Ages for YA...

EisleyJacobs · Jan 3, 2010

The MC of my YA Fantasy novel is 19...

Now, I realize this is a little old for a MC but it still makes the cut as to the "right age" but I tend to wonder if I am going to get turned away a lot based on this small factor.

I have thought about changing it, but there is a connection with this age with another character and its an important integral connection. So while I could possibly drop it to 18... definitely nothing lower because of legal restrictions of another character (no sex, nothing like that... just living alone, etc.)

So I guess my question is what you all think about this age factor... Should I drop my MC age or just leave it and hope it flies. Novel 1 & 2 of the series is complete... 3 is being plotted. Query for #1 is currently being edited.

Anyhow!

I look forward to this discussion.

AryaT92 · Jan 3, 2010

You can write about underage sex [<18], I did. Some publishers are marketing a new adult market, this would fit into that market but you would be neglecting a big audience of YA if you do it incorrectly.

I would drop the age down to 18, how could it hurt?

EisleyJacobs · Jan 3, 2010

Well, 18 to me seems a little young to be living on your own, running a family business. Which is why I kept it at 19... that extra year of knowledge... but obviously I am not set in stone or else I wouldn't have posted it.

I just worry people would think... TOO YOUNG! I dunno, maybe I am being too sensitive... OR maybe I am not being sensitive enough to my reader. Because seeing a girl who lost her parents at 18 and running the fam business might endear them to her more... more of a play on the heart... interesting. I hadn't thought about it that way under I just typed it out.

ROTFL... Thanks Arya

AryaT92 · Jan 3, 2010

The running the business, living on your own does seem to need an older MC.

However, teenagers are becoming more and more independent especially when they undergo some kind of suffering, keeping her younger would let the readers relate to her more if your target audience is 14-18.

Leah_Michelle · Jan 3, 2010

Ages 18 and 19 don't normally fall into the YA category with agents, which tends to be 14-17. The new genre trying to start is New Adult for college-aged 18 to 22 ish. I really hope it flies because I'd definitely be interested in that age range, being in that range myself.

suki · Jan 3, 2010

EisleyJacobs said:
The MC of my YA Fantasy novel is 19...

Now, I realize this is a little old for a MC but it still makes the cut as to the "right age" but I tend to wonder if I am going to get turned away a lot based on this small factor.

I have thought about changing it, but there is a connection with this age with another character and its an important integral connection. So while I could possibly drop it to 18... definitely nothing lower because of legal restrictions of another character (no sex, nothing like that... just living alone, etc.)

So I guess my question is what you all think about this age factor... Should I drop my MC age or just leave it and hope it flies. Novel 1 & 2 of the series is complete... 3 is being plotted. Query for #1 is currently being edited.

Anyhow! I look forward to this discussion.

This comes up a lot. The current conventional wisdom is that once the MC is older than 18, it gets harder to sell it as YA. Especially for a debut.

But I'd write it as you think it should be and then see what agents say. If it's an easy fix, then it wouldn't be a fatal flaw - ie, if the agent loved everything else, and the character could be 18, then the agent would suggest that change.

AryaT92 said:
Some publishers are marketing a new adult market, this would fit into that market but you would be neglecting a big audience of YA if you do it incorrectly.

Only one publisher, St. Martins, is experimenting with a "new adult" market. The rest still appear to be drawing a line between adult and YA. And it is unclear if this would work as YA. So, try it and see.

But if you keep the MC at 19, and get no agent bites because of that, then St. Martins new adult market might be worth checking out.

EisleyJacobs said:
Well, 18 to me seems a little young to be living on your own, running a family business. Which is why I kept it at 19... that extra year of knowledge... but obviously I am not set in stone or else I wouldn't have posted it.

I just worry people would think... TOO YOUNG! I dunno, maybe I am being too sensitive... OR maybe I am not being sensitive enough to my reader. Because seeing a girl who lost her parents at 18 and running the fam business might endear them to her more... more of a play on the heart... interesting. I hadn't thought about it that way under I just typed it out.

ROTFL... Thanks Arya

Would all come down to execution. Finish it, and find some good beta readers.

I'd suggest seeing if you can sell book 1 before writing too many more in the series, though.

~suki

tengraceapples · Jan 3, 2010

I think if the only reason you made your MC 19 is to live alone, you can get around that. Can they have relatives who are on vacation and left them to be looked after by someone? Then maybe that someone has an emergency and doesn't show up? Its just an example. But I know teens who end up spending more time living alone because of different circumstances.

And that way you arent stuck at 19.

Good luck: )

Sage · Jan 3, 2010

I'm actually more concerned about whether teens are going to identify with a protag who's running a business. There are ways, at least in some places, where even younger than 18 can live alone. I had a character renting an apartment from the age of 17 (his parents did have to cosign for the apartment, though).

DrummerGirl · Jan 3, 2010

I'm an australian and I finished school and left home at 17. I moved 500km's away from all my family and friends to go to university, and lived by myself for the first 6 months (until I found a friend to flat with

.)

My husband also finished school at 17, and was flatting with friends and selling houses as a real estate agent at 18.

I can think of heaps of ppl who are living independantly at the age - so it's not such a stretch of the imagination to drop the age to 18 for your protag. Unless, its really diff in the US?

Also notice its a fantasy novel - that genre allows you to stretch realism a bit more than a contemp YA - make the world/circumstance suit what you want to to be.

bclement412 · Jan 3, 2010

Leah_Michelle said:
Ages 18 and 19 don't normally fall into the YA category with agents, which tends to be 14-17. The new genre trying to start is New Adult for college-aged 18 to 22 ish. I really hope it flies because I'd definitely be interested in that age range, being in that range myself.

