Alyssa's videos are very helpful. Keeping writers up to date while exuding positivity has encouraged me to keep my focus on quality work rather than daunting negative statistics in the publishing world.
YA itself is so broad as that's pretty much every genre written for that age group. YA dystopia. YA fantasy. YA romance. YA historical fiction. YA contemporary. Lots of possibilities.
@@jimsbooksreadingandstuff Bookseller here, aside from a writer. Tl;dr: yeah, sort of. Sort of, based on the yearly market research. *Generally,* if readers read one genre within YA, they read more than one. So the buyers of the genre are YA buyers. All genre is, for publishing purposes, is a marketing tool. It's "where does this book go on the bookstore shelves?" For YA - it tends to be in the YA section, then subdivided from there, similarly to how some booksellers are starting to subdivide the SFF subgenres, and reclassify things based on genre blending. That's been a big deal in the bookselling (and broader publishing, and in the library) world for the last couple years. But mostly, we're all still subdividing into the big three "umbrella" publishing genres - kid lit, adult, and YA, then subdividing from there. But what the "literary" world and the publishing world consider "genre" to be, are two different things. Lit fic is the biggest example. For publishing and bookselling - "literary fiction," is basically "general fiction," without a "home" genre. For the literary world, it's...well, pretentious or "literary," depending on your viewpoint. So, like, for publishing purposes - yeah, YA is sort-of a genre unto itself. Because buyers of YA don't tend to read specifically within a single subgenre. Adults do. Spec fiction readers tend to stay there, mystery/thriller readers, the same, dystopia can either be horror or SFF, romance readers tend to read romance, etc. YA readers are at least a little more flexible. Hence why the crossover genres have blown up so much and surprised the Houses. They were born in the YA section. Adult readers haven't *tended* to like crossover sub/genres until the ebook/indie publishing wave. Prior to that, crossovers tended to be gatekept out of mainstream publishing.
Well, thank goodness I love what I'm writing (historical and literary fiction) because I don't think either has been "trending" for quite a few years now. LOL. Thanks for putting in the disclaimer; it helps me to know that my work still has value. Great video!
Absolutely! I never recommend writing to trend. Historical and literary books are still being published, even if they're not necessarily "trending." :) Happy writing!
I remember watching your video about publishing trends in 2023! My 2023 release was right on the money: Greek mythology retelling called ‘Pharmakides’. My 2024 release is a travel memoir and I hope it finds the right people💘🫶 Thank you for your insightful videos.
Whenever I see how trendy YA and fantasy are, I feel tempted to dust off a manuscript I wrote years and years ago that falls under these genres... There is even a sweet romance in it... But I'm not sure I would want to put my current project on hold for it, or that I could handle both projects at the same time... Food for thought, though! :)
It would be interesting to know how many authors there are in each genre. My suspicion is that in genres where authors can rely on internal data, based on their own emotions and fantasies, the numbers are very high. However, in genres which rely on external data, such as research and empathizing with a wide range of active characters with complex emotions, the number of authors will be much smaller.
My genre is YA sci-fi (fantasy) novel. I appreciate your take on the current trend that are popular in the writing industry which I do not write according to trends (btw thanks for pointing that out) but I write according to my creative imagination and what my spirit inspires me to write about. As always thank you kindly for the tidbits of info that you give to your audience. Alyssa, I'll talk to you later.
Interesting video, my current novel is historical fiction, I put on hold a fantasy novel to do it...😆 Though my book does cover one of the most amazing historical romances, so this has been really useful, i was going to leave it out of my blurb but after watching this I'm going to put a line in about it. Thank you 😊
I agree 100% with the end, though Alyssa has such a pleasant way of putting things. If you use this video as a tinder for your ideas, you're already lost. If you're not truly passionate about what you are writing, it'll show. If your work is good, regardless of genre, it will get attention. I can't imagine sniping trends as a real writer. That's commercial sh*t.
Highly appreciated vid! 🙏🏻 I've been writing for over a year and I am only halfway through the first draft. Very* slow writer here. Snail. I'm relaxed about whatever genres are in this year. By the time I finish they might change. Also, I'm focusing on making my story as powerful as I can. I'm a coach, not a writer, so I'm writing from intuition and / or instinct. Not even sure from* which one. It's my way of getting the heck out of my comfort zone.✌🏻✨
Thank you for sharing the trends. Though you mentioned middle-grade as a sub-genre, it was a bit disheartening to see it wasn’t in the word cloud, much less the top five. It certainly doesn’t stop me from writing a story that I feel led to share, but it does cause me to reflect. Any insights or suggestions specifically for middle-grade authors on publishing and marketing?
I wrote my first draft of a romantic scifi trilogy. Some of it takes place on earth and some of it does not. This is my first finished draft ever and I’m wondering if it could fall into the fantasy lens or not. I still have a long way to go to get it query ready though.
