Fantasy Market: Is it really that hard to get into?

[LittleFlowerLei]

In retrospect, I probably should've asked this question BEFORE writing over 56k words in my fantasy novel, but here I am to ask anyway.

Is the fantasy market really as hard to get into as I've heard? Or does it depend upon how good my WIP is and how good the query/synopsis is, like it does any other genre?

[Parametric]

It's pretty simple when you get right down to it. If you have a great, saleable novel, you'll get in. If you don't, you won't.

Also, some types of fantasy are wildly popular right now - urban fantasy, paranormals, YA fantasy, etc. Epic fantasy ... not so much.

edit: Pimp My Novel, who works in the sales department of a "major trade book publisher", talks about fantasy sales (http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/08/genre-specific-sales-part-1-of-8.html).

[Sarah Christine]

I think this is a better question for the published authors of fantasy, but I think both apply in your question. It's a tough market, but it also depends on how good your WIP and query pitch are! It also has a lot to do with luck and finding the right agent at the right time (which I guess is redundant, but uh...), and it also depends on what the market is hungry for. Like, at the moment, vampires. Vampires are EVERYwhere, but that's because vampires are a cash cow.

I think I'm rambling. Does that make sense?

[LittleFlowerLei]

(Has read the link Parametric so generously provided (Thanks btw!) ) i'm glad to hear that "fantasy is actually doing all right, and in many instances, sales of fantasy books are up over last year's sales." That makes me feel better, even though it talked about how much the economic climate has affected everyone in the literary buisness.

I think this is a better question for the published authors of fantasy, but I think both apply in your question. It's a tough market, but it also depends on how good your WIP and query pitch are! It also has a lot to do with luck and finding the right agent at the right time (which I guess is redundant, but uh...), and it also depends on what the market is hungry for. Like, at the moment, vampires. Vampires are EVERYwhere, but that's because vampires are a cash cow.

I think I'm rambling. Does that make sense?

and yes, I think this makes sense to me. Glad to hear though that I won't be counted completely out if I can make my WIP and query good enough! ^_^

[Sarah Christine]

Just don't give up!! :heart:

[Sage]

There are several subgenres of fantasy that are booming right now, but keep in mind that there are far more people writing them too. So you have more competition. If a agent's seen queries for a hundred vampire books in one day (not that farfetched), you're going to have to really wow them with your vampire book (this is a hypothetical you).

That said, don't choose your genre based on what's hot. Choose it based on what you want to write.

[LittleFlowerLei]

Just don't give up!! :heart:

-Anime determination fist- I won't! ^_^ Hopefully its good enough though. I'm a weeeeeee bit worried that its not good enough, but a lot of writer's must think that way about their work, so that might just be me.


There are several subgenres of fantasy that are booming right now, but keep in mind that there are far more people writing them too. So you have more competition. If a agent's seen queries for a hundred vampire books in one day (not that farfetched), you're going to have to really wow them with your vampire book (this is a hypothetical you).

That said, don't choose your genre based on what's hot. Choose it based on what you want to write.

Yeah, thats true. YA fantasy might be hard to sell, but its got absolutely nothing to do with vampires. In fact, in the one I'm working on right now (The Missing Flower) is more of a social and spiritual story than anything else.

[Sarah Christine]

Oh I know 'das right. Maybe try the SYW boards, have them take a look? Because really, if I didn't have people telling me my stuff was good, I'd probably be dwelling in the black pit of despair and Anime doom lines. We get so used to what we write that we forget our story might actually be worth the time and effort!

[LittleFlowerLei]

Oh I know 'das right. Maybe try the SYW boards, have them take a look? Because really, if I didn't have people telling me my stuff was good, I'd probably be dwelling in the black pit of despair and Anime doom lines. We get so used to what we write that we forget our story might actually be worth the time and effort!

Definantly. I might even wind up finding myself a beta-reader when I'm done just to get an honest opinion (I've had my friends read it, and even though they like it, I seem to be able to trust a stranger's opinion a lot more.)

