Nateskate
I'm doing an extensive re-write of a grand fantasy, which I'm hoping to submit by years end. (Book one of a series) The more I look at it, the more I think it would fit in a YA Genre.
At first I considered it an adult fantasy, but even so, for whatever reason, I made the cheif protagonist a fifteen year old who was unaware that he was chosen for a task. Obviously, this task is unimaginable, with the fate of humankind hanging in the balance. He wrestles a great deal with this call, wondering why someone greater, wiser, older, wasn't chosen. His father died when he was three, and in the midst of his temptation to reject his call, he learns that his mother's life is in imminent danger, and if he does not act, she will die before he has a chance to see her again.
Upon this journey he is taken to places that humans are not aware of, and learns that there is another realm that co-exists with our own, and the benevolent forces of the unseen world saw a quality in him, setting him apart from others.
In effect, life is like a giant chess match, with the seen and the unseen switching places as players and pawns. The protagonist must learn the rules of the game, because the malevolent unseen forces have the upper hand as long as mankind is ignorant of the rules of the game, which they are.
Now, the majority of human characters (There are many) are adults, with the exception of orphaned twins.
1) Would a fifteen year old protagonist in such a situation justify this being categorized as YA? In my mind, it is a Grand Fantasy that would appeal to a LOTR maturity level audience. But since LOTR appealed to young people, I figured the story could go either way- Adult or YA.
2) Who are the best YA publishers to deal with. (Who deal with fantasy) At first I was leaning towards Tor and Del, and Avalon, but that was when I was thinking "Adult" fantasy. I'm not sure they are best for YA though.
3) Can anyone suggest a good/honest/hardworking agent to submit to? You can PM me their names if you wish.
At first I considered it an adult fantasy, but even so, for whatever reason, I made the cheif protagonist a fifteen year old who was unaware that he was chosen for a task. Obviously, this task is unimaginable, with the fate of humankind hanging in the balance. He wrestles a great deal with this call, wondering why someone greater, wiser, older, wasn't chosen. His father died when he was three, and in the midst of his temptation to reject his call, he learns that his mother's life is in imminent danger, and if he does not act, she will die before he has a chance to see her again.
Upon this journey he is taken to places that humans are not aware of, and learns that there is another realm that co-exists with our own, and the benevolent forces of the unseen world saw a quality in him, setting him apart from others.
In effect, life is like a giant chess match, with the seen and the unseen switching places as players and pawns. The protagonist must learn the rules of the game, because the malevolent unseen forces have the upper hand as long as mankind is ignorant of the rules of the game, which they are.
Now, the majority of human characters (There are many) are adults, with the exception of orphaned twins.
1) Would a fifteen year old protagonist in such a situation justify this being categorized as YA? In my mind, it is a Grand Fantasy that would appeal to a LOTR maturity level audience. But since LOTR appealed to young people, I figured the story could go either way- Adult or YA.
2) Who are the best YA publishers to deal with. (Who deal with fantasy) At first I was leaning towards Tor and Del, and Avalon, but that was when I was thinking "Adult" fantasy. I'm not sure they are best for YA though.
3) Can anyone suggest a good/honest/hardworking agent to submit to? You can PM me their names if you wish.