Hi Alyssa, I have a question for you. But first, thank you for putting out all this free knowledge for us aspiring authors. My question for you is regarding editing before submitting a Query Letter to Literary Agents. I just finished the final revision/ self edit of my first novel, but am unsure if I should hire a copy editor to do a workup of the entire manuscript or just the first few chapters. I am also trying to figure out if a copy editor will help with paragraph structure/ where one breaks and another begins. Any help would be amazing, and thank you again for the videos you put out for us!
Late to the party, but I can help with this one. With the disclaimer that you're going to get all kinds of answers, and these are rough guidelines. Romantasy: this is *generally* marketed in YA, and is straight fantasy (usually no genre bending, and all the tropes played straight) and romance. Very much what it says on the tin.Usually set in a secondary fantasy world, or it's a portal fantasy. Think ACOTAR. That's the one that really codified it into mainstream talk. Paranomal romance: This tends to blend fantasy and horror, sometimes also mystery. Usually set in the present day, occasionally set in the near future. Think Anita Blake. She's one of the poster kids for paranomal romance. If Harry had more of a love life, the Dresden Files would be this. Paranormal: Horror in a more victorian/Gothic sense. Think Penny Dreadful (which also slides over into horror and paranormal fantasy). Also the ghost/haunted house stories, or the gothic family dramas with supernatural undertones (House of the Seven Gables is an early example, or We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and tbh most things by Shirley Jackson). Usually period pieces, but can be modern day.
I feel ya, bud. Gosh I wish I just wrote romance or thrillers set in today's real world. Lots less description and research needed. What did I choose? Science fiction 😂
Golly, mine is a memoir, narrative nonfiction. Not at all discouraged with the comments. They are most insightful. I, however, will push on with my manuscript.
I was curious to know what your opinion about writer conferences. I have the chance to attend on this year but I'm not sure my work will be fully edited by then and I'm wondering if it's worth the expense.
Sci-fi romance, somewhere between Illuminae and ice planet barbarians. I feel like I can't find enough books in this genre that I like. I guess I'll have to write it myself 😭
I'm working on a dark/horror fantasy epic with twisted "bad romance" themes for new adults...id say that qualifies for YA right? In any case, I'm having a blast just writing and discovering the world of my story ❤
I’m currently querying an adult mystery, which didn’t even show up in the word cloud. Was that combined with thriller for this video, or are agents not looking for mystery novels right now?
Late to the party, but mystery has always been, and always will be, a competitive genre. It's hard to find fresh takes on the genre, and mystery exists in its own, cozy little publishing world, for the most part (similar to how horror publishing works). It's always in demand, but it's incredibly competitive, much like "vanilla" sci-fi and fantasy.
Global. You can argue that it's because fiction is, at its heart, escapist. Romance - and especially fantasy romance - is the pinnacle of that. Humans, we have a long, long history of those being our favorite kinds of stories, even long before Johannes Gutenberg came along. We told fantastic romances involving the gods and heroes across cultures. Collectively, we're suckers for a good love story and happy endings.
Present day fiction... Do you think that readers are perhaps "lazy" in their wants? We have all the "present day" stuff outside every day. I get that it's easily relatable, but isn't reading for most people to take them away? I love reading historical stuff. "The only thing new to you is the history you don't already know" is one of my favorite quotes.
Question I've been meaning to ask... Real "unknown" characters, real "unknown" events, 150 years ago, but a LOT of filling in the blanks, dialogue, some combining of characters events and years to help the story... what is it!? Fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, fiction-non-fiction? Thanks.
Fortunately I'm working on a YA romantic fantasy, with political intrigue. It even has a strong female lead, although not "Hollywood" strong. She's actually a female type female and not a "more macho than the guys" warrior hero. It's the second of what I would call Social Justice trilogy. First an adventure, then a romance, and finally a swashbuckler. All to free to an oppressed minority.
Yeah, I feel ya - Especially as someone writing SciFi-Horror. Then again, niches exist for a reason, and I'm sticking to my passion. Could never imagine myself being a commercial lazy mass-produced pandering sell-out.
I'm not sure where mine sits. It has romance in it, yes, but it also has a lot of sci-fi, fantasy, history, and social issues, including mental health. I feel like I'm throwing at bunch if tennis balls at a velcro wall and hoping something sticks long enough to get a prize.
FWIW, the last ten or twenty years or so, one of the precious few ways into the genre has been writing them with franchise potential. Mystery is a strange animal. Mystery readers tend to be very, very author loyal, much more so than nearly any other genre (westerns are the other one that's incredibly author loyal). If it's not - it's going to be a very hard sell to agents and publishers. If it is - it still better be good. Because it's intensely competitive, even when it is in high demand. Readers are super picky, and the more traditional it is, the less publishers want to touch it, due to limited sale potential.
