Let’s hit it!

1. MG Historical Sci-Fi
2. YA Paranormal (Angels)
3. YA Fantasy
4. YA Paranormal Thriller
5. YA Paranormal Dark Comedy

6. Adult MBS fiction (no, I don’t rep this)
7. YA Paranormal
8. YA Alt History (Paranormal)
9. “New Adult” literary novel
10. YA Historical literary fiction

11. Adult fiction (genre undefined)
12. YA fantasy
13. YA urban fantasy
14. YA Historical romance
15. YA fiction (genre undefined)

A couple of notes so far: “historical” is anything not set in the present day. So if you’re writing a YA romance set in the 70s or 80s, when you were a teen — that’s considered historical. Also, please don’t make agents guess what kind of a book your novel is. Granted, the two (so far) “genre undefined” novels on this list had a lot of other problems with the queries, but it should be among the first things you write in that letter to an agent — “I have written a [age range] [genre] novel”, i.e I have written a YA historical, middle grade mystery, adult romance. etc. You get the point. Moving on!

16. YA Dystopian
17. YA sports fiction
18. Adult sci-fi
19. MG literary novel
20. MG (but probably YA) “issue” novel

21. YA dystopian
22. YA dystopian
23. Adult fiction (genre undefined)
24. YA fantasy
25. MG Adventure

More later today! Please keep checking back, and let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

And we’re back!

26. YA contemporary/”New Adult”
27. YA Multicultural fantasy
28. YA MG fantasy
29. YA dystopian
30. YA contemporary

31. YA dystopian
32. Early Chapter Book (don’t represent)
33. MG fantasy (Werewolves)
34. YA urban fantasy
35. MG fantasy

36. Women’s fiction
37. YA urban fantasy
38. YA contemporary
39. YA contemporary romance
40. MG paranormal (Aliens)

41. MG magical realism
42. YA paranormal (Shape Shifting)
43. Adult fantasy
44. YA dystopian
45. YA paranormal

46. YA paranormal (Mermaids)
47. Women’s fiction
48. Adult paranormal
49. YA urban fantasy
50. Adult fantasy

Ok, I’m going to call it there, and get some other work done. But first, let’s do a little tallying, shall we? Out of 50 queries, 31 were for young adult, 9 for middle grade, and 9 for adult, with one early chapter book. 32 queries had some element of the extraordinary — by which I mean paranormal, fantasy, or sci fi of some kind. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many different kinds of paranormals in my mailbox, for once — not just vampires, etc. Although some of the paranormals without a notation next to them had multiple extraordinary creatures, least you think I was getting lonely for witches or dragons.

And on the up side, I moved 7 queries to my other inbox for a closer read — of those, I may request partials on two, at most. Still, a good day’s work!

But it got me wondering — do you think writers of certain genres are more prone to one than the other? Do you think thriller authors start mostly with plot, and romance authors build up on characters? Or would you say that’s a stereotype?

And yet — when you think of thrillers, how often do you think of the characters? How often do you even REMEMBER who the characters are, from book to book? And in a romance novel, where the plot is right there in the genre description, if you don’t start from characters, aren’t you just writing the same story over and over again?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject! I look forward to a lively discussion in the comments.

On why she reads YA almost exclusively, and would even if she wasn’t a YA librarian:

YA lit has a freshness that I really enjoy, and it rarely gets bogged down in its own self-importance. YA lit is also mostly free of the melancholy, nostalgia, and yearning for the innocent days of childhood that I find so tedious in adult literary fiction.

When you see adult fiction with teen protagonists, and wonder why that book wasn’t published as YA, it’s often because of that “melancholy, nostalgia, and yearning”. YA isn’t just about the age of the main character.

As to why she refers to it not as a genre, but as a category (my preference is to refer to it as an age range):

In some ways, YA lit has become a lot like literature for grown-ups: it is both commercial and creative, it covers a spectrum of critical literary quality, and it has titles across many genres.

Basically, everything you could find in adult literature, you can find in YA, plus more.

And speaking about those multiple genres:

One of the biggest differences in the landscape of YA lit is that there’s more genre-blending than in adult literature. It may be because teens’ literary tastes are still developing, while adults are more likely to have very particular reading habits, but I think it’s also because the newness of YA lit allows for innovation.

She also quotes a great post by YA author Chris Wooding, in which he writes:

There’s a similar lack of boundaries within the YA genre field. There’s no high fantasy or hard SF, no New Weird or urban fantasy. Genre definitions mean nothing. You want to write a steampunk post-apocalypse adventure full of cities that drive around eating each other? Or a book about a child passing through alternate realities in search of a weak and feeble God? Or a dystopian sci-fi about an underground city that’s running out of light? Go for it!

