What's Hot?

Well..... Most of my exposure at this time has been with picture books. Its a side effect of having a 2yo and a 4yo in the house. I am seeing a trend towards books that entertain the parents along with the kids. They seem to have a little something extra for the parents to relate with. (Which is smart, since we are the ones reading the books to the kids and buying them!)

Fancy Nancy stuff seems to be all over the place right now. I am not sure if I am in love with it. My kids received the first book from a relative, and when I read it to them, I make sure to add a few 'lessons' or 'morals' to the story.

The PB trends seem to follow film as well. Lots of pirate stuff out there. But some subjects never seem to go out of style. Ie - princesses, dinosaurs, animals etc..

I think fantasies, sci-fi, and whimsical books are still in vogue right now. I wonder if Westerns will make it big again.

I love all the quirkiness in the market at the moment! I think Lauren Child's 'Clarice Bean' books are just brilliant. For me, one of the nicest experiences reading to children is when you have to stop because both reader and listener are laughing so hard! Clarice Bean has that effect on me and my various babysittees!

Something with funny cartoons and scribbles, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is really popular right now.

http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html

My first time in here, too, but I couldn't resist the title of this thread.

I read a blog a couple of days ago, answering the same question -- what's hot right now? The author said anything hot right now was written two years ago and the same thing might not be hot two years from now when you have your book published.

I had a think about that and, you know -- he's right! So write your book and don't worry about what's hot. You might have the next Harry Pottter.

Great to see you back, Brittanimae.

You've brought up something we all think about, even if we sometimes don't want to, or we deny ever thinking about it in the first place.

I'm a little concerned with this trend in darker-natured stories. I haven't a problem with that as I loved the Harry Potter books (Still haven't finished the series yet) and there many great stories with a darker edge to them.

However, my stories are much more light-hearted and funnier than what I often see dominating bookstores and what kids 8 and up seem to be gravitating to. I've only recently starting developing stories I want to write that are a lot darker than what I've done in the past, but not because I was enslaved to the marketplace. It was simply because I wanted to see if I could be a little dark without being morbidly depressing.


This is why my only YA novel (a paranormal) is unfinished. I liked the idea, but I was concerned that it was too light-hearted to be interesting. This was long before I heard of Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight saga (which I've only started reading from book one, but hey, I was late to Harry Potter too)

Now I wonder if I finish it and clean it up, could it possibly have an audience without the need of being depressing, overly dark, and severely tragic, while still being real and honest. I'll be posting a thread on this issue soon.

Here's the thread!

Carmy said:

My first time in here, too, but I couldn't resist the title of this thread.

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Carmy said:

I read a blog a couple of days ago, answering the same question -- what's hot right now? The author said anything hot right now was written two years ago and the same thing might not be hot two years from now when you have your book published.

I had a think about that and, you know -- he's right! So write your book and don't worry about what's hot. You might have the next Harry Potter.

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I agree completely Carmy, but sometimes it can be hard to keep that focus. Especially because agents and editors are always saying that they wish writers were more knowledgeable about the business of it all. I agree that knowing more about publishing is essential if you want a career as a writer, and AW and other resources like Children's Book Insider are great for that. But I feel they don’t often get that thinking about the business aspects too much can have negative impacts on our work in the sense that we feel like unless we do xyz, we'll never be read by anyone, or that no one will like what we write. Who needs that constant pressure hanging over your head? I don't!

There's enough of that angst in what's going on in the world as it is. Not to say we never feel doubts sometimes anyway, but why compound it more than necessary?

CJ - yes there is a lot of dark stuff out there for kids these days, probably more than ever before. But there is also such a wider variety available than ever before. This means less that dark has replaced light, but there is more room for more kinds of YA/MG books. I can tell you for a fact, that there are still YA/MG books out there that are light. They haven't gone anywhere. In fact Twilight is very light, very tame, compared with some of the stuff out there. Have you read any of Ally Carter's YA stuff? I haven't myself, but I hear they are nicely free of the darkness to which you refer. Heck ever read The Princess Diaries? You are second guessing yourself because of a false assumption and I think that plays very well with what Carmy posted. Instead of writing what you want you are writing what you think the industry wants. So you are not only writing against your passion, but also with the fallacy that the only way to get published is to write something dark. These two very issues are what, you yourself admit, are holding you back. So in your attempt to write to some trend that you think you see, you are in fact hurting your own chances.