I'm currently working on murder mystery at request of friends and family it shows that it's not my forte. I love reading them but writing it well not so much
My genre is Science Fiction, which seems nowhere to be found in the current listing of popular genres. Disappointing. Perhaps I need to work on my non-fiction for a while.
Same - I'm writing SciFi Horror. Then again, niches exist for a reason. I just can't bring myself to write romance, let alone "romantasy" (which honestly, makes me gag since the Twilight series). Gotta stay true to oneself and one's passions.
Hey! Here's a video about writing a query letter from start to finish: th-cam.com/video/SSBcasOsRCs/w-d-xo.html I hope that helps. Good luck with querying!
That's too bad. I'm more of a speculative fiction kind of gal. I feel like all these new trends are further pushed by BookTok and a younger demographic, which sucks. We need more diversity of genre within reading. As of right now, everything feels so tropeish. Here's to hoping things change in 2025.
YA.....what? Urban contemporary, horror, romance, dystopian, sci-fi? I'm revising my YA dystopian sci-fi novel, and I wonder, does the *actual* genre matter within YA, or does it only matter how a novel is marketed?
I'm writing a novel based on my experiences in Australia's rave and gay party scenes from 1989-1992, from the perspective of a British backpacker and I'm including insights on full moon parties in Thailand and India. It's a first-person account, blending fact and fiction, from both an attendee's and party promoter's perspective.
So, if you’re writing fantasy romance for young adults, your time has come. 😎 Wait for me, I’m just tidying up the final draft of my light coming of age portal fantasy set in the Orient.
Hey Alyssa, I hope you find my comment because I need to pick your brain on something. I have finished my first book. I'm even done with the final editing as well. It is s spy thriller and mystery, set in modern times. The story is centred around a brother-sister duo who used to work for an international spy agency but left their job many years ago. Sameer, who is Indian and is working as a journalist, learns from his former boss, one fine morning, that Matilda, Sameer's sister, has been abducted from her home in Sydney. The evidence suggests it to be the work of an old enemy. Sameer is forced to return to his old life for one last time to rescue his sister. My story has a dark tone and a grim ending. But I should also mention here that it is not like other conventional spy thrillers. Yes, the story does show Sameer embarking on a mission and solving puzzles and cracking codes to look for clues as he tracks down Matilda. The primary focus of the story is around the personal and emotional turmoil he goes through and the emotional and psychological impact the mission has on him that makes him question his principles and morals in life. The two main characters of my story, Sameer and Matilda, are Indian and Australian, respectively. The story has a global setting to it, as Sameer has to travel the world, leading a team of special agents, to look for his sister. I should also mention here that the book is the first in a three-part series and is part of a larger narrative about love, loss, revenge, sacrifice, betrayal and making hard choices. With all this in mind, I wish to aks you what agents should I approach with my query and pitch? And what is the scope for this kind of genre in 2024? And if literary agents refuse to represent me, can I still approach the traditional publishers on my own?
1. What agents - whoever reps the genre. It changes yearly, but there's never very many. Any industry directory should point you in the right direction. 2. Scope - About the same as it always is. Fairly limited. The bulk of sales are backlist sales in the genre from the big names - Fleming, Ludlum, Clancy, etc. It has limited mass appeal unless it's optioned (like the Bourne series was), so it, like mystery as a whole, tends to be fairly competitive even at the best of times. Right now, readers are still generally wanting "softer," reads, so it's more competitive probably for the next several years. 3. Can you approach them - No. None of the big boys take unsolicited manuscripts. You can with *some* of the independents, but it varies by the house.
I don't know why, but romance novels don't appeal to me. A little romance in a story is ok, as long as it's not the overall genre. I prefer Action and Adventure.
It would be great if something extremely obscure like atompunk zombie wuxia would suddenly become the next top genre across the world and no one could explain how that happened.
Cozy is kinda a reaction to grimdark/gritty/realistic/hard* fantasy. It goes the other way. * also in terms of hard magic systems, like Sanderson gets off to. Usually very little violence and sex, when its there, usually not terribly graphic. More character-driven than mainstream fantasy tends to be. *Tends* toward slice of life, but doesn't have to. Lots of crossover with its cousin, the cozy mystery. Limited sets, usually not a ton of characters, plot is there, but tends to be more of a... "progression," kind of plot, rather than a "stop the magical bomb," kind of plot.
Romance and Rom-Com is unfortunate for people who want to get good at it but hate reading it lmao. Because lots of younger women and women want to read it so it's popular but it's also not easy to write romantic dialogue. It's boring to me.
I know, right? I'm writing SciFi-Horror, which is niche enough as it is. Guess no one's interested in the future when the present is so terrible /shrug.
Honestly, I'm a woman and disappointed in the quality of books these days. I'm writing a speculative fiction novel at the moment and also wanting to write a Western one day. Maybe we really do need more men to read/write? I'm not interested in reading romance myself.
Yeah, I feel ya. Hard enough that I only have passion writing SciFi-Horror. Even just watching romance bores me without at least being half comedy, action, adventure, fantasy, or something.
