The next big thing

I think for a period in the 80s and 90s, the "kids aren't reading and hate books" thing was certainly true. The YA explosion that began with Harry Potter and lasted all the way through the 00s seemed to have fixed that, however, by giving them books which actively engaged and excited them. It's a nice turn-around and I am happy to have seen it.

Magnanimoe said:

The other day, in order to get my history class started, I had to say, "As much as I love seeing students reading, I'd like you to put your books away so that we can . . . ."

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This warms my heart.

When I was a kid, I was the one teachers would have to tell to put the book away. Jay Leno's autobiography was confiscated from me in grade 9 because I was reading in class. My grade 10 science teacher fangirled over the fact that I was reading Emily of New Moon, but told me to put it away because we were working with chemicals.

In kindergarten, I took out the picture book Stellaluna so much that the librarian forced me to put it back and pick other books. I bought my own copy a couple years ago, even though I'm an adult with no children

Becca C. said:

When I was a kid, I was the one teachers would have to tell to put the book away. Jay Leno's autobiography was confiscated from me in grade 9 because I was reading in class. My grade 10 science teacher fangirled over the fact that I was reading Emily of New Moon, but told me to put it away because we were working with chemicals.

In kindergarten, I took out the picture book Stellaluna so much that the librarian forced me to put it back and pick other books. I bought my own copy a couple years ago, even though I'm an adult with no children

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Aw, this is great!

I used to work overnights in a group home for teen moms with mental illnesses, and my favorite memories are of staying up all night with them reading books they just couldn't put down. Some of them had already dropped out of high school, but they effin' loved HP, Twilight, and HG. And that's why I love Next Big Things so much.

thisprovinciallife said:

Aw, this is great!

I used to work overnights in a group home for teen moms with mental illnesses, and my favorite memories are of staying up all night with them reading books they just couldn't put down. Some of them had already dropped out of high school, but they effin' loved HP, Twilight, and HG. And that's why I love Next Big Things so much.

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Awww! That just warms my heart so much. I'm finding more and more (as I get older, I guess) that I want to spend more time with teens and kids in regards to reading. Maybe if I have a book come out I can visit my old high school and do events and stuff with teens that would be awesome.

thisprovinciallife said:

I used to work overnights in a group home for teen moms with mental illnesses, and my favorite memories are of staying up all night with them reading books they just couldn't put down. Some of them had already dropped out of high school, but they effin' loved HP, Twilight, and HG. And that's why I love Next Big Things so much.

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I just want to hug you!

The reason I love Next Big Things is because my brother was/is a reluctant reader. HP got him into reading when he was in grade school.

I love all these comments from teachers too. Teachers made such a big difference in my life.

Becca C. said:

Awww! That just warms my heart so much. I'm finding more and more (as I get older, I guess) that I want to spend more time with teens and kids in regards to reading. Maybe if I have a book come out I can visit my old high school and do events and stuff with teens that would be awesome.

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Agree 100%! Visiting my old high school as a published author would be so cool.

wampuscat said:

I just want to hug you!

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The reason I love Next Big Things is because my brother was/is a reluctant reader. HP got him into reading when he was in grade school.

I love all these comments from teachers too. Teachers made such a big difference in my life.

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Yay for your brother! My nephew just started HP and it makes me so happy.

And I'm also glad the teachers shared! This is a great thread.

Any word on Gone Girl?

http://manuscriptwishlist.com/

If I'm seeing correctly, at least I'm not writing to trend. Which is actually kind of refreshing.

I imagine young adults feel powerless and disaffected by the poor progress that has been made to stop the accumulation of CO2 in our climate. So anything that can put them in to a character with a position of power is a solid move. Environment themed books. Perhaps rebellion against technology.

Watching movie or tv show popularity amongst teens is a good way to trend the next big thing, studios invest millions based on market analysis and timing. I'm feeling sci-fi given guardians of the galaxy came out with star wars soon to follow. Disney is a good studio to follow to gauge future trends. Following this method means you get a solid 2-3 years of production to inform you with enough time to get writing.

Becca C. said:

Awww! That just warms my heart so much. I'm finding more and more (as I get older, I guess) that I want to spend more time with teens and kids in regards to reading. Maybe if I have a book come out I can visit my old high school and do events and stuff with teens that would be awesome.