Everyone one of these books will just be on a shelf in the YA section alphabetized by author, but in separate sections that are of interest only to readers who already know about them. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I was disappointed by Barnes & Noble’s decision to create a “Paranormal Romance” shelf within their YA section. Before, if a reader already knew they liked Twilight, they could go to the bookstore and look at the shelf, and might come across books by James John Marsden, Robin McKinley, or Sarah Mylnowski, just to name a few authors around Meyer on my own bookshelves. With B&N’s new shelving system, all they’ll find is more paranormal romance — which may be what they think they want, but they won’t know about the rest of what’s out there. And that, to be, is a shame.

She also points out an intriguing idea about trends in the market:

In the same way that youth culture is focused on what’s new and trendy, so is YA lit, which means librarians need to remain alert to new publications and weed aggressively.It also helps YA lit create an environment that encourages innovation.

Your average reader might only see the “darkness” in YA fiction, but close observers have seen trends as diverse as vampires, werewolves, angels, mermaids, dystopians, retellings of Greek myths, and more come and go. What’s next? We won’t know until it hits, and as soon as it does, it’s a sure bet the next big thing is right behind it, waiting for its turn in the sun.

Anyway, there’s so much more in the article, it’s well worth your time to read the whole post. You may even find some great new suggestions for your own TBR piles!

Image found via Pinterest, by Carlos Prez on DeviantArt.

And editors? I’ve got some fantastic new submissions just waiting to go out to you. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, in honor of those three manuscripts, let’s answer three questions, shall we?

Deserae asked, “I have been wondering, though, what you do look for in those first three pages. Voice, seems to me to be a given, but are there specific turn ons and turn offs that hit you, specifically?”

I actually answered part of this question back in the archives in October. Specific turn-offs include:

1. The main character waking up.
2. The MC looking into a mirror to describe themselves.
3. The narrator telling me how ordinary the MC is.
4. An opening line that references the weather.
5. A prologue with characters that aren’t our MCs.

Turn-ons are harder to describe — it’s that old trope, “I’ll know it when I see it.” But in general, anything that makes me eager to know what happens next, beyond those three pages, is a very good thing.

Alwyn asked, “Do you think it’s a faux pas to start a query letter with the same first line as the MS? (Assuming the first line is a general statement/quote and not a line of dialogue or description etc.)”

No, especially not if your opening line is a killer hook. Because that’s what your query letter is for — not just to wow the agent with your writing, but to hook them and entice them to read more. A serious faux pas would be opening with a rhetorical question — no one likes those.

Ella asked, “How important is it to define the genre of a novel? I am struggling to define my MG novel. It definitely has elements of fantasy, but it can also be categorized as action adventure. Can I define my novel as fantasy/adventure?”

Honestly, I have a hard time thinking of fantasy novels that don’t have an element of adventure. If you’re querying, I think the best thing to do is look at your novel in term of the big-picture genres: romance, mystery, science fiction, fantasy. There’s tons of sub-genres within each, but genre as a term is really useful at this stage in painting your novel in broad strokes. I think I once advised to keep the hyphenation of classification to a minimum, anyway. Don’t pitch a “middle grade action adventure fantasy with realistic elements,” just call it urban fantasy, or whatever. Keep it simple.

And thanks to the Fug Girls for the image of Emma Stone’s shoes, above. I’m looking forward to reading their YA novel SPOILED!

GrammarGirl writes:

I have this “friend,” see. Her kind and warm agent found her after reading some of her work, saving my friend the stress of having to query many agents. At the outset of their relationship, my friend explained that she aspired to write novels for kids and teens, even though her day job was writing in other categories. The agent said, “No problem.” But my friend has noticed the agent has sold nothing else like that. Nor does the agent seem to really be into YA and MG fiction, at least not in the hopeless and irredeemable way my friend is. Finally, when my friend sent a brief synopsis of the YA novel she was writing, the agent didn’t respond.

My friend doesn’t like to nag. Nor would she expect someone to feign love for a book category to make a sale. Would it be better for my friend to seek another agent who specializes in children’s literature? Or should she just be glad she has an agent, and hope that when the novel is suitably polished, the agent will know which editor might like to buy it? The whole thing makes my friend’s stomach hurt.

Dear GrammarGirl — This is a tough call, but I think you have to go with what your agent has said. Just because an agent hasn’t done much YA or MG in the past doesn’t mean they won’t be absolutely fantastic at selling it in the future. If she’s already said your interest in other genres is great, and not a problem, then you get to run with that.