If Alyssa’s videos are to be helpful, they’ve got to be truthful. If following the trends isn’t going to help you as a writer, she shouldn’t be making videos that imply the opposite.
As Alyssa acknowledges, it takes years for a book to go from idea to published novel and trending genres change, so how can knowing the current trends really help you query a book that won’t be ready to query for another year or so? Finally, writing is not like house painting where it doesn’t really matter to the painter what color the wall is going to be. What kind of writer wants to write mysteries, but decides to write romances because that’s a trending genre. There may be writers who can do that, but it doesn’t sound like a recipe for success, especially in a market that demands a writer’s best efforts. My question stands!
@@sandyhausler5290 For most career authors, the pipeline is much shorter. There's plenty of us who can write and edit and book in a month and start shopping it to publishers. The industry pipeline is its own animal. But people romanticize what career authors do and how long it takes them to do it. Very few true, working pros are taking years to write a book. There's always been a place for writers who can produce - and produce across genres. Plenty do. Some you've probably heard of. But they do it under pen names. Doing it for a living means cultivating a following, yes, but it also means going where the money is. Do you quit because nobody's buying in your home genre? Or do you keep doing your job, just in a different genre? That's the difference between working writers and people who treat it like a hobby. For working writers, work is work. All genres have their things, but they're not rocket science. They aren't difficult to study and learn. The craft itself is the hard part - but that's transferrable. There's this myth that, to be publishable, you have to be exceptionally good at one thing. That couldn't be farther from the truth - unless we're talking about writing itself. The market doesn't demand best efforts. The market demands consistency - to the genre and from the author. It doesn't take an Austen or Hemingway to write to that level. For indies - it matters a lot. Because the publishing cycle is much shorter. The days when the Big Three ran the show are dead and gone. That officially ended with the pandemic. So for quite a few writers who make a living from it, for agents, for editors, for people in publishing, marketers, designers, you name it - yeah, trends matter. Because fiction writing isn't some mythical, divine act of creation. It's a job. One where market research matters. Otherwise, it's just a hobby, or "your art."
Historical romance, yes! Im currently in the querying trenches and hope to get a literary agent soon. Good luck everyone. ❤
As someone who writes contemporary romance and will be starting my querying journey this year, this is great news.
I LOVE contemporary romances. Good luck!!❤🤞🏾
Alyssa's videos are very helpful. Keeping writers up to date while exuding positivity has encouraged me to keep my focus on quality work rather than daunting negative statistics in the publishing world.
As not only a writer, but an avid reader, I am so excited to see the increase in genre-blending. When done correctly it is *muah!* chef's kiss!
Nice to see Fantasy and YA is back again.. heeh, I'll carry on working on my stories and wait for the next bus. I am not in a rush
YA itself is so broad as that's pretty much every genre written for that age group. YA dystopia. YA fantasy. YA romance. YA historical fiction. YA contemporary. Lots of possibilities.
Is YA even a genre?
@TheEccentricRaven Only thing that gives me hope as a SciFi Horror writer is past success, like Christopher Pike's YA horror/fantasy novels.
@@jimsbooksreadingandstuff Bookseller here, aside from a writer.
Tl;dr: yeah, sort of.
Sort of, based on the yearly market research. *Generally,* if readers read one genre within YA, they read more than one. So the buyers of the genre are YA buyers.
All genre is, for publishing purposes, is a marketing tool. It's "where does this book go on the bookstore shelves?"
For YA - it tends to be in the YA section, then subdivided from there, similarly to how some booksellers are starting to subdivide the SFF subgenres, and reclassify things based on genre blending. That's been a big deal in the bookselling (and broader publishing, and in the library) world for the last couple years.
But mostly, we're all still subdividing into the big three "umbrella" publishing genres - kid lit, adult, and YA, then subdividing from there.
But what the "literary" world and the publishing world consider "genre" to be, are two different things. Lit fic is the biggest example. For publishing and bookselling - "literary fiction," is basically "general fiction," without a "home" genre. For the literary world, it's...well, pretentious or "literary," depending on your viewpoint.
So, like, for publishing purposes - yeah, YA is sort-of a genre unto itself. Because buyers of YA don't tend to read specifically within a single subgenre. Adults do. Spec fiction readers tend to stay there, mystery/thriller readers, the same, dystopia can either be horror or SFF, romance readers tend to read romance, etc. YA readers are at least a little more flexible.
Hence why the crossover genres have blown up so much and surprised the Houses. They were born in the YA section. Adult readers haven't *tended* to like crossover sub/genres until the ebook/indie publishing wave. Prior to that, crossovers tended to be gatekept out of mainstream publishing.
Well, thank goodness I love what I'm writing (historical and literary fiction) because I don't think either has been "trending" for quite a few years now. LOL. Thanks for putting in the disclaimer; it helps me to know that my work still has value. Great video!
