All Things Middle Grade

MsJudy

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Neil Gaiman started The Graveyard Book 20 years before he finished it.

Something to be said for letting ideas simmer for a while...
 

Britwriter

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Wow. I thought I sat on stuff for a long time, but nine years is my record for writing something through to publication.

I do find that as life goes on and you age, you can write certain books with an authentic voice. The same story can often be told so much more convincingly a few years later.

However, I do force myself to continue with books when the going gets tough, as sometimes you can push through a barrier through sheer hard work and perseverence. Otherwise I could end up with everything in my draft folders and nothing ever finished!
 

melanieconklin

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I recently completed my first upper MG novel, and the revisions will go on for awhile. I'm getting beta feedback now from teens and adult betas. It's nauseating, exhausting, and a total blast.

I started another project just for the revision process. The new project is nasty -- and that's so not what I write! But it gives me a place to let awful, violent, crazy stuff go down, and get out all of that pent up energy that can trip up revisions. I have no idea if this side project will ever fully come to life, but it is so interesting because it comes from such a different place.
 

Lisella

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I'm new to the forum here, but the novel that I am trying to get an agent for is a middlegrade fairy tale/fantasy book.
I've got one request for a full manuscript so far, so I'm crossing my fingers that something will materialize.

I also have another middle-grade book that is in process, although I haven't picked that one up in awhile. It's a bit quirky and whimsical--but a touch of darkness.

While it seems like YA is having this incredible boom, what do you all think about middle-grade? I feel like lately, we're stuck in the shadow of the "big kids".

(I also am currently working on an edgy YA horror novel so that might work in my favor on that front).
 

timp67

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Hooray for everyone who is bringing fresh new fun and adventure to middle-grade readers! :)
 

wampuscat

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I'm new to the forum here, but the novel that I am trying to get an agent for is a middlegrade fairy tale/fantasy book.
I've got one request for a full manuscript so far, so I'm crossing my fingers that something will materialize.

I also have another middle-grade book that is in process, although I haven't picked that one up in awhile. It's a bit quirky and whimsical--but a touch of darkness.

While it seems like YA is having this incredible boom, what do you all think about middle-grade? I feel like lately, we're stuck in the shadow of the "big kids".

(I also am currently working on an edgy YA horror novel so that might work in my favor on that front).

Good luck with the full request!

I'm kind of the opposite of you. I generally write YA but have one project that's firmly MG and out of my comfort zone and another that's kind of a tween thing, which of course is not really a market.

I'm woefully uneducated on the MG market, so hopefully others can comment on the shadow phenomenon.
 

MsJudy

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MG is still big. Not as big as YA, but that's because YA as a category is still fairly new. There isn't the backlist of teen classics to choose from, and the post-Harry Potter generation has a bunch of avid readers. Reading is cool these days!

But MG still sells. Parents will spend money on their kids even when there isn't much money for themselves.
 

Amarie

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heza

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Someone in my local writers group linked that on our list over the weekend. I actually haven't watched a lot of book trailers. Is that because I'm just not seeking them out, or is this a relatively new kind of advertising in the market. on my list, this particular was touted as excellent. How does it compare to others that you've seen?
 

DSA

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@Amarie: I'm a wimp, too. I kept asking people if the horse died in War Horse. Interestingly enough, I got different answers from people who had seen the movie.
 

Britwriter

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@Amarie: I'm a wimp, too. I kept asking people if the horse died in War Horse. Interestingly enough, I got different answers from people who had seen the movie.

Oh my gosh. Does Joey die in the movie? We just finished the book, and my kids are desperate to see the movie. But the MC horse dying? I don't think we'd cope with that.
 

Amarie

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Someone in my local writers group linked that on our list over the weekend. I actually haven't watched a lot of book trailers. Is that because I'm just not seeking them out, or is this a relatively new kind of advertising in the market. on my list, this particular was touted as excellent. How does it compare to others that you've seen?

