Is dystopian/post-apcalyptic genre over?

SKara

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What the title says.

Is it really dead and gone for the moment, as in 2018? Anybody writing dystopians/post apocalyptic? Anybody querying it right now? What are your thoughts on it?

A similar thread was posted in 2015 by someone else but I'm asking again because it's been a long time and I was wondering because I have an MS that can probably be classified as post apocalyptic. I wrote it because it was fun to write, I wasn't exactly going to query it, but then I decided to go with that. Turns out nobody is explicitly seeking dystopians (i.e. agents don't ask for it on their web pages - was it ever a thing?). Has it always been like this or was it the dystopian explosion that caused it? I thought maybe it was always like this because dystopian is not exactly a genre in itself (not sure about it) and might come under the umbrella of SF.

If so, can I submit the MS to an agent who does not exactly say s/he is looking for post apocalyptic fiction?

Thoughts?
 

Brightdreamer

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Is any genre really, truly "over"?

Even if the market's a bit saturated at the moment, finish it and sit on it for a few years and the tides may shift again. A good story should be able to find a market.
 

SKara

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Is any genre really, truly "over"?

Even if the market's a bit saturated at the moment, finish it and sit on it for a few years and the tides may shift again. A good story should be able to find a market.

So it does mean that no one (agents/publishers) is currently seeking the genre?
 

RaggyCat

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It's not my genre but I feel from what I've seen around, and agent interviews/Agent Hunter, that dystopian/post-apocalyptic is not a genre agents are actively seeking right now. However, it doesn't mean that they wouldn't be keen to take something on if it offered a new or fresh slant on the genre, so I wouldn't regard it as over. Essentially, I think unless something is super hot, or quite clearly dead tired (like paranormal romance after the massive trend a few years back), it still counts as "live".

That being said, if it was me, I'd be tempted to sit on a dystopian story for a few more years yet before pitching it - unless I saw something on #MSWL or Agent Hunter that was positive.
 

audibob1

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It's certainly fallen out of public interest for the time being. Like RaggyCat above me said ((hi RaggyCat!)), if you're wanting to sell a dystopian these days, it really should have a new or fresh slant on the genre.

I've been toying with the idea of trying to write a dystopian for awhile now, but have skirted around it, mostly for this exact reason. However, the idea is one of those icky ones that won't go away so I'm thinking I might have to give it a little attention soon. While I'm writing it, I definitely want to stay away from the cliches that cropped up during the dystopian craze and aftermath--the character is almost always white, 16-year-old girl, for example, and is trying to fight an evil government while also balancing a love triangle.

All that to say: if you can stay away from writing just another Hunger Games wannabe, then GO FOR IT! A truly good story will be a standout that overcomes all "genre stigmas."
 

SKara

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Hi everyone,

Thanks for the suggestions. :)
#MSWL seems like a good resource. I'm going to try and find a few agents. If it doesn't work, I already have another MS I'm working on. I do think my story has a fresh angle (that's kind of why I wrote it) but I'm biased, so can't say for sure. I'll try and see what happens.

Audibob1, I exactly know the feeling of being nagged by an idea that just won't let you go. I guess at that point you should really listen to it and be open to the possibility of writing it, because it's often fresh and alive at that moment (which means it might end up as a really good story). If you wait, it's harder to get the spark back. That's what happens to me at least. So I'd say try to write it. Maybe when you finish, the genre could have made a comeback.

Who knows maybe we're starting something here (e.g. a genre-resurrection ;) I'll go see my grimoire for a spell to that effect. And meanwhile arrange a secret gathering of the most powerful witches in town):hooray::hooray:
 

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The novel that I'm looking to send queries out for is also dystopian in a way so you're not alone at least in writing them and/or trying to put a new slant on it ^^ I will say from what I've seen from looking at the MSWL tag myself is that a lot of agents are saying it's a bit oversaturated and therefore they're not actively seeking it BUT a lot of them were also saying that if you have a way of putting a sci-fi or fantasy twist on it (basically reframing it like the others said so it's not the same-old, same-old) then give it a shot and see what happens. I think there's no harm in trying as long as you do the research for the specific agent and do the query letter properly.

(In the mean time, I'll bring what magic I can to help start something here XD )
 

Will Collins

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Perhaps in YA. I think the mainstream trend of YA could be moving more into the space-opera sci-fi rather than dystopian.
 

tnfalpha

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It's funny you should say there was a similar thread in 2015 cause I feel like I have been reading "is YA dystopia a dead genre?" op-eds and hot takes since 2010. I basically agree with what has been said above and yeah markets are fickle things (so I am told).
 

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Dystopia died a long time ago, in the sense that an agent wouldn't look at any dystopia book for years. That doesn't mean that it hasn't come back in other forms (dystopia under the name of fantasy, for example). I still maintain that the dystopia we're living in will inspire publishers to take a look at more realistic dystopian fiction.

And there has been speculation about what the "next big thing" in YA will be. I also think we've been having the "sci-fi is the next big thing" conversation for 8 years, and it's come in more minor forms, but never launched the way dystopia, and paranormal romance before it, did. Nor has anything else, not even the two contemporary rushes we've had.
 

SKara

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I still maintain that the dystopia we're living in will inspire publishers to take a look at more realistic dystopian fiction.

This.

I absolutely agree.

Also, I think big trends like paranormal and dystopians were inspired by one or two novels that really set the genre/created the path for the trends, and these kinds of novels are rarely seen in a very long time. When they do come out, people know. And everyone will try to get on the bandwagon until agents and publishers get tired of all the attempts at replicating the phenomenon. It says something very fundamental about writing or the kind of storytelling that catches on and gets everyone talking about it: it is not easy, and it is very rare. And accidental. Some people might say these kind of stories do not really deserve the hype, but I really think they offer something fresh and new. Why else do so many people read them? And why else do they inspire trends?

Like Sage said, sci-fi and contemporary haven't become the new big thing. I'm still waiting for something big to happen, but like I said it's very rare. I don't think you can do it simply by intending to write the next best thing. The people who actually wrote the big books didn't start with that intention. That's another point (and I think people often say it): you have to write the story you want to write.

That said, somebody please do something about it and fix this whole situation.:) Write something good and new that you love. Because I really want to read something like that, something that wasn't made in the image of what came before, or what people think is going to come next.

Writers, listen to my plea. Go put some good stuff out there (that is not to say everything out there is bad; I'm just choosy and want something new as a reader).

Hopefully 2018 will be the year of something new.
 

The Otter

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When I was querying my dystopian novel, one agent said she liked the writing but passed because "editors aren't buying dystopian anymore." I did eventually find an agent, who sold the novel to Knopf, so the first agent was obviously mistaken.

That said, this was a few years ago. I don't know what the market for dystopians is like right now.

Subgenres tend to have lifecycles where they get popular, then the market gets over-saturated, they die out for a while, then they come back once people get sick of whatever replaced them. So even if dystopian is "dead" right now, it'll probably come back eventually. If you've got a story you passionately want to tell, write it. Maybe by the time you're done, the market will have shifted again.