Absolutely! I never recommend writing to trend. Historical and literary books are still being published, even if they're not necessarily "trending." :) Happy writing!
Working on a light-hearted fantasy adventure so thats good to hear
I remember watching your video about publishing trends in 2023! My 2023 release was right on the money: Greek mythology retelling called ‘Pharmakides’. My 2024 release is a travel memoir and I hope it finds the right people💘🫶 Thank you for your insightful videos.
Glad to hear this, since my adult fantasy romance is almost ready to query!
Whenever I see how trendy YA and fantasy are, I feel tempted to dust off a manuscript I wrote years and years ago that falls under these genres... There is even a sweet romance in it... But I'm not sure I would want to put my current project on hold for it, or that I could handle both projects at the same time... Food for thought, though! :)
What is it about! Sounds interesting
One of my favorite youtubers right now. Keep up the good work
Great video, and as always, so timely! Thank you 😊
It would be interesting to know how many authors there are in each genre. My suspicion is that in genres where authors can rely on internal data, based on their own emotions and fantasies, the numbers are very high. However, in genres which rely on external data, such as research and empathizing with a wide range of active characters with complex emotions, the number of authors will be much smaller.
My genre is YA sci-fi (fantasy) novel. I appreciate your take on the current trend that are popular in the writing industry which I do not write according to trends (btw thanks for pointing that out) but I write according to my creative imagination and what my spirit inspires me to write about. As always thank you kindly for the tidbits of info that you give to your audience. Alyssa, I'll talk to you later.
Interesting video, my current novel is historical fiction, I put on hold a fantasy novel to do it...😆
Though my book does cover one of the most amazing historical romances, so this has been really useful, i was going to leave it out of my blurb but after watching this I'm going to put a line in about it. Thank you 😊
Great info! Thanks for doing this research Alyssa! 🙌
this is good news!! the book im writing and going to query this year is a mix of contemporary womens fiction with some romance
I agree 100% with the end, though Alyssa has such a pleasant way of putting things. If you use this video as a tinder for your ideas, you're already lost. If you're not truly passionate about what you are writing, it'll show. If your work is good, regardless of genre, it will get attention. I can't imagine sniping trends as a real writer. That's commercial sh*t.
Highly appreciated vid! 🙏🏻 I've been writing for over a year and I am only halfway through the first draft. Very* slow writer here. Snail. I'm relaxed about whatever genres are in this year. By the time I finish they might change. Also, I'm focusing on making my story as powerful as I can. I'm a coach, not a writer, so I'm writing from intuition and / or instinct. Not even sure from* which one. It's my way of getting the heck out of my comfort zone.✌🏻✨
I love all of this! You're absolutely right - the important thing is focusing on making your story as strong as possible. Good luck with your draft!
@@AlyssaMatesic thank you very much! 🙏🏻
Awesome!! I started writing women’s fiction but have really morphed into sweet romance… with maybe a dash of spice here and there. 😊
Thank you for sharing the trends. Though you mentioned middle-grade as a sub-genre, it was a bit disheartening to see it wasn’t in the word cloud, much less the top five. It certainly doesn’t stop me from writing a story that I feel led to share, but it does cause me to reflect. Any insights or suggestions specifically for middle-grade authors on publishing and marketing?
I wrote my first draft of a romantic scifi trilogy. Some of it takes place on earth and some of it does not. This is my first finished draft ever and I’m wondering if it could fall into the fantasy lens or not.
I still have a long way to go to get it query ready though.
Hi Alyssa, I have a question for you. But first, thank you for putting out all this free knowledge for us aspiring authors.
My question for you is regarding editing before submitting a Query Letter to Literary Agents. I just finished the final revision/ self edit of my first novel, but am unsure if I should hire a copy editor to do a workup of the entire manuscript or just the first few chapters. I am also trying to figure out if a copy editor will help with paragraph structure/ where one breaks and another begins. Any help would be amazing, and thank you again for the videos you put out for us!
Could you explain the difference between “Romantasy” and Paranormal romance? Or just even Fantasy vs. Paranormal? Thanks Alyssa!!
Late to the party, but I can help with this one.
With the disclaimer that you're going to get all kinds of answers, and these are rough guidelines.
Romantasy: this is *generally* marketed in YA, and is straight fantasy (usually no genre bending, and all the tropes played straight) and romance. Very much what it says on the tin.Usually set in a secondary fantasy world, or it's a portal fantasy. Think ACOTAR. That's the one that really codified it into mainstream talk.
Paranomal romance: This tends to blend fantasy and horror, sometimes also mystery. Usually set in the present day, occasionally set in the near future. Think Anita Blake. She's one of the poster kids for paranomal romance. If Harry had more of a love life, the Dresden Files would be this.
