Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult: How do you categorize your novel?

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
15,472
Reaction score
767
Location
Missouri
I'm pitching to agents about my novel but I don't know where it lies. I think it's YA in tone and it's definitely not gritty, although it does deal with suicide and depression, and it's not very explicit in either sex, violence or language but the characters are in their early twenties. I've read elsewhere that YA novels tend to be closer to YA readers ages in the age of their characters although I suppose early twenties isn't that far away... or is it?

Not YA. The characters are too old. It could be New Adult, though there's some debate over whether New Adult will make it as an age category.
 

JustSarah

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
1,980
Reaction score
35
Website
about.me
I guess that brings the question, other the MG, are there any target audiences where explicit romance is absolutely ruled out? Not to be confused with like dating or "puppy love".

I tend to eschew romance myself, though I wouldnt necessarily age it down because of that.
 

Sage

Currently titleless
Staff member
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
64,562
Reaction score
22,369
Age
43
Location
Cheering you all on!
I guess that brings the question, other the MG, are there any target audiences where explicit romance is absolutely ruled out? Not to be confused with like dating or "puppy love".

I tend to eschew romance myself, though I wouldnt necessarily age it down because of that.

It depends on how explicit you're talking. Sex is definitely okay in YA. The older you get, the more explicit you can be. But, at the same time, the more explicit you are, the more likely you will be to be asked to tone it down.
 

JustSarah

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
1,980
Reaction score
35
Website
about.me
Also can something be adult fiction and be middle grade protagonists? The first book that comes to mind is Oliver. Though whether it would be sold as MG today, who is to say.
 

Smeasking

Just call me "Sox" :)
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
804
Reaction score
119
Location
Washington
Not Sure What Mine Classifies As Either

My current manuscript is suffering from a similar identity crisis. It is definitly YA and features main characters that fall within this category, but seems to be a romance, psychological thriller and paranormal all at once. Not sure how to handle this when it comes querying time:)
Lindsay
http://www.lindsayncurrie.webs.com

Same here. I read the descriptions in the Writer's Market guide about genres, but even after that I'm still not sure what mine is. I went to try and figure out how to place a chapter of my story in the 'share your work' (sadly, took me awhile to figure out what SYW meant; this is only my 2nd day here, lol) and couldn't decide what spot to post my story in for critique and feedback. :(
 

Karen McCoy

Registered
Joined
Apr 5, 2014
Messages
19
Reaction score
1
Location
California
Sub-genres?

I'm always fuzzy on subgenres within YA and MG.

Paranormal, Fantasy, Sci-fi and dystopian are ones that come up often. But is "contemporary" considered a genre even though I've heard it used a lot?

YA and MG aren't organized by genre in a bookstore, so the genre distinctions, at least to me, tend to get a bit blurred.

I'd like to be clearer about what some of the main genres and sub-genres are for when I pitch my book (knowing full well that by the time my book is ready, these may change).

Thoughts?
 

Cochinay

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 16, 2013
Messages
77
Reaction score
4
Location
The West
I'm trying to figure out if a light is going on from all these posts.

I'm knew to all this. But I've written a 51,000 word novel, a mystery involving an unsolved murder from a generation earlier, and then a current-day kidnapping. I have some good, credible professional feedback (not my family), so I'm encouraged.

My main character is the father of a 16 year old boy in high school in a small town, but my story is very much about adventure, history and the West.

The language is strong, and profane at points, but actually quite realistic, and not really offensive to late teens. Some of the details of the murder are graphic, but no big deal--a generation ago and told by a third person. No sex or drugs. No romance. No suicide. Just mystery and intrigue.

I now think I should've made the teenage boy my main character. After all, he resolves an important conflict--bullying--and throughout the novel he's usually with his dad who eventually does solve the crime. In addition, when the crime is solved, the boy is right in the thick of it, and is almost killed.

The feedback I've had so far is that the novel isn't enough of a thriller for adults, and that themes of adventure and history surrounding the affairs of teenagers may not interest a wide audience of adults.