The fact that she hasn’t responded to your latest synopsis may not have anything to do with the category, and may be about being busy or just behind in her reading. Has it been a week or so? Send her a short email, confirming that she’s received the synopsis, and saying that you’re eager to hear her reaction. In the meantime, while you wait to hear from her, keep writing!

Finally, for all your writers out there of category fiction, whether it’s MG, YA, adult romance, scifi, or Cold War spy novels. Whatever. Yes, you’ll find agents who love the category that you’re writing in. You may also be lucky enough to find an agent you loves your book, regardless of the category. They’re not always the same person, and that’s ok.

GrammarGirl writes:

I have this “friend,” see. Her kind and warm agent found her after reading some of her work, saving my friend the stress of having to query many agents. At the outset of their relationship, my friend explained that she aspired to write novels for kids and teens, even though her day job was writing in other categories. The agent said, “No problem.” But my friend has noticed the agent has sold nothing else like that. Nor does the agent seem to really be into YA and MG fiction, at least not in the hopeless and irredeemable way my friend is. Finally, when my friend sent a brief synopsis of the YA novel she was writing, the agent didn’t respond.

My friend doesn’t like to nag. Nor would she expect someone to feign love for a book category to make a sale. Would it be better for my friend to seek another agent who specializes in children’s literature? Or should she just be glad she has an agent, and hope that when the novel is suitably polished, the agent will know which editor might like to buy it? The whole thing makes my friend’s stomach hurt.

Dear GrammarGirl — This is a tough call, but I think you have to go with what your agent has said. Just because an agent hasn’t done much YA or MG in the past doesn’t mean they won’t be absolutely fantastic at selling it in the future. If she’s already said your interest in other genres is great, and not a problem, then you get to run with that.

The fact that she hasn’t responded to your latest synopsis may not have anything to do with the category, and may be about being busy or just behind in her reading. Has it been a week or so? Send her a short email, confirming that she’s received the synopsis, and saying that you’re eager to hear her reaction. In the meantime, while you wait to hear from her, keep writing!

Finally, for all your writers out there of category fiction, whether it’s MG, YA, adult romance, scifi, or Cold War spy novels. Whatever. Yes, you’ll find agents who love the category that you’re writing in. You may also be lucky enough to find an agent you loves your book, regardless of the category. They’re not always the same person, and that’s ok.

Do any of you write in multiple genres, and has this come up for you? I rep several authors who write in both YA and MG, as well as one with both an adult novel and a MG one. What’s been your experience? Do share!

Ultimately, the primary goal of the creative nonfiction writer is to communicate information, just like a reporter, but to shape it in a way that reads like fiction

Continuing from Wikipedia:

Forms within this genre include personal essays, memoir, travel writing, food writing, biography, literary journalism, and other hybridized essays.

And

When book-length works of creative nonfiction follow a story-like arc, they are sometimes called narrative nonfiction.

So we’re basically talking about something true, but told in a way that feels like story telling. A couple of examples include A Perfect Red by Amy Bulter Greenfield, Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, and It’s Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong. Each takes a subject that could be dry, and invests them with a narrative arc.

Now, moving on to the pop culture aspect of things, I’m thinking of books that may be personal essays, memoirs, travel writing, or such, but that deal with the cornerstones of pop culture — TV, Movies, Music, Video Games, Theatre, and Books. Basically, if you could read about a subject in Entertainment Weekly, there’s a chance I might be interested.

So, no, I’m probably not interested in your memoir of pulling through your drug addiction — unless you got over it while on tour with your rock band, or while you grew up on the set of a TV sitcom. You want to talk about your geek creds? I want to hear about them — particularly so if you can tie them in to your around-the-world trip or 365 days of live theatre. Awesome examples of pop culture narrative nonfiction include Chuck Klosterman’s Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and Ethan Gilsdorf’s Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. I also loved Around the World in 80 Dates by Jennifer Cox and Round Ireland With a Fridge by Tony Hawks.

So, is that a little clearer? I hope so! I’m happy to answer more questions in the comments!

Today I want to talk a little more about what I termed “witty women’s fiction” on my submissions page, and what that means in terms of what I’m looking for. I’ve used an image of one of Jennifer Crusie’s books, Bet Me, as the illustration for this post, because I think her books are almost exactly what I mean. But perhaps this is a little unfair. After all, Crusie came to prominence as an author through traditional category romances, and yet, I’m not looking for category.

