I need classification help!!!

tempered_steel · Sep 14, 2009

My novel is a fantasy adventure, completed at 80,000 words. My MC is fifteen, so I had origanally classified it as a YA. The problem is that I've been told that the themes and characters are 'sofisticated' enough to be YA, and it should be MG instead. I agree. My target audience is younger, anyway. The book is written with kids aged 9-13 or 14 in mind. (So it crosses from MG to YA, then...)

But now people are telling me that my MC is too old for MG, so I should make it YA or make my MC younger. If I do the latter, and make him 14 or 13, the book will be less realistic. A 13 year old boy wouldn't be able to do some of the things I have him doing now at 15.

But what about Harry Potter? He starts out young, and each one of the seven books chronicles one year, right? (I'm not sure. I've never read it.) So he's a lot older in book seven than he was in book one. And all those books are sold as children's books.

This is really frustrating me. Opinions, anyone? Sorry about the long post...I just needed to get it out.

seun · Sep 14, 2009

Who are the people telling you that your MC is too old? Friends? Family? Agents? Publishers?

And it's sophisticated

tempered_steel · Sep 14, 2009

Yes, I realized I spelled the word wrong after I submitted the post. Sorry about that...

I entered a contest, and one of the judges told me that the plot and characters weren't sophisticated enough for YA. Some other people here on AW seem to agree...

My family and people in my target audience who've read it seem to have no problem with the age of the MC. I just don't know whose opinion to go with right now, so I'm asking a lot of people what they think.

Danthia · Sep 14, 2009

Odds are you're upper middle grade, which is where they placed mine. My protag is 15 as well (though she started out 17 and it was a YA novel my editor felt was better suited for MG).

I wouldn't worry too much about it and just focus on making the story the best it can be. There's a shifting line between MG and YA around the 14 year old mark and whatever editor buys it will make the final call. And it won't matter if you call it YA or MG, they'll put it where they feel it will sell

Trust you own opinion.

Sounds like you feel it's a MG novel for 9-13 ages, so call it that. Kids read up, so 13-15 is pretty common age for the MG market.

katiemac · Sep 14, 2009

But what about Harry Potter? He starts out young, and each one of the seven books chronicles one year, right? (I'm not sure. I've never read it.) So he's a lot older in book seven than he was in book one. And all those books are sold as children's books.

Potter is its own beast, so I wouldn't really look at it as the best example. Scholastic labeled the books MG, all except for the last one which it labeled YA. However, it's IMO the series starts becoming YA around book four or five, but they kept the MG label for, lack of a better word, convenience. So, again, not really something to base your book on.

What Danthia says is correct. The MG/YA distinction is a marketing strategy more than anything else. An agent or editor isn't going to reject you if they liked the story but you said MG and they think it should be YA.

Tsira · Sep 14, 2009

I think it would probably be in MG, and you said yourself that the audience you were aiming for was kids between 9 and 14. While 14 does cross into YA a little bit, it shouldn't matter. Ultimately, it'll be up to the publisher to place the book where they think it will sell.

tempered_steel · Sep 14, 2009

Thanks so much, guys. I really appriciate your input! Everyone's been so helpful.

Stijn Hommes · Sep 14, 2009

Also, in the case of Harry Potter, the readers grew along with the character, so most kids who started reading at the age of 11 were solidly in the YA area by the time they reached the last book.

You however, have a single book.

tempered_steel · Sep 14, 2009

Well, it's the first in a trilogy (I forgot to mention that, I guess)...but I see what you mean.

I need classification help!!!

tempered_steel

Writing, fencing, and chocolate!!!

seun

Horror Man

tempered_steel

Writing, fencing, and chocolate!!!

Danthia

katiemac

Five by Five

Tsira

Revision is my best friend

tempered_steel

Writing, fencing, and chocolate!!!

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

tempered_steel

Writing, fencing, and chocolate!!!