I know this all may seem vague, but I'm wondering whether I can rewrite my novel as YA. It's not desperation; it just seems right. Switch main characters and focus more on the son's perspective and issues.

Still thinking it through, but I like the idea, and wonder if others may have gone through the same process.
 

Yorwick

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
81
Reaction score
7
Website
yorwickcastle.com
I have been dealing with this problem as well with my new novel. I originally saw it as an adult sci-fi/fantasy novel but I realized that agents who are primarily adult-oriented did not respond well to it. The protagonist is a 17-year-old girl and the novel features no explicit sexual content and very little violence. From what I've seen in modern adult-targeted fantasy novels, both seem to be important.
 

Yorwick

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
81
Reaction score
7
Website
yorwickcastle.com
I now think I should've made the teenage boy my main character....The feedback I've had so far is that the novel isn't enough of a thriller for adults, and that themes of adventure and history surrounding the affairs of teenagers may not interest a wide audience of adults.

I know this all may seem vague, but I'm wondering whether I can rewrite my novel as YA. It's not desperation; it just seems right. Switch main characters and focus more on the son's perspective and issues.

Still thinking it through, but I like the idea, and wonder if others may have gone through the same process.

I had the same problem with my novel. It is a mystery with sci-fi and fantasy elements and the main characters are a mother-daughter archaeological team who investigate the disappearance of the daughter's boyfriend on a distant and enigmatic planet. The search leads them to uncover traces of a lost ancient civilization. I originally saw it as an adult novel, but there is no explicit language or sexuality. I've done some re-thinking and have actually rewritten it as a YA novel, focusing on the perspective of the daughter.
 

DimpDavis

Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
My 'voice' tends to sound MG, but my current work is YA. It's Magical Realism, but deals with YA topics such as death, betrayal of a secret, a first kiss and in the third book of the trilogy saving the world.
I worry about YA readers connecting with my 15yr old MC's soft voice. So I'm preparing for both genres. I took out all the bad language for the MG readers. Should I put it back?
How do I find my audience?
 

BookmarkUnicorn

does believe in fairies
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 10, 2014
Messages
166
Reaction score
6
Location
Northern California
That's what I've been wondering: If your main character is 12-13, but your plot isn't edgy and has at most a first kiss, is it still YA? Gentler slice of life fiction (and its characters) seem to get lost somewhere between MG and YA. Hm...
 

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
15,472
Reaction score
767
Location
Missouri
That's what I've been wondering: If your main character is 12-13, but your plot isn't edgy and has at most a first kiss, is it still YA? Gentler slice of life fiction (and its characters) seem to get lost somewhere between MG and YA. Hm...

I'd say anything with a MC 12-14 qualifies as upper MG (unless the subject material is too dark or edgy for the audience). There's a big difference between lower MG (think books for kids 10 and under) and upper MG, where the books are often longer and resemble YA (but without the edgy subject matter).
 

BookmarkUnicorn

does believe in fairies
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 10, 2014
Messages
166
Reaction score
6
Location
Northern California
I'd say anything with a MC 12-14 qualifies as upper MG (unless the subject material is too dark or edgy for the audience). There's a big difference between lower MG (think books for kids 10 and under) and upper MG, where the books are often longer and resemble YA (but without the edgy subject matter).
Oh so there is an upper MG, I wasn't sure about that :) Good to know.
 

snowpea

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
187
Reaction score
10
I am very used to writing YA but my novel involves adults this time around. I am still considering the ages, somewhere from 25 to 33, but I really believe teens would "get" my novel as well as adults.
After reading more of the thread I realized my novel is of the "New Adult" genre.... I was told a few years ago at a conference that no one would buy a novel geared toward college students. It's good to know that it's gaining traction now.
 
Last edited:

IKnowNotmyName

Registered
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
28
Reaction score
0
Location
Arizona
My 'voice' tends to sound MG, but my current work is YA. It's Magical Realism, but deals with YA topics such as death, betrayal of a secret, a first kiss and in the third book of the trilogy saving the world.
I worry about YA readers connecting with my 15yr old MC's soft voice. So I'm preparing for both genres. I took out all the bad language for the MG readers. Should I put it back?
How do I find my audience?