Paranormal: Horror in a more victorian/Gothic sense. Think Penny Dreadful (which also slides over into horror and paranormal fantasy). Also the ghost/haunted house stories, or the gothic family dramas with supernatural undertones (House of the Seven Gables is an early example, or We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and tbh most things by Shirley Jackson). Usually period pieces, but can be modern day.
Omg a Sunday upload!!
I'm happy historical fiction is not trending yet as I have a long way to go before my ms is completed 😂
I feel ya, bud. Gosh I wish I just wrote romance or thrillers set in today's real world. Lots less description and research needed. What did I choose? Science fiction 😂
😅
Golly, mine is a memoir, narrative nonfiction. Not at all discouraged with the comments. They are most insightful. I, however, will push on with my manuscript.
I was curious to know what your opinion about writer conferences. I have the chance to attend on this year but I'm not sure my work will be fully edited by then and I'm wondering if it's worth the expense.
Sci-fi romance, somewhere between Illuminae and ice planet barbarians. I feel like I can't find enough books in this genre that I like. I guess I'll have to write it myself 😭
I'm working on a dark/horror fantasy epic with twisted "bad romance" themes for new adults...id say that qualifies for YA right?
In any case, I'm having a blast just writing and discovering the world of my story ❤
Romance. I am not surprised, as Ace Romance, Metaphor Romance and Romanticism has been going strong lately. I am surprised about the Metaphor one
I'm working on a horror novel, which by the way is kicking my butt.
Same with my SciFi-Horror novel. Sad to see neither are "popular" right now, but niches exist for a reason.
I’m currently querying an adult mystery, which didn’t even show up in the word cloud. Was that combined with thriller for this video, or are agents not looking for mystery novels right now?
Late to the party, but mystery has always been, and always will be, a competitive genre. It's hard to find fresh takes on the genre, and mystery exists in its own, cozy little publishing world, for the most part (similar to how horror publishing works).
It's always in demand, but it's incredibly competitive, much like "vanilla" sci-fi and fantasy.
Curious to know if Romance is the most popular genre globally or just nationwide?
Global.
You can argue that it's because fiction is, at its heart, escapist. Romance - and especially fantasy romance - is the pinnacle of that. Humans, we have a long, long history of those being our favorite kinds of stories, even long before Johannes Gutenberg came along. We told fantastic romances involving the gods and heroes across cultures. Collectively, we're suckers for a good love story and happy endings.
Present day fiction... Do you think that readers are perhaps "lazy" in their wants? We have all the "present day" stuff outside every day. I get that it's easily relatable, but isn't reading for most people to take them away? I love reading historical stuff. "The only thing new to you is the history you don't already know" is one of my favorite quotes.
It think it's the agents being lazy in what they're looking for and not the readers.
Question I've been meaning to ask... Real "unknown" characters, real "unknown" events, 150 years ago, but a LOT of filling in the blanks, dialogue, some combining of characters events and years to help the story... what is it!? Fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, fiction-non-fiction? Thanks.
Super happy to see your video. I am working on an animal fantasy: The Zambezi Allies
So helpful thank you
Fortunately I'm working on a YA romantic fantasy, with political intrigue. It even has a strong female lead, although not "Hollywood" strong. She's actually a female type female and not a "more macho than the guys" warrior hero.
It's the second of what I would call Social Justice trilogy. First an adventure, then a romance, and finally a swashbuckler. All to free to an oppressed minority.
Cries in Science Fiction 😢
I know! I feel like mine could be considered scifi or fantasy but I’m not totally sure to be honest! But I love scifi!!!
My novel is sci-fi too. Nonetheless, I see opportunity, as the literary market is always in flux.
Did you publish yet
@@Manav_Yz No, I haven’t even edited it yet. I’m struggling with that. I hate it. 🫠
Yeah, I feel ya - Especially as someone writing SciFi-Horror. Then again, niches exist for a reason, and I'm sticking to my passion. Could never imagine myself being a commercial lazy mass-produced pandering sell-out.
Sooo helpful 🙏🏼
Does this perfectly correlate to Amazon sales?
I'm not sure where mine sits. It has romance in it, yes, but it also has a lot of sci-fi, fantasy, history, and social issues, including mental health. I feel like I'm throwing at bunch if tennis balls at a velcro wall and hoping something sticks long enough to get a prize.
Oh, dear! I'm finishing a mystery/whodunit novel. I hope the trends list won't be an obstacle.
I think mysteries and thrillers always have an audience regardless of what is trending tbh.
FWIW, the last ten or twenty years or so, one of the precious few ways into the genre has been writing them with franchise potential. Mystery is a strange animal. Mystery readers tend to be very, very author loyal, much more so than nearly any other genre (westerns are the other one that's incredibly author loyal).
If it's not - it's going to be a very hard sell to agents and publishers.
If it is - it still better be good. Because it's intensely competitive, even when it is in high demand. Readers are super picky, and the more traditional it is, the less publishers want to touch it, due to limited sale potential.