Personally (and I have written a blog post about it here) I believe it is futile to chase trends. Yes we must know what is going on in the market, but I liken it to the "rules" of writing. Once you learn and understand them, then it's time to forget them and just . . . write.

Toothpaste said:

CJ - yes there is a lot of dark stuff out there for kids these days, probably more than ever before. But there is also such a wider variety available than ever before. This means less that dark has replaced light, but there is more room for more kinds of YA/MG books. I can tell you for a fact, that there are still YA/MG books out there that are light. They haven't gone anywhere. In fact Twilight is very light, very tame, compared with some of the stuff out there. Have you read any of Ally Carter's YA stuff? I haven't myself, but I hear they are nicely free of the darkness to which you refer. Heck ever read The Princess Diaries? You are second guessing yourself because of a false assumption and I think that plays very well with what Carmy posted. Instead of writing what you want you are writing what you think the industry wants. So you are not only writing against your passion, but also with the fallacy that the only way to get published is to write something dark. These two very issues are what, you yourself admit, are holding you back. So in your attempt to write to some trend that you think you see, you are in fact hurting your own chances.

Personally (and I have written a blog post about it here) I believe it is futile to chase trends. Yes we must know what is going on in the market, but I liken it to the "rules" of writing. Once you learn and understand them, then it's time to forget them and just . . . write.

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Thanks Toothpaste, I needed to hear that. I always have, and still do write what I love. I've just had a hang up with this issue in general. I needed to vent a little, and this thread was perfect for that.

The only reason some of my current projects are darker than I've done is because it was solely my choice, and it was what those stories require.

I'm okay now, really.

Hi Britaniamae, Here where I live (down under), the kids still love Roald Dahl. Whenever I take them out of the library, there is always someone waiting to read them. Also Andy Griffiths, Junie B, Jones and even Ramona by Beverly Cleary. However, I live in a coastal country village. I don't know if that makes a difference.

Trish.

Humor and adventure and drama are hot. Dull and boring are not.

Kids come in all flavors. One of the things that I love about my job is that every year is different. A different mix of kids. Two years ago, my class craved Eragon and other fantasy books. When they wrote their own stories, castles and dragons and magic ruled. Last year's class, it was Nate the Great and the Magic TreeHouse. They wanted to solve problems and learn about other countries. This year's class is immature and silly. They want to laugh. Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta and its villain, Dr. Stinky McNasty, are the current favorite. And the classics never go away; every class loves Wanda G'ag's Millions of Cats, even though it's 80 years old.

I think we're talking about 2 different things here. There's trendspotting--what's hot right now?--and Toothpaste is right. There's just no point to it. The real money is in being the trendsetter, but that's pretty hard to control.

But when publishers say "know the market," they mean something different. They mean, study what kids are reading right now, and figure out WHY. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a great example. It's NOT a great story, at least not in the sense of having a strong plot or compelling adventures. But it is laugh-your-pants-off funny in places, and because of the cartoons mixed in, it is very easy to read.

They also mean, know what's already out there. Don't try to publish something that's already been done, unless you can do it even better. Are you bringing something new to the table? A new twist, a new voice, a modern perspective? Are you able to show that when you pitch your work? They're not looking for "vampires are hot right now, and I have another one!" They're looking for, "you haven't seen anything like this! But I know it will sell because it's as funny/exciting/quirky as this other thing that is selling really well right now!"

And the teacher in me has to say: There are no stupid questions. Let's not lecture each other for asking questions, even if we don't see the usefulness of them. They spark discussions of the craft, and those discussions could lead someone to becoming a better writer.

I'm really enjoying this thread, but I still need to know:

If my MC is 5 or 6 years old, and has a habit of making comments that are gross, is this going to go okay with parents?

For example, the family is having dinner, and he pipes up with the engrossing tale of how he watched so-and-so in his class eating boogers during music lesson. Now, the parent in me knows that this is what really happens sometimes at the dinner table, and she also knows this is beyond gross. But I also can't help but smile when the storyteller doesn't see anything wrong with relating this tale at dinner - after all, that's when the family discusses interesting aspects of their day.

So what is too gross that parents or educators will say - I don't think so?