Heza, everyone has a different opinion on trailers. Mine are most useful for Skype visits and classroom visits, because if kids haven't read the books, it gives them an introduction. I did a Skype visit a couple of weeks ago where the teacher had them watch book trailers, then vote on which book they wanted me to talk about. Here's a link to mine, if you are interested: http://deegarretson.com


@Amarie: I'm a wimp, too. I kept asking people if the horse died in War Horse. Interestingly enough, I got different answers from people who had seen the movie.

Oh my gosh. Does Joey die in the movie? We just finished the book, and my kids are desperate to see the movie. But the MC horse dying? I don't think we'd cope with that.

I've been told the horse doesn't die!
 

timp67

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I'm glad to hear the horse in War Horse doesn't die. I was sure it would end up being another Black Beauty. Too heartbreaking for me!
 

heza

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Heza, everyone has a different opinion on trailers. Mine are most useful for Skype visits and classroom visits, because if kids haven't read the books, it gives them an introduction. I did a Skype visit a couple of weeks ago where the teacher had them watch book trailers, then vote on which book they wanted me to talk about. Here's a link to mine, if you are interested: http://deegarretson.com

Thanks, Amarie! That's what I was wondering--whether they're all static images and text or if some of them were video and voice over. I guess some are more like movie trailers, which is what I was envisioning when I first heard about them.

Do authors usually make their own or hire it out to a production company? Or does the publisher do the trailer? Or does it depend on author/book/house?

ETA: Yours were great, btw!
 

Amarie

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Thanks, Amarie! That's what I was wondering--whether they're all static images and text or if some of them were video and voice over. I guess some are more like movie trailers, which is what I was envisioning when I first heard about them.

Do authors usually make their own or hire it out to a production company? Or does the publisher do the trailer? Or does it depend on author/book/house?

ETA: Yours were great, btw!

Thanks!
Many authors make their own, or hire college students/high school students (cheaper than pros!) I spent a lot of time finding the images and clips for mine, but needed my 15-year-old son to help me put it all together, especially with the audio. We got a friend of his who likes to act to do the voiceover.

I guess if a book was getting a major marketing push from a publishing house, they might do the trailer for the author.
 

timp67

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Amarie, did any of the Titanic books you read mention the Californian, the ship that was near enough to the Titanic to rescue all aboard but had turned its wireless off because the Titanic's wireless operators told it to butt out because its news of ice were interrupting the flow of their first-class cables to New York? I read about it in A Night to Remember, and it's in the movie version of that book, but no one seems to mention it these days!
 

angeluscado

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*peeks out from behind laptop and waves shyly*

Hi everyone! My newest story that I'm outlining right now is yelling at me to be middle grade a la Harry Potter (starting out young and growing with the characters) so here I am, saying hello and checking out the threads here. Y'all seem like a nice and helpful bunch - hope to get to know you all better as I learn the ropes of this section of the forums.

*ducks behind laptop again and continues outlining*
 

Morrell

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Welcome, Angeluscado! Jump into the conversation anywhere you like, or head over to the bouncy castle and bounce around ...
 

Britwriter

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Too funny. And true.

However, seriously, I read War Horse to my kids, and it was a good way to introduce them to the horror of WW1 in a way they could deal with emotionally. I wouldn't read them fiction about the battles in the trenches, but by connecting emotionally with an animal, it becomes close enough, but not too close, for a child to comprehend, while not being too traumatic.

I'm not expressing this very well, but I do think there is a place for books that transport children to difficult time periods and issues, but with a vehicle that protects them from the full horror.

My kids could express very well the intention of the author, and were very eloquent in particular about the scene where the German and British soldiers toss a coin to see who will 'win' the horse. They understood the significance of that coin toss and its symbolism, although at the time, it seemed that all they were concerned about was whether the horse would get vet treatment for his injuries.
 

sissybaby

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I'm not trying to interfere with the War Horse conversation, but I want to butt in for a second and say hello and welcome to angeluscado.