Throwing in another SF. Specifically, I think we're going to see the current crop of dystopians branch out into cyberpunk territory (there are a few books coming next year that I'd consider cyberpunk, but they're being billed as dystopian, but whatever) and slowly shed the doom and gloom.

At least, I hope they shed the doom and gloom. I'd love to see a YA SF where science and transhumanism aren't bad things. (Says the girl whose first (trunked) novel was all about bad science.)
 

LadyA

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I think Sci-fi is narrow as far as appeal goes. I've never been interested in it or any of it's subgenres. Either you're into it or you aren't. All the things you named are "the same" for someone like me who doesn't do sci-fi.

I'm thinking that PNR was a sort of "romantic" (as in romanticism) period in YA. I imagine the natural reaction would be realism. So I'm going to go with high concept contemporary.

Also, when I consider music like OFWGKTA and movies like Drive I feel like grit is about to be very mainstream. So edgy, not necessarily dark, but something with teeth.

Interesting question, it's fun to consider.


What is "high concept contemporary"?

And regarding dark, gritty novels, I flipping hope so. Those are my favourites....plus that's all I write ;)
 

Missus Akasha

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Cyberpunk and its subgenres! I adore steampunk, but it seems like there is too many authors who are writing just to write it and don't understand the culture of it. I am personally a fan of dieselpunk. Way more grittier than steampunk, IMO! You can dive into the topics of war, hardboiled detectives, pulp fiction, jazz, blues, and awesome fashion.
 

Kyla Laufreyson

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I think sci-fi definitely has the opportunity to go places. People have already said a lot of the good stuff...

For me, I'm really not a sci-fi person. However, a lot of the time it seems like fantasy just with science thrown in. I will happily admit to being a Doctor Who fan and a Stargate junkie--they both have a lot of fantasy aspects, but explain them scientifically.
 

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Cyberpunk and its subgenres! I adore steampunk, but it seems like there is too many authors who are writing just to write it and don't understand the culture of it. I am personally a fan of dieselpunk. Way more grittier than steampunk, IMO! You can dive into the topics of war, hardboiled detectives, pulp fiction, jazz, blues, and awesome fashion.

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.
 

missesdash

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What is "high concept contemporary"?

And regarding dark, gritty novels, I flipping hope so. Those are my favourites....plus that's all I write ;)


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."
 

Lydia Sharp

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What is "high concept contemporary"?

rare.

ETA: Found a few examples:

CRASH INTO ME by Robert Borris (suicide road trip)
THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher (suicide tapes)
BREAK by Hannah Moskowitz (on a mission to break every bone)

If you can sum up the concept of the story in just a few words, it's usually "high concept." Because it doesn't take much to "see" why it's unique. That's not a hard and fast rule/definition, but that's usually the case.

Much of contemporary YA is not high concept. But that doesn't mean they aren't good stories. We need romance and coming of age and coping with grief and fish out of water stories just as much as we need the kind that knock your socks off with how unique they are.
 
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Windcutter

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Replying to everyone at once about SF and narrow vs wide:
I didn't mean SF was narrow as a genre--I've had a period of SF obsession some time ago, so even though I'm not really familiar with the SF authors of the 2000s, names like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Harry Harrison, Poul Anderson, Harlan Ellison, etc are all familiar to me, and I think I've read a story with space vampires in it which was written in 1954 or so. :) I need to read up on modern genre definitions, though. For example, a lot of Leigh Brackett's Sci-Fi books seemed more like (delightful) fantasy to me, if she simply called her setting Fantasylandname instead of Venus or Mars, readers might never guess its origins. They were called "Science Fantasy" by some. There is a novel by Henry Kuttner in which MC gets transported from our world into a what looks like a secondary world fantasy, but then we discover that a medusa-witch's deadly stare is a result of a mutation caused by radiation (think X-men except Mr Kuttner was there first), and the magical "aetherlight" is, of course, the source of radiation.

But--getting back to the point--it seems to be narrow when it comes to the audience's interest. I know quite a lot of casual readers of (mostly) contemporary fiction who also read Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl series, or connoisseurs of YA romance who might also pick up Twilight or Shiver or Hush Hush. But I don't know anyone who would read a SF book without seriously being into at least speculative fiction.

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.
I'm thinking that PNR was a sort of "romantic" (as in romanticism) period in YA. I imagine the natural reaction would be realism. So I'm going to go with high concept contemporary.
It's interesting that the contemporary market doesn't seem to get oversaturated. At least, from what I hear here, I might be wrong. But if it's true--I can't imagine it has fewer authors than other genres, which must mean it keeps growing?
There has been lots of great horror in YA and MG lately - Jospeh Delaney and Darren Shan to name but two. Readers don't necessarily want romance in their horror, and you have to remember that in YA especially the majority of horror readers are likely to be boys, and boys don't tend to require romance in their books to the same extent that girls desire it.
Also Simon Holt and his Devouring series, more YA than MG because the main character is 15 or 16 (and the cover is typical YA PNR which amused me) but definitely in the vein of MG (lots of action, cinematic style, not too much focus on relationships). But--weren't we just recently discussing how the majority of the audience are girls? Of course boys buy YA books and not everyone wants romance, but look what hits the bestseller lists.
Alternatively, Urban Fantasy is a strong contender, maybe the strongest. A lot of scope and enough "reality" to balance out the fantasy.
Right now it seems like it's joined at the hip with Paranormal Romance. xd
Sci-fi is definitely on the rise, and many agents are asking for it, specifically. Steampunk is another.
Wow, I never thought Steampunk would ever get this hot. But it's good news because I like reading it.
Maybe I need to dust off my ancient soft Sci-Fi YA story. I originally wanted to rework it into a Dystopia, which it has some elements of (a nice looking and tightly controlled city with dark stuff beneath the surface), but it's more like an action-thriller-romance thingie with psionics and a futuristic setting.

Curious about that third thing you mentioned. Gaslamp Fantasy, if we continue with Steampunk? Cyberpunk on a new rise? Technofantasy?
(Take a look at "Warm Bodies" -- Zombie falling for the girlfriend of his most recent snack food anyone?)
Wow, zombie romance, never saw it outside of Zombies vs Unicorns. xd
 

Windcutter

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Though I'm contradicting myself about the space thing, wasn't Beth Revis' Across the Universe sold at an auction, even back at the time when PNR ruled.
Throwing in another SF. Specifically, I think we're going to see the current crop of dystopians branch out into cyberpunk territory (there are a few books coming next year that I'd consider cyberpunk, but they're being billed as dystopian, but whatever) and slowly shed the doom and gloom.
CINDER? It did sound like cyberpunk to me.
In May, there was some talk that mermaids and novels about mermaids might be the "next big thing"...this from USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2011-05-12-mermaids-make-splash_n.htm
It's kind of amusing how Paranormal is divided into sections now. "We've done angels, weretigers, and goblins..."
 

Cyia

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It also seems the space thing took a decline when we actually went into space--and discovered our limitations.

One of the current "big" books in YA is set on a spaceship with a cryogenically preserved group of people headed for a new planet, and a many-generations cloned ship's leader in charge.

But... futuristic? Genetics-related? Biotechnology?

The book I've got coming out in 2013 centers on nanotech :-D

Curious about that third thing you mentioned. Gaslamp Fantasy, if we continue with Steampunk? Cyberpunk on a new rise? Technofantasy?

Actually, I'm thinking the 3rd one was Horror, but I can't really remember.