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I would love to do that too.
One of the questions I was asked when I met the editor-who-wasn't-able-to-buy-my-book-in-the-end was whether I'd be willing to do school visits. Willing?! They'd have a hard job stopping me!

RDArmstrong said:

I imagine young adults feel powerless and disaffected by the poor progress that has been made to stop the accumulation of CO2 in our climate. So anything that can put them in to a character with a position of power is a solid move. Environment themed books. Perhaps rebellion against technology.

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I like this idea. I imagine teens feel more directly affected by this than their parents. But to be the Next Big Thing, it would have to steer far away from anything remotely preachy. And be distinct from dystopian, of course.

I can imagine speaking at the high school I graduated from. But the one where I went to middle school? Bad, bad memories of being ridiculed for reading during those years. I'm not sure it rose to the level of bullying, but there was tons of verbal abuse there for anyone who was "different" in any way.

It's probably totally different now, I can only hope. Maybe I should find out.

ETA: My agent says that paranormal is still not selling, so if I want to do something in the vein of Welcome to Night Vale, it can't have supernatural elements. Which -- well, I dunno if that's possible. I guess Lovecraftian stuff is out, durnit.

Fuchsia Groan said:

I like this idea. I imagine teens feel more directly affected by this than their parents. But to be the Next Big Thing, it would have to steer far away from anything remotely preachy. And be distinct from dystopian, of course.

I can imagine speaking at the high school I graduated from. But the one where I went to middle school? Bad, bad memories of being ridiculed for reading during those years. I'm not sure it rose to the level of bullying, but there was tons of verbal abuse there for anyone who was "different" in any way.

It's probably totally different now, I can only hope. Maybe I should find out.

ETA: My agent says that paranormal is still not selling, so if I want to do something in the vein of Welcome to Night Vale, it can't have supernatural elements. Which -- well, I dunno if that's possible. I guess Lovecraftian stuff is out, durnit.

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But there's been a horror kick lately. Paranormal romance or urban fantasy aren't quite the same as horror...

Fuchsia Groan said:

I like this idea. I imagine teens feel more directly affected by this than their parents. But to be the Next Big Thing, it would have to steer far away from anything remotely preachy. And be distinct from dystopian, of course.

I can imagine speaking at the high school I graduated from. But the one where I went to middle school? Bad, bad memories of being ridiculed for reading during those years. I'm not sure it rose to the level of bullying, but there was tons of verbal abuse there for anyone who was "different" in any way.

It's probably totally different now, I can only hope. Maybe I should find out.

ETA: My agent says that paranormal is still not selling, so if I want to do something in the vein of Welcome to Night Vale, it can't have supernatural elements. Which -- well, I dunno if that's possible. I guess Lovecraftian stuff is out, durnit.

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When he/she says "paranormal isn't selling", he/she probably means typical YA paranormal romance type stuff- which is correct. We all know what that is. However, I defy anyone to find me one good YA horror novel/series which isn't Anna Dressed in Blood or Miss Peregrines (Is that even horror?)

Chazemataz said:

When he/she says "paranormal isn't selling", he/she probably means typical YA paranormal romance type stuff- which is correct. We all know what that is. However, I defy anyone to find me one good YA horror novel/series which isn't Anna Dressed in Blood or Miss Peregrines (Is that even horror?)

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Even Anna is not up to the good Adult Horror being published these days. And I know YAs like horror.

Does anyone know if there's been anything you could loosely call a YA Dresden Files? I think teens would love that kind of story with a main character their age.

Liosse de Velishaf said:

Even Anna is not up to the good Adult Horror being published these days. And I know YAs like horror.

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My students want more YA horror along the lines of Stephen King, but not as well gory I suppose, and smaller books.

The two books I get asked for the most are: YA issues(cutting, rape etc) and horror.

Are we talking horror with no supernatural elements? Since apparently everything supernatural is poison in the industry unless it's secondary world fantasy :/

Roly said:

Are we talking horror with no supernatural elements? Since apparently everything supernatural is poison in the industry unless it's secondary world fantasy :/

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Nothing is poison unless it's been done to death (ie dystopian & PNR). Write what story makes sense to YOU and then worry about selling it later. If your heart isn't in it and you're writing for a trend, you'll never finish. You can do it!