[Sarah Christine]

Probably for the best. I love my friends, and I trust their opinions, it's just good to have someone...unbiased.

[LittleFlowerLei]

Probably for the best. I love my friends, and I trust their opinions, it's just good to have someone...unbiased.

Yeah, and no matter how unbaised my friends they say they are, there's GOT to be some hint of "I have to tell her it doesn't suck or I'll hurt her feelings" in their feedback.

[Mumut]

Maybe try the SYW boards, have them take a look?

Absolutely essential. I had good beta readers but the knowledge of what is needed to get published I only found here, in AW Shear Your Work.

It also depends upon whether you are willing to be publishged by a smaller publisher. I admit, I only queried two major publishing houses and didn't try to get an agent (as you can see, I didn't know about AW then). So I went for a small publisher but my books are selling well in Australia. Just now I'm selling about the numbers I sold just before Christmas last year! I write AW historical fantasy and it is hugely popular. But again, that's what I like to write so my work doesn't sound forced.

So that's what I'd suggest. Write what you like writing - it must produce your best writing.

[ChristineR]

I don't know--does anyone have any real statistics? I don't think it's harder to get fantasy published than say, literary fiction. If there's any genre that's "easier" it's probably romance, but I'm not even sure about that. If it really is easier to get romance published, then lots of writers would be trying their hands at romance, which should make it harder to get published in romance. And non-fiction is a whole 'nother story.

[brokenfingers]

I don't know--does anyone have any real statistics? I don't think it's harder to get fantasy published than say, literary fiction. If there's any genre that's "easier" it's probably romance, but I'm not even sure about that. If it really is easier to get romance published, then lots of writers would be trying their hands at romance, which should make it harder to get published in romance. And non-fiction is a whole 'nother story.The thing is, the fantasy market is one of the most glutted. Lots and lots of people feel they have a fantasy story they want to share. This makes it harder to stand out from the pack and rise above the slush.

[Cliff Face]

Woe, for I only write fantasy, and I have never stood out!

Persistence and editing - I think that's about the only way to get anything published.

[jodiodi]

I don't know--does anyone have any real statistics? I don't think it's harder to get fantasy published than say, literary fiction. If there's any genre that's "easier" it's probably romance, but I'm not even sure about that. If it really is easier to get romance published, then lots of writers would be trying their hands at romance, which should make it harder to get published in romance. And non-fiction is a whole 'nother story.

Bolding mine.

I write romance and can't get squat published. Perhaps it's because I've tried to write fantasy-romance and paranormal romance. But if it's 'easier' then I must really suck.

[blacbird]

In retrospect, I probably should've asked this question BEFORE writing over 56k words in my fantasy novel, but here I am to ask anyway.

Is the fantasy market really as hard to get into as I've heard? Or does it depend upon how good my WIP is and how good the query/synopsis is, like it does any other genre?

The answers to both these questions is, YES.

The problem with the Fantasy market is that 90% of aspiring fiction writers aspire to write for that market. If you don't believe this, peruse the postings in this forum and elsewhere here at AW. If you're intending to write something that falls into that basket called "Fantasy", be prepared to make it damn good and somehow different from the other pile of stuff.

caw

[aadams73]

There is no "easier" genre in which to be published. If you're written something that isn't good enough, you've got no chance. Everything comes down to the writing. If you've got a well-written story that stands out from the pack, then your chances are greatly improved.

[Phaeal]

Thanks to blockbusters like Harry Potter and Twilight, fantasy looks aliver and weller than ever to me. Fantasy often dominates bestseller lists. My Borders has even set up an all-fantasy all-the-time table up front. The YA fantasy has had to be given its own shelving block. Ditto the MG fantasy.

And you know what? You have to be damn good (by which I mean, damn saleable) to break into any genre.

Write what you have to write. That way you win whether you get the work published or not.

