Market for an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance that's NOT YA

Ravenheart

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Hi, I'm new around here. I am currently writing an urban fantasy which is also a paranormal romance. It's dark and edgy… Definitely not appropriate for a YA audience. I was wondering if there is a place in the adult market for that type of book or am I wasting my time writing something that won’t fit neatly into YA. I was considering the following agents for this genre. Any advice as to whether I’m heading in the right direction would be appreciated.

Emily Gref, Suzie Townsend (but I’m thinking she’s looking more for fantasy that’s YA), Jim McCarthy, Adrienne Rosado, Nicole Resciniti, Kate McKean, Ginger Clark, and Jodi Reamer were the agents that I thought might be interested in this type of project.
 

Cyia

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Welcome, ravenheart!

Paranormal's a hard sell right now - no matter the age group - simply because of the saturation of the market. And if you think Dark and Edgy means "not YA," you've not read enough YA.

To find agents who rep what you write, go to Query Tracker or Agent Query and fill in the fields. That will generate a list of who would be most likely to want what you've got.
 

MrsBrommers

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It's definitely getting full for the adult market. Two of my critique partners have UF series with big houses, and it's been rough going for debuts or newer authors who aren't your Jeanine Frost, JR Ward, Laurell K. Hamilton types. One of them is repped by Jim. Another of my CPs is with Nicole R. and has had some luck with YA UF. My own agent's one of the top agents of the genre, so I trust her when she says that, across the board with UF/PR, you have truly got to make it stand out. I'll be very honest and say it's not enough to simply write something original or have a different creature. The writing, the world, the characters have to be something pretty far out of the realm of the Underworld type bad asses that have come to dominate the genre. I know it seems daunting, but make it a challenge to yourself to really bring something unique to the genre. Good luck!
 

Ravenheart

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Thanks for the info

I figured that would be the case. I planned on it being a tough sell because of the popularity. I've been trying to learn as much as I can about the market since this is my first attempt at writing a full length manuscript. Thank you both for your input. It's nice to find a place to ask questions and actually get real world answers. I joined the only writing group in my extremely rural area and without trying to be mean it seems like more of a support group for failed writers than anything else. I learned more factual and helpful information from the digital doldrums of the internet than I did attending that group. As far as critiquing goes it seemed like everyone was too worried about offending the other person than giving them real honest feedback. I don't want to hear a bunch of fluff or how great it is. I want honest feedback before I start sending my work to agents.

When I said dark... I guess what I should have said was that it contained elements that would deem it inappropriate for YA. I can't say too much without giving spoilers on an idea that as far as I can tell from researching, hasn't been done.

Looking at your website I see you offer copy editing. I was wondering what your opinion is on having someone edit your work or hiring a book doctor prior to submitting to agents. Although given that you offer those services I'm not sure I'll get a non-biased answer :) Hiring someone had crossed my mind. Depending on my final word count because I'm only about 50% done with my MS which I started writing the second week in January (35,540 word count ATM) I don't know that I can afford to shell out $1400 + without my husband killing me. What was your experience in the road to getting published?

BTW... Love your website. I used to have the same issue with mirrors at night lol. My mom caught me when I was a kid having just seen the movie the Candyman ducking under a mirror that ran the full length of our bathroom on my way to the toilet in the middle of the night. She was shaking her head asking what the hell was I doing :) I said the Candyman was going to get me.

It's definitely getting full for the adult market. Two of my critique partners have UF series with big houses, and it's been rough going for debuts or newer authors who aren't your Jeanine Frost, JR Ward, Laurell K. Hamilton types. One of them is repped by Jim. Another of my CPs is with Nicole R. and has had some luck with YA UF. My own agent's one of the top agents of the genre, so I trust her when she says that, across the board with UF/PR, you have truly got to make it stand out. I'll be very honest and say it's not enough to simply write something original or have a different creature. The writing, the world, the characters have to be something pretty far out of the realm of the Underworld type bad asses that have come to dominate the genre. I know it seems daunting, but make it a challenge to yourself to really bring something unique to the genre. Good luck!
 

MrsBrommers

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Thank you for your kind words about my site.

Honestly, and I say this as someone who does freelance editorial work...before I would ever hire someone to edit a manuscript or accept a writer's work, I would STRONGLY urge you or any other writer to 1) finish the novel before thinking too far ahead and 2) find a critique group or critique partner to really put the screws to the manuscript. There is a forum here where you can put up notice that you're looking for a serious critique. There are other critique match-making websites around. I would go there first. You don't have to focus on which writers are local. While two of my CPs are in town, the others are people I've been talking to for years on the Internet and phone and have never met since they live over 1,000 miles away. So don't feel limited by who just happens to be close by. Many people have success in getting a book published without ever going through an editor or book doctor. Yes, I've been paid to edit for others simply because I have sharp eye for weaknesses in a work, but it also takes away from time spent working on my own projects.

You asked about my experience to publication...I wrote a bunch. I queried my agent with a sample of the novel, and she signed me after reading the full. It took a while, but she sold one of my books and is gearing up to go on sub with others. Nothing magical about it. Just persistence and patience.
 

Ravenheart

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Thanks for the honesty... Silly question... Blonde question really. I was thinking about using that forum to get honest feedback on my work but how can I be sure someone won't steal it? Hope I'm not offending by asking and I'm sorry if this has been addressed in a FAQ somewhere around here.
 

Cyia

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No offense taken; it's a common question.

When you post material here (after you have 50 posts), it will be behind a password protected ("vista" is the password) wall in Share Your Work. Only members can see what's there and it's not archived by cache or bot.
 

buz

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Thanks for the honesty... Silly question... Blonde question really. I was thinking about using that forum to get honest feedback on my work but how can I be sure someone won't steal it? Hope I'm not offending by asking and I'm sorry if this has been addressed in a FAQ somewhere around here.

Speaking to this forum, particularly (the SYW section), there is this thread. You can also use the search bar at the bottom of the page to find others, which I'm sure exist but am too lazy to look up. ;)

In sum: the SYW is password-protected, so only members can see it. As far as members stealing your work goes--highly unlikely. I can't say it's impossible, obviously, but most people have tons of their own ideas and are much more interested in their own writing than stealing yours. If you want to be 100% safe, don't post it anywhere, but there really isn't much risk doing it here. Plus, you wouldn't be posting the whole thing--SYW is usually just for single chapters or scenes. For the whole manuscript, you'd find a beta reader (or critique partner/etc, depending on what you need). For that, you need to find someone you trust.
 

waylander

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I was thinking about using that forum to get honest feedback on my work but how can I be sure someone won't steal it?

Quit worrying about someone stealing it.
Even if they did, they would come out with a different story to yours.
Ever done the exercise with a set of writers where you all start with the same opening paragraph? It's fascinating to see how different the stories come out.
 

Ravenheart

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Thanks

Point taken... Makes sense. I think I'll just go with the beginning and maybe first chapter to get an idea on how my writing goes. I'm already aware of a few bad habits. I spent last night self-editing which was painful but very much needed. I tend to write the way I talk which can be wordy. Probably why I my husband stops paying attention. I'd hate to do that to readers ;)
 

Cyia

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Posting a single chapter is wise. Shorter excerpts generally get more attention than longer ones. (Just make sure you have your 50 posts before you put anything up.)