(by a person with a horror WIP obvs)

History_Chick said:

My students want more YA horror along the lines of Stephen King, but not as well gory I suppose, and smaller books.

The two books I get asked for the most are: YA issues(cutting, rape etc) and horror.

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Stephen King is my favorite author. Problem with asking for YA along the lines of Stephen King, is that he writes a lot of different kinds of books. Are we thinking Misery or The Stand? The Dark Tower Series? Under the Dome?

I'd say that the closest to a YA version of The Talisman is the Marbury Lens, for example, but The Talisman isn't one of the more popular titles (though it's an awesome book--written with Peter Straub).

Maybe what kids would like to see are modern versions of his earlier stories--Carrie, Cujo, Salem's Lot?

The thing that holds Stephen King's work together (IMO) is a what if? premise, and his voice, which lulls the reader into suspending disbelief...but is quite the opposite of any YA voice because it has a tinge of wisdom and often a hefty helping of nostalgia.

I loved the Talisman. Still my favourite SK book. Whenever I hear people asking for a Steve King-like book, I automatically assume they're talking about his earlier stuff. IT always comes to mind. THE DEAD ZONE, too. Something contemporary, about characters dealing with contemporary issues, overshadowed by something absurd. And not so much gory as grotesque. Bethany, I like what you said about his voice, that it lulls readers into disbelief. Bang on.

bethany said:

Stephen King is my favorite author. Problem with asking for YA along the lines of Stephen King, is that he writes a lot of different kinds of books. Are we thinking Misery or The Stand? The Dark Tower Series? Under the Dome?

I'd say that the closest to a YA version of The Talisman is the Marbury Lens, for example, but The Talisman isn't one of the more popular titles (though it's an awesome book--written with Peter Straub).

Maybe what kids would like to see are modern versions of his earlier stories--Carrie, Cujo, Salem's Lot?

The thing that holds Stephen King's work together (IMO) is a what if? premise, and his voice, which lulls the reader into suspending disbelief...but is quite the opposite of any YA voice because it has a tinge of wisdom and often a hefty helping of nostalgia.

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I'm not a horror fan, myself, so I am unsure.

I think my students just want some killing and some gross stuff thrown in.

I will say that I have a lovely crime section in the library that I call my "serial killer section." Super big hit with the teens.

I do think the teens I work with want just horror, no vampires, no crazed faeries or zombies. Just straight up murder and psychos.

What about psychological horror? (Is that a thing? I think that's a thing.)

I would agree with History Chick. If I ever do 'horror writing' in class, the kids will always go for serial killer/home invader type stories - even when the brief is to do something supernatural, they usually stick to the gory end of the spectrum.

In this genre, I'd recommend the work of James Dawson, who is published here in the UK by Hot Key Books - he does classic Point Horror style stuff including serial killing, witches and ghosts, but with a good balance between the horror and teen drama.

Samsonet said:

What about psychological horror? (Is that a thing? I think that's a thing.)

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Hey, I've got one of those! Critics keep giving it stars, goodreads keeps me humble with a zillion reviews saying nothing happens! Such a weird thing, hearing from so many non-teens. The teens I hear from loved it, but of course the others, I don't hear from! I think it's pretty creepy, but the gore is way down from my plague books, so IDK. I do think if I were introducing it to a reluctant reader I would have to explain that Madeline begins buried alive and then her life flashes before her eyes in short bursts and you have to figure it out...otherwise they could get frustrated...

Serial Killers are pretty well represented out there between I Hunt Killers and I am Not a Serial Killer (Dan Wells). My students LOVE Acceleration by Graham MacNamee (sp), which is about a kid who works in the lost and found of the New York Subway and finds a budding serial killer's journal...

My students are also loving zombie books, Rot and Ruin and the ones set in London...and they always love World War Z.

I know someone who just sold a book pitched as updated Lois Duncan, and Gretchen McNeil has Ten which is an update on an Agatha Christie murder mystery...

Oh, here's the Fall trailer for fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15CEn1tj18A