Things I Learned About YA

(YA meaning Young Adult fiction)

I'll keep it brief, but if you are interested in getting more info, leave a comment with your email and I will let you know what sessions I attended so that you can order the CD from ACFW.

Things I Learned about Young Adult Fiction

• Teens read UP agewise. (Actually, this I already knew, but it's a HUGELY important thing to know, and a mistake I've seen other writers make.) If your target audience is 12-15 year olds, you want your protagonist to be at least 16. But know that 17 and 18 year olds aren't going to be hooked on a protag who is 16. They probably won't read it at all.




• CBA markets to younger teens. By this I mean ages 12-15. Think about the way a Christian bookstore is set up. Where are the YA books? In the kids section. How many 17 year olds do you know who shop there without duress? Not many. So if you write for older teens, know that at present, this is a HUGE challenge without a really viable market.




• There are ABA published books with faith content. A prime example in YA is the book I reviewed last week-- Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen. Read it!





• YA is a tough market in general. New writers are a risk to a publisher, but YA writers are a double-risk. What to do? Tell a compelling story with tight craft.
  

Again, if you want more info, drop me a comment, and I'll let you know how to order the CDs or MP3s of the workshops. Happy writing!