I doubt there is a hard-and-fast line. The teachers' union magazine had a debate about Captain Underpants a few months ago. One side argued that the books are just too disgusting to belong in a school library. The other side argued that if the books get reluctant readers (translation: boys) to get excited about a story, then the librarians and teachers could use that opportunity to steer them towards other, more socially redeeming fare. Meanwhile, Scholastic and Dav Pilkey are laughing all the way to the bank, so.... If it works, it works, I think.

(and have you read the first of the Time Warp Trio series? Knights at the Kitchen Table? Don't want to spoil the ending, but it involves the explosive power of certain bodily emissions....)

Judy - I'm so glad you mentioned Captain Underpants. I got a copy at the library the other day - it's the one about the wedgle woman. I'm a bit torn, but I'm open-minded enough to admit it would definitely appeal to the intended audience. I found myself wincing, though, at the comic book entries with all the phonetically spelled words - but I realize this is how kids that age often spell.

I told my 7 year old that he probably shouldn't read it because he wouldn't understand it. This morning he was avidly devouring it with his older sister, and there was much giggling and laughing going on, so I was thrilled.

I'm hoping he'll also read the copy of Marvin Redpost, Kidnapped at Birth that I left lying around.

I couldn't find the Time Warp series at my library - I'll keep looking, though.

I really wish I could come up with the secret to get kids reading. It never was a problem for me, but I know many of them truly struggle.

Sissy, our village school has all those gross books for seven to nine year olds. Like Judy said, it gets kids reading. The boys all love that stuff. One book we have here in Australia that is a best seller and keeps topping the top fifty nearly every year is Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls by Christopher Milne. If you can get hold of a copy at the library your son might enjoy this.

It was written and published by the author. I think from what I've read, he couldn't get it published because of the content, so he published it himself quite a few years ago. It became a best seller and still is. He wrote this book of short stories for his sons who wouldn't read. They are mainly the real things that happen to himself and his children and yucky things that they do. I found it hilarious. I had already written my story about Molly Loves Gum and was worried that it was too gross. So when I saw that in the bookshop, the title attracted me. I bought it for my nephews. I read it first of course. It has all the things that you're talking about in it, Sissy. What’s great about it is they are all short stories so they can read a different story each night. You can Google it to see. I love it.

Thanks, Trish, that sounds like just the type of book my son would love! I hope I can find it at the library, but if not I'll look on Amazon. If it's really gross, he'll want to read it over and over again. Kids are so weird! But it's the weird and gross things they do that make me laugh, so I guess we never outgrow a bit of it. Leastways, I haven't.

It doesn't really matter what's hot. By the time the trend is identified, it is usually almost over - at least by the time you write a book about the Hot trend.

There are exceptions. Fantasy has been strong for quite a while now. Same with vampires.

Jeff

brittanimae said:

And just for fun, a prediction from me: the next hot thing will be . . . GREEN BOOKS that have some sort of environmental message to them (you know, buried deeply). Wild guess, but if I'm right, you all owe me a dollar.

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Please, lord, let them be better than Captain Planet! That show makes me want to go out and choke a baby seal....

Actually, the trend has started. Carl Hiassen's Hoot is all about saving baby owls, but it's a hilarious mystery more than a lecture.

brittanimae said:

And just for fun, a prediction from me: the next hot thing will be . . . GREEN BOOKS that have some sort of environmental message to them (you know, buried deeply). Wild guess, but if I'm right, you all owe me a dollar.

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And they have to be printed on recycled paper, or... better yet... bamboo paper!!

I saw a thing in the paper that Simon and Schuster is experimenting with "green" inks and papers. Maybe bookworms will have to find a new source of food?

Humor is always big with kids. Always. Never goes out of style. Slapstick humor, quirky humor....

Editors and even agents would like to see more MG books written for the boy audience. That's been something they've wanted for years and still do.

By JudScotKev

I saw a thing in the paper that Simon and Schuster is experimenting with "green" inks and papers. Maybe bookworms will have to find a new source of food?

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Hey, Judy. That would make a great children's story.

Woody The Bookworm

"Yipes! Green paper? Where will I live? What will I eat now?" Woody wriggled off the page and onto the library shelf in search of white pages. "What is the world comming to?"
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Sorry, I couldn't resist that. hehe.

Trish.

brittanimae said:

Since I'm on the verge of finishing one of these (okay, fine, it's just the first draft), I hope it's really, truly true. Well, I assume it is true, I just hope mine makes the cut!

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Yep. It's true. Right from an agent's mouth (and an editor at a large publishing house too).