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.
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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