Young Adult/ New Adult/ or just plain Adult?

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Chewbacca

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Hi all;

One more question... I had submitted my query to about 30 agents, and received form rejections clear across the board.

I'm trying to fix... well, pretty much everything. When I opened up the novel after not looking at it for a few months, I could barely believe how bad it really was, and how I ever thought it was even worth considering.

I am currently re-working it to shorten it, speed up the pace, and improve it all around. I've got a ways to go, but I am a whole lot happier with how it is turning out now.

I also need to do the query letter over and over again.

Since I got nothing but form rejections, I really don't have any indication of what needs to improve- I just as well assume everything.

When I change my query letter around, I want to make sure I have this story pitched the correct way.

It is about a character just graduating high school and facing all the normal future decisions that somebody just out of high school has to face. It's a horse story, and the character's life develops around horses, gives her a focus and it's a feel good type story.

Now, I had read about young adult, new adult, adult or women's fiction, and I am not sure what the heck to classify this story as, so I want to make sure I have that part correct on my query.

Since the book follows the character from age 18 through age 23, from what I've read, that falls into new adult. As I understand it, young adult is less than 17 and adult is 21 or over. So this is smack dab in the middle!

When I revise my new and improved query, I'll put it up in QLH, but I was hoping to get some insight on this category issue.

Right now the novel is at 100,000 words, and I am cutting and revising with the hopes that it will be around 90,000 or even a little less. Which I think would also qualify it for young adult. And because it's about conquering challenges and chasing dreams and not letting anyone hold you back, should it be more of a Y/A story?

I hope this post makes sense...

Thanks !
 

BethS

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Agent Kristin Nelson has a video here where she describes what makes a young adult novel young adult. Maybe that will be helpful to you.
 
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