I'm currently working on murder mystery at request of friends and family it shows that it's not my forte. I love reading them but writing it well not so much
My genre is Science Fiction, which seems nowhere to be found in the current listing of popular genres. Disappointing. Perhaps I need to work on my non-fiction for a while.
Same - I'm writing SciFi Horror. Then again, niches exist for a reason. I just can't bring myself to write romance, let alone "romantasy" (which honestly, makes me gag since the Twilight series). Gotta stay true to oneself and one's passions.
My latest book was sci-fi horror, and I think in hindsight it was a mistake to go for the horror element.
@NathanGregoryAuthor That makes me sad :( I still believe there's enough of a niche for it, but good thing I don't plan to quit my day job lol
I wrote a fantasy novel 🧙🏾♂️🔮.
Fast forward to 3:00 for start of actual content :)
I still see tones of agents who want YA. I would like to write more adult fantasy novels, but my chances on getting an agent is higher with YA.
Can you do something about query letters? I am soon to start writing one.
She does have a couple great videos on her channel on query letters!
Hey! Here's a video about writing a query letter from start to finish: th-cam.com/video/SSBcasOsRCs/w-d-xo.html I hope that helps. Good luck with querying!
Thank you
Thank god for the romantic sub plot of my historical fiction novel haha.
Middle-grade fantasy writer here... that's all I gotta say, really. :')
I am currently writing a mythology book so I am kind of happy that it isn't trending!
That's too bad. I'm more of a speculative fiction kind of gal. I feel like all these new trends are further pushed by BookTok and a younger demographic, which sucks. We need more diversity of genre within reading. As of right now, everything feels so tropeish. Here's to hoping things change in 2025.
I'd love to see a 2025 version of this!
Subscribed. I guessed the romance would be a high trending genera. I would wonder if this is being gender driven.
Why is YA 5 times on the wordcloud and romantasy twice. 😆
YA.....what? Urban contemporary, horror, romance, dystopian, sci-fi? I'm revising my YA dystopian sci-fi novel, and I wonder, does the *actual* genre matter within YA, or does it only matter how a novel is marketed?
How it's marketed. YA/NA/Adult is the audience. Each has their own genres and subgenres from there.
Supernatural romance is one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard about
I like to think that people don't know what they really want until they see it. Of course, that's what I LIKE to think.
I have a novel and I want to contact a publishing house
( *clings to science fantasy manuscript and smiles* )
I'm writing a novel based on my experiences in Australia's rave and gay party scenes from 1989-1992, from the perspective of a British backpacker and I'm including insights on full moon parties in Thailand and India. It's a first-person account, blending fact and fiction, from both an attendee's and party promoter's perspective.
So, if you’re writing fantasy romance for young adults, your time has come. 😎 Wait for me, I’m just tidying up the final draft of my light coming of age portal fantasy set in the Orient.
Hey Alyssa, I hope you find my comment because I need to pick your brain on something. I have finished my first book. I'm even done with the final editing as well. It is s spy thriller and mystery, set in modern times.
The story is centred around a brother-sister duo who used to work for an international spy agency but left their job many years ago. Sameer, who is Indian and is working as a journalist, learns from his former boss, one fine morning, that Matilda, Sameer's sister, has been abducted from her home in Sydney. The evidence suggests it to be the work of an old enemy. Sameer is forced to return to his old life for one last time to rescue his sister.
My story has a dark tone and a grim ending. But I should also mention here that it is not like other conventional spy thrillers. Yes, the story does show Sameer embarking on a mission and solving puzzles and cracking codes to look for clues as he tracks down Matilda. The primary focus of the story is around the personal and emotional turmoil he goes through and the emotional and psychological impact the mission has on him that makes him question his principles and morals in life.
The two main characters of my story, Sameer and Matilda, are Indian and Australian, respectively. The story has a global setting to it, as Sameer has to travel the world, leading a team of special agents, to look for his sister. I should also mention here that the book is the first in a three-part series and is part of a larger narrative about love, loss, revenge, sacrifice, betrayal and making hard choices.
With all this in mind, I wish to aks you what agents should I approach with my query and pitch? And what is the scope for this kind of genre in 2024? And if literary agents refuse to represent me, can I still approach the traditional publishers on my own?
1. What agents
- whoever reps the genre. It changes yearly, but there's never very many. Any industry directory should point you in the right direction.
2. Scope
- About the same as it always is. Fairly limited. The bulk of sales are backlist sales in the genre from the big names - Fleming, Ludlum, Clancy, etc. It has limited mass appeal unless it's optioned (like the Bourne series was), so it, like mystery as a whole, tends to be fairly competitive even at the best of times. Right now, readers are still generally wanting "softer," reads, so it's more competitive probably for the next several years.
3. Can you approach them
- No. None of the big boys take unsolicited manuscripts. You can with *some* of the independents, but it varies by the house.