Maybe it’s easier to say what I’m NOT looking for under this rather broad umbrella. I’m not looking for historical romances, regencies, highland romps, western bodice rippers, or anything like that. Despite her popularity, I’m not looking for the next Jodi Picoult — her novels tend to get me down, and I’m rather laugh with a book than cry. (Although, to be honest, I do enjoy when I can do both in the span of a single book!) I’m not looking for a series of detective novels with a female lead, not matter how sassy she may be. Likewise, you can keep your female Jack Ryans and Alex Crosses — thrillers aren’t my cup of agenting tea. I don’t want aging women looking back on their lives nostalgically or taking ridiculous leaps into something new, just for the sake of shaking things up. It’s highly unlikely I want your memoir — unless you’re Felicia Day. Even then, please note the word “fiction” — I’d prefer a novel, please, Ms. Day!

What I think I’m most eager for in this genre are characters that feel real, in real situations, even if “reality” is stretched. Paranormal may still work, but not if the characters behave in unbelievable ways.

And I’ll be honest: I have one client who writes in this genre, and though I gets hundreds of queries for women’s fiction, very little of it is what I’m looking for. I may have set myself an impossibly high bar with my interests, but if that means I never find what I’m looking for, I’m ok with that. There’s a good reason why I specialize in YA and MG fiction, with witty women’s fiction and pop culture narrative non-fiction as secondary interests. They are secondary. Tertiary, even.

Other questions about this genre? I’d be happy to answer them in the comments!

We are looking for:

• brilliant, funny, original middle grade and young adult fiction, both literary and commercial
• witty women’s fiction
• pop-culture narrative nonfiction.

That’s it. That’s everything. But every high-tech thriller, epic adult fantasy, or Vietnam-era sex memoir still gets a personalized rejection, and honestly, it’s beginning to drive me up a wall. I contemplated a query service or web form I can put on my website that would ask queriers to select from a drop-down menu of my listed genres, and if their books doesn’t fit, they can’t submit to me. But I KNOW people would just select something else and submit anyway, and in the meantime, I’ve made it more difficult for those of you who can and do follow directions.

I don’t want to make it more difficult for great writers who write in the genres I’ve chosen to represent to send me a query. I WANT to hear from you guys!

I don’t know if I’ve found the best answer, but for now, I think I’ve found *an* answer, at least. I’ve adjusted my form rejection letter to specifically include “I don’t represent this genre” for those queries that are entirely off base, and those won’t be personalized — they will just say “Dear Writer” and “regarding your book”. I hope this will give me more time to spend on those queries that get it right.

Oh, and since it also seems to need to be said, I don’t personally respond to anyone who asks for reasons WHY I rejected your query. I do give my reasons when I decline a partial or a full, but I can’t for queries. Anyone who asks will just see their email go unanswered. The ONLY queries I personally comment on are my weekly About My Query posts, and you can get more information about those here. That post is also permanently hotlinked on the main Daphne page.

So that’s my little rant for the day. Now back into the query pile!

Could you maybe shed some light on why an agent might love a certain genre, but choose not to represent it?

For example, in your bio on the site, you say that you’re interested in urban fantasy and would love work by, say, Joss Whedon, but it’s not what you’re looking for as an agent. (On a personal note, this bums me out enormously, because I have an urban fantasy I think you might enjoy based on those interests–but, er, that’s not entirely relevant to the question at hand.) I’ve seen the same with other agents; they profess a love for a certain genre but don’t represent it. Is it simply a matter of knowing the right editors? Maybe they already have enough of that genre? Could you share some thoughts on what might be behind such a decision?

Thanks in advance if you choose to answer this question, and for the blog in general. It’s always very helpful!

Corinne, thanks for the question! I can’t speak for all agents, but for me, I state more of my interests than what I seek to represent because in YA and MG, for example, there’s room for lots of different genres. To some extent, I feel the same way about the adult genres I represent. If you can make a case that your urban fantasy, for example, might be considered witty women’s fiction, I might take a look.

My love for Joss, though some would concentrate on the fantasy elements, is based hugely on his strong female characters and his wit — something I look for in YA and pop-culture narrative nonfiction, for instance.

I spend a lot of time expanding my contacts within the YA and MG worlds, getting to know the editors who are looking to acquire in those areas. When I take on an urban fantasy, or when a client wants to write something outside their previous genre, I put in additional work in creating a submission list. It’s not just about being able to automatically put together a list of 6 to 10 editors I think would be perfect, but about researching possibilities, learning about their tastes, etc.

Think of it in terms of restaurants. If you go to a steak house, your best bet for a fantastic meal is likely going to be steak. If you ask for a salad, or pasta, or Japanese noodles, you may be disappointed that it’s not the best salad, pasta, or ramen you’ve ever had. But if you wanted that, wouldn’t you go to Wagamama? (Ok, now I’m hungry.) Agents list their areas of interest as specialties. In some cases, there’s overlap, and you may find a pretty fantastic Spaghetti Bolognese on the menu. Other times, branching out beyond what they say they do best is getting a sub-par, wilted salad.

Does that help?