Bologna 2018: Trends to Watch (good news for middle grade and #ownvoices)

RaggyCat

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Thanks for