Video starts at 3:00.
My book's category is more of Contemporary Realistic Women's Fiction.
Im working on a star wars novel so my chances are slim to none 👍
I don't know why, but romance novels don't appeal to me. A little romance in a story is ok, as long as it's not the overall genre. I prefer Action and Adventure.
Me too
Same! I just can't bring myself to read or write romance. I'm writing SciFi Horror (with some fantasy elements).
It would be great if something extremely obscure like atompunk zombie wuxia would suddenly become the next top genre across the world and no one could explain how that happened.
I have no idea what cozy or light fantasy is.
girly emotional soap operas.
Its shite.... 😂😂😂😂haha, no, but not my taste for sure
Cozy is kinda a reaction to grimdark/gritty/realistic/hard* fantasy. It goes the other way.
* also in terms of hard magic systems, like Sanderson gets off to.
Usually very little violence and sex, when its there, usually not terribly graphic. More character-driven than mainstream fantasy tends to be. *Tends* toward slice of life, but doesn't have to. Lots of crossover with its cousin, the cozy mystery. Limited sets, usually not a ton of characters, plot is there, but tends to be more of a... "progression," kind of plot, rather than a "stop the magical bomb," kind of plot.
I hope you are reading something good. Best wishes.
Romance and Rom-Com is unfortunate for people who want to get good at it but hate reading it lmao. Because lots of younger women and women want to read it so it's popular but it's also not easy to write romantic dialogue. It's boring to me.
Efendim teşekkürler selamlar arkadaşlar thanks
Not a single mention of science fiction? Oh dear.
I know, right? I'm writing SciFi-Horror, which is niche enough as it is. Guess no one's interested in the future when the present is so terrible /shrug.
little big recently became regenre
What about Women's Fiction - or isn't that a genre name used in the USA?
Romantasy? Isn’t that a subgenre of fantasy?
You have a flawless beauty about you that is matched by a beautiful voice.
0:02 - I ended the video at, "Now that we are a couple."
I guess males (like me) are no longer reading, no westerns, no adventure, no sci-fi .....
Honestly, I'm a woman and disappointed in the quality of books these days. I'm writing a speculative fiction novel at the moment and also wanting to write a Western one day. Maybe we really do need more men to read/write? I'm not interested in reading romance myself.
Yeah, I feel ya. Hard enough that I only have passion writing SciFi-Horror. Even just watching romance bores me without at least being half comedy, action, adventure, fantasy, or something.
Satire, please? Let's go Satire!
Or AI lit 😭
If you don’t think talking about trends is all that useful, why do you talk about trends?
People keep asking. She does top comments.
By listening to the videos, I personally think the trends DO matter because you sell more books. But authors want to HEAR "Oh do what you want."
If Alyssa’s videos are to be helpful, they’ve got to be truthful. If following the trends isn’t going to help you as a writer, she shouldn’t be making videos that imply the opposite.
As Alyssa acknowledges, it takes years for a book to go from idea to published novel and trending genres change, so how can knowing the current trends really help you query a book that won’t be ready to query for another year or so?
Finally, writing is not like house painting where it doesn’t really matter to the painter what color the wall is going to be. What kind of writer wants to write mysteries, but decides to write romances because that’s a trending genre. There may be writers who can do that, but it doesn’t sound like a recipe for success, especially in a market that demands a writer’s best efforts.
My question stands!
@@sandyhausler5290 For most career authors, the pipeline is much shorter. There's plenty of us who can write and edit and book in a month and start shopping it to publishers.
The industry pipeline is its own animal. But people romanticize what career authors do and how long it takes them to do it. Very few true, working pros are taking years to write a book. There's always been a place for writers who can produce - and produce across genres. Plenty do. Some you've probably heard of. But they do it under pen names. Doing it for a living means cultivating a following, yes, but it also means going where the money is. Do you quit because nobody's buying in your home genre? Or do you keep doing your job, just in a different genre? That's the difference between working writers and people who treat it like a hobby. For working writers, work is work. All genres have their things, but they're not rocket science. They aren't difficult to study and learn. The craft itself is the hard part - but that's transferrable.
There's this myth that, to be publishable, you have to be exceptionally good at one thing. That couldn't be farther from the truth - unless we're talking about writing itself.
The market doesn't demand best efforts. The market demands consistency - to the genre and from the author. It doesn't take an Austen or Hemingway to write to that level.
For indies - it matters a lot. Because the publishing cycle is much shorter. The days when the Big Three ran the show are dead and gone. That officially ended with the pandemic.
So for quite a few writers who make a living from it, for agents, for editors, for people in publishing, marketers, designers, you name it - yeah, trends matter. Because fiction writing isn't some mythical, divine act of creation.
It's a job. One where market research matters. Otherwise, it's just a hobby, or "your art."
Dreadful news. Thanks. These past four years of dedicated writing, down the tubes.
Bottom line: women need more hugs.