I think you should only put all of the foul language back if you feel it adds something to the story. One thing that you might want to take into account is asking yourself the question "how do teenagers talk?" I do know that in this day and age, almost every teenager except those from strict religious families and the occasional exception swear a lot. Back when I was a kid, it wasn't all that unheard of for kids around the ages of 12 to 16 to drop the F-bomb every other word just because it made them feel like adults. However, just because some kids do that, doesn't mean you should in your story, unless of course, it's somehow story relevant.

Would adding any curses or potentially bad language enhance your story?
 

JustSarah

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
1,980
Reaction score
35
Website
about.me
Would an 18,000 word novella be considered a chapter book or an early middle grade? Does the protagonists age factor in?
 

profen4

Banned
Spammer
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Messages
1,694
Reaction score
186
Location
The Great White North
Would an 18,000 word novella be considered a chapter book or an early middle grade? Does the protagonists age factor in?

In the MG world 18,000 words could be a proper novel. The Goosebumps novels range in length from around that size to much longer.

Like most kid-lit, subject matter is a key distinguishing factor beyond simply the age of the protagonist.
 

JustSarah

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
1,980
Reaction score
35
Website
about.me
I might not be to off the mark then. I mainly made my work not up for WriteOnCon consideration cause I thought it was a bit short.:/
 

jtrylch13

Has semi-colon; will use it!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
3,169
Reaction score
353
Location
Michigan
So, this is not to sound condescending or anything, so please don't anyone take it that way, but I read some of the questions in this thread and all I can think is, "If you read YA and/or MG, shouldn't you have a decent grasp on how your novel would be classified? And if you don't read these age groups, why are you writing in them?"

I realize that there are definitely fine-tuned nuanced questions in here that need more insight, and the day may come when I too need a bit of help with classification, but some of these general questions do concern me. I would say the best thing to do is read, read, read. Then read some more. It will improve your writing and help you to understand where your novel fits into the market, both in age group and in genre. Get involved on Goodreads, where reviews and classifications of book are made readily available. I also have a Pinterest board for YA books. Actually I have one for most major age groups and genres, but that's kind of my mental-break thing. I don't jog or play video games, I pin books on Pinterest. :) And not just the book. I copy part of the blurb, the star rating and put it in its appropriate genre. This has given me a good idea of the types of books available, those that are being newly released and makes me more educated on the market in general. I focus mostly on YA, because I write YA, but anyway, it's something you can do to educate yourself along with reading extensively. Even if you just take a look at the boards of others (search YA under boards) and you can peruse their catalog of books. Just a thought.
 

Melanii

Talking Fruit
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
Messages
1,471
Reaction score
98
Location
South Carolina
Website
thestrawberryscribe.wordpress.com
@jtrylch13

It's strange you mention that. XD

I read both YA and Adult. Used to only be the latter, but it changed.

I'm working on a high fantasy with 17-year old female MC. There are mature themes, like sex. There is also death, blood/gore, (violence basically) and instances of swearing. The MC lives in a male dominated society and hates it. She wants to be treated as an equal and may find that is more difficult than she thought.

I have a feeling this WIP has become YA instead of adult like I planned. Not sure, though.
 

jtrylch13

Has semi-colon; will use it!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
3,169
Reaction score
353
Location
Michigan
I used to read mostly adult but started with MG and then YA, starting circa 2001 (can anyone say HP movie?) :) When I read mostly MG, I wrote MG. Now I read mostly YA, and I write YA. Back when I read adult, I wanted to write adult but never did anything about it. I guess I'm just saying if you have decided to write YA or MG and want to know where your completed novel or even story idea fits in, you should read those age groups and find out. It's okay to ask questions on a forum like this, but I see that many of the questions asked over the last few months haven't even been answered. I'm guessing it's because there are other ways to get the answers like reading, internet searches, checking out Goodreads, etc. Some of the questions above demonstrate a lack of knowledge in these age groups that can be rectified through research.