Any of us who've tried to write YA, find agents and find publishers know that YA is competitive. What I'm interested in discussing is just how competitive YA is now, and why this is.
I got my break in 2009, when I signed for three YA novels, and it was fairly (though not crazily) competitive then. It definitely seems that since then the YA landscape has become even more difficult to break into and succeed in. Why do you think this is? I've discussed with other writers that one reason is that YA's profile increased, and the publishers got excited and over-bought titles, and are now more cautious about YA, and of course there have been high-profile YA books and series that have had crossover appeal, meaning that more authors, including celebrities, have become interested in writing for teens.
What other reasons can you think of?
Is YA the most competitive area of the books market right now?
Especially interested in US insight as I'm UK based.
Apologies if this has popped up in another thread!
I got my break in 2009, when I signed for three YA novels, and it was fairly (though not crazily) competitive then. It definitely seems that since then the YA landscape has become even more difficult to break into and succeed in. Why do you think this is? I've discussed with other writers that one reason is that YA's profile increased, and the publishers got excited and over-bought titles, and are now more cautious about YA, and of course there have been high-profile YA books and series that have had crossover appeal, meaning that more authors, including celebrities, have become interested in writing for teens.
What other reasons can you think of?
Is YA the most competitive area of the books market right now?
Especially interested in US insight as I'm UK based.
Apologies if this has popped up in another thread!