STATUS: Travel day as I head back to Denver from D.C.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? BABYLON by David Gray
1. All the romance editors I talked to mentioned that they were still buying projects (and I spoke to several from each house). So nice to hear when other fiction sales have slowed down as of late.
2. Many editors expressed interest in seeing something fun and meaty in contemporary romance. It’s been a little while since contemporary was actively sought from authors beyond the established lions in the industry such as Rachel Gibson and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
3. We all have our fingers crossed that historical romance will trend up again.
4. Paranormal is still selling well. (Here’s an interesting tidbit though. What’s hot in the U.S. doesn’t necessarily match what’s hot abroad. For example, Sherrilyn Kenyon couldn’t be hotter here in the US but not as hot in Germany. An Australian bookseller weighed in and said the Aussies like her bunches Down Under as well.) I find that fascinating.
5. On Saturday night, a non-dark romance without a vampire or werewolf in sight, Seducing Mr. Darcy, won the RITA on for best Paranormal. Does that mean anything? Heck if I know but I thought that was rather cool. Also, a Young Adult title nabbed Best First Book (the fun title Oh. My. Gods.) YA is taking over the world!
6. Three editors asked me what I thought would be hot next. Uh…if I knew that, I’d buy a lotto ticket too!
7. And last but not least, I did survive teaching three one-hour workshops back-to-back-to-back. But I didn’t have much voice or energy by the end of it. I dragged a fellow agent off to the Bantam party only to discover that it had ended 20 minutes prior to our arrival.
Oops. But that gave us ample opportunity to visit the White House where we were promptly not invited in for tea.
Me and the wonderful Sally Harding of The Cooke Agency:
This got me thinking:
YA is taking over the world!
Could this be because it is clear of genre restrictions? Romance, paranormal, fantasy, action: all of it ends up on a shelf marked as YA doesn’t it?
Maybe if we could get bookstores to do the other shelves by vocabulary levels, it would be easier to pick something light and fluffy for on the beach vs. deep and dark for a weekend bundled up by the fireplace.
I have a hard time believing that you are in your forties, Kristin. You do it much better than I do!
Because I really like to play a good game of crystal ball, I’ll say this;
I wonder if trends in reading have the same tides as those in music and fashion? I never really thought about it. If the 30’s and 40’s and so on keep recycling there, I wonder if that happens with books. I’d be interested to find out. I’m off to Google…
At least you didn’t have to wait around to not be invited in for tea. I’m sure Michelle just didn’t realize it was you and the lovely Sally, or surely she would have rolled out the red carpet. Great pic, btw.
Also, I just bought “real life and liars” – can’t wait to read it!
I know this has nothing to do with anything literary (except for the fact that you’re an agent and you’re wearing it), but I love your skirt!
I used to live in Germany. What is hot over there right now? I remember when we lived there, laser tag was outlawed. I wonder if The Hunger Games is considered a little too violent for their taste.
Thanks for the update!! So good to hear that Romance is doing well!
If YA is burning up the shelves, that gives me a little hope!
Just read “The Dream Hunter” by Sherrilyn Kenyon; fantastic. I definitely suggest it to any fan of hers.
Here’s hoping for good weather on the trip home!
I’m with you, Amber. If YA is taking over the world, I intend to land a seat in the new senate.
Kristin and Sally look so much alike in this picture I had to look pretty dang close to tell who was who.
Long lost sisters? Switched by an evil hospital nurse at birth?
What is fun and meaty in contemporary? Fun I understand, but what is considered “meaty”?
Kristin,
Having three workshops back to back must have been tough, I know I was exhausted by the end of the week. But as someone who happily attended two of your workshops I just have to say – you did a great job. Thank you for putting on such informative and entertaining workshops.
I read this blog daily, and felt this article about Barnes and Noble moving into the e-book field would interest everyone here.
http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer/articles/2009/07/21/20090721barnes-CR.html
Kind regards,
Cris
Just a quick reminder that YA is not a classification that is determined by vocabulary levels–not at all. It’s more a function of POV and perspective about a particular phase of life.
For a sampling of YA books with very high vocabulary levels I recommend The Astonishing Life of Ocatvian Nothing by MT Anderson, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart and Paper Towns by John Green. These are just a few YA writers who could send the vast majority of “adult” writers scrambling for a thesaurus within a chapter.
Thanks for the update. I love how you say YA is taking over the world. Awesome to hear!!
Great post.
RE: YA is taking over the world!
I can say this. I read more YA than adult fiction for the simple fact that if it is good I can pass it down to my daughter and then we can “Squee!” together over it. It’s so much more fun than having to “Squee!” alone. Latest “Squee!” Peeta Mellark from Hunger Games! Talk about Oh.My. Gods:)
I almost forgot. It was announced at a recent RWA chapter meeting that Romance sales are going up. My first thought was, “Love conquers all…even a bad economy.”