My main characters are 18, recently graduated high school, and I've been querying it as YA. So I think 18 and 19 are borderline YA and New Adult, and that the other aspects of one's novel will clarify what category it fits in to.

Kathleen42 · Jan 3, 2010

Sage said:
I'm actually more concerned about whether teens are going to identify with a protag who's running a business. There are ways, at least in some places, where even younger than 18 can live alone. I had a character renting an apartment from the age of 17 (his parents did have to cosign for the apartment, though).

It might be different in Canada but I had two friends who were living on their own before eighteen though I'm not sure if there was a lease on their apartments.

strawberryblondie · Jan 3, 2010

Sage said:
I'm actually more concerned about whether teens are going to identify with a protag who's running a business. There are ways, at least in some places, where even younger than 18 can live alone. I had a character renting an apartment from the age of 17 (his parents did have to cosign for the apartment, though).

I rented an apartment at 17 as well. My parents cosigned the lease but I paid all the bills. But I've never known any 18 year olds that ran a business by themselves.

Penang · Jan 3, 2010

I've known seventeen-year-olds who lived alone, although their parents/guardians had to sign for them.

As to running a business, it really depends. I knwo I wouldn't have been able to relate, but one of my friends in highschool was successfully operating his own catering business when he when 17 (started when he was 16 with his father's financial help).

Sage · Jan 3, 2010

I guess it would also depend on the type of business and how it's run. I mean, Babysitter's Club was actually about a business, but it fell into teen themes because of how it was handled. Running a family business seems more mature and post-high school

EisleyJacobs · Jan 3, 2010

suki said:
This comes up a lot. The current conventional wisdom is that once the MC is older than 18, it gets harder to sell it as YA. Especially for a debut.

But I'd write it as you think it should be and then see what agents say. If it's an easy fix, then it wouldn't be a fatal flaw - ie, if the agent loved everything else, and the character could be 18, then the agent would suggest that change.

Understand that, I am definitely thinking about changing it to eighteen. It works... but 17 won't.

suki said:
Only one publisher, St. Martins, is experimenting with a "new adult" market. The rest still appear to be drawing a line between adult and YA. And it is unclear if this would work as YA. So, try it and see.

But if you keep the MC at 19, and get no agent bites because of that, then St. Martins new adult market might be worth checking out.

Really? Hmmm, I have contacts at St Martins... I might have to do a bit of networking and see...

suki said:
Would all come down to execution. Finish it, and find some good beta readers.

I'd suggest seeing if you can sell book 1 before writing too many more in the series, though.

It's finished... edited... polished... it's ready to be printed frankly. It's a 5 year old novel... its practically written in stone.

Beta readers have already come back with their thoughts... everyone is waiting for Novel 2.

Novel 2 is written... being edited now... and not by me

I have a professional editor

The beta readers (10+) have had no issues with the novel, the only thing that bothers them... that 2 isnt ready. So that is a good sign.

I might have to send out an email tonight to my StMP contact and see what they can tell me about New Adult Market.

Thanks!

EJ

EisleyJacobs · Jan 3, 2010

DrummerGirl said:
I'm an australian and I finished school and left home at 17. I moved 500km's away from all my family and friends to go to university, and lived by myself for the first 6 months (until I found a friend to flat with .)

My husband also finished school at 17, and was flatting with friends and selling houses as a real estate agent at 18.

I can think of heaps of ppl who are living independantly at the age - so it's not such a stretch of the imagination to drop the age to 18 for your protag. Unless, its really diff in the US?

Also notice its a fantasy novel - that genre allows you to stretch realism a bit more than a contemp YA - make the world/circumstance suit what you want to to be.

Nope, tis the same in the US...

Yes, I am hoping to stretch a bit. The more I "chat" about this though, the more I think maybe dropping her to 18 might be just the thing.

EisleyJacobs · Jan 3, 2010

Penang said:
I've known seventeen-year-olds who lived alone, although their parents/guardians had to sign for them.

As to running a business, it really depends. I knwo I wouldn't have been able to relate, but one of my friends in highschool was successfully operating his own catering business when he when 17 (started when he was 16 with his father's financial help).

Maybe I should mention its an antiques business... so basically she just owns the store and buys new junk

SO no real thinking involved

Leah_Michelle · Jan 3, 2010

bclement412 said:
My main characters are 18, recently graduated high school, and I've been querying it as YA. So I think 18 and 19 are borderline YA and New Adult, and that the other aspects of one's novel will clarify what category it fits in to.

Oh it's definitely possible to get an agent with 18/19 year old MCs. I'm just saying that it happens more rarely than 14-17.

jasonleeward · Jan 4, 2010

Character Ages in YA

The character's age is typically between 12 to 18. I've read from various sources that in publishing, older teen characters are the norm for younger teen readers. Although I'm sure many of these readers also enjoy reading about teens their own age.

Brutal Mustang · Jan 4, 2010

A sixteen or seventeen year old in the medieval ages would have been very mature, oftentimes running a business and a new family (heck, it is still that way in some countries, like where I grew up). It's a fairly modern cultural phenomenon in the history of mankind for people to be considered kids until eighteen. I certainly don't think kids wouldn't like your story if your MC was very young; in fact, I suspect many modern youth feel held back from their biological programing to live their own life, and would be utterly intrigued by stories about independent teens.

Ages for YA...

EisleyJacobs

AryaT92

EisleyJacobs

AryaT92

Leah_Michelle

Fangirling

suki

Opinionated

tengraceapples

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

DrummerGirl

Capturing the Castle

bclement412

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

strawberryblondie

Penang

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

EisleyJacobs

EisleyJacobs

EisleyJacobs

Leah_Michelle

Fangirling

jasonleeward

JasonLeeWard

Brutal Mustang

Loves interplanetary chaos.