[LittleFlowerLei]

Thanks everybody for your input! I'm glad to hear that, while I'll probably have to work twice as hard, I'm not completely counted out. Although, hearing that I'll have a lot of competition (coupled with the fact that even though I think my story is origional and great, I know that there are about a billion other people who think the same thing about their work. Not to mention the fact that I'm terribly worried that its no good and that I've epically failed with all 56k words) kind of brings me down. But hey, nobody ever said that getting discovered was easy.

I'm just worried I might be writing for the wrong genre if I want to get discovered. Like I've heard, a lot of other people think they have good fantasy stories to tell as well.

[Libbie]

In retrospect, I probably should've asked this question BEFORE writing over 56k words in my fantasy novel, but here I am to ask anyway.

Is the fantasy market really as hard to get into as I've heard? Or does it depend upon how good my WIP is and how good the query/synopsis is, like it does any other genre?

Yes, it really is very hard to get into. You have to write something exceptional and something that does new stuff with the old tropes in order to make it happen.

The reason for this is because relatively little fantasy sells. (compared to the more popular genres)Compare it to a genre like romance, where the average romance reader buys 10 - 30 new books per month, and you'll understand why romance in considered the easiest fiction genre for new authors to break into. It's not because their standards are necessarily lower (although I've read some real stinkers), but because there is a voracious market out there that demands more, more, more all the time. The publishers have to keep the demand supplied, and so they are much more likely to consider newer authors who don't have quite as much experience with crafting fiction.

Fantasy, on the other hand, doesn't have such a hungry readership. Fantasies tend to be longer and denser, so even the fastest readers can't go through all that many new books in a month. And fantasy readers tend to stick with the subgenres they like within the genre. If they like urban fantasy or magical realism, they're not likely to pick up a pseudo-medieval-European tale of a farmboy discovering he's the chosen one, or "Knights Who Say Fuck." (http://www.tor.com/images/stories/blogs/08_11/fuckknights.jpg) (I'm not knocking; GRRM is one of my favorite authors ever and I love ASOIAF. I just like the parody title.)

So even though there's a lot on the fantasy shelf at your book store, and even though several new fantasy novels are sold every year, they just don't sell as quickly or as predictably as romance, women's commercial fiction, or YA.

That being said, EVERYTHING depends on how good your finished manuscript is. The query letter might get your pages read, but it won't get your book published. Only your book will get your book published. And yes, you CAN debut with a fantasy novel. It'll be a harder row to hoe than, say, romance, but you can still do it. And you should ALWAYS write what you love and what inspires you; don't write just to get published. It'll show, and then you probably won't get published!

Write the best book you can, and make it as good as you possibly can. When you think it's as polished as you can make it, submit it. Be prepared for a lot of rejections, because any book gets a lot of rejections, but especially fantasy by a new author. If you're prepared for a lot, then you won't be dismayed when you get them. :) And remember it only takes one "yes."

[Libbie]

and it also depends on what the market is hungry for. Like, at the moment, vampires. Vampires are EVERYwhere, but that's because vampires are a cash cow.

I think I'm rambling. Does that make sense?

Do keep in mind that what's on the "New Fiction" shelf at the book store is what editors bought about 12 - 18 months ago. Yes, there's lots of vampire stuff right now, but I see very little vampire novels being reported as new sales on Publisher's Marketplace. Don't write what's selling at Barnes & Noble right now. Because that's really not what's selling right now. ;)

[Sarah Christine]

Totally understand that. There are agents who specifically say on their pages that they want NO VAMPIRES. Right now, if you're writing a vampire story, it better be a helluva good one, original and unheard of. Agents will still check them out, but will be very selective.

And LittleFlowerLei, don't write romance if you're not a romance writer and you're trying to break out. Write what you're good at, because then you'll break out with your best. It might be a harder battle, but it'll be worth it in the end. :heart:

[alvin123]

I'd avoid vampire books if I were you. Twlight ruined them. If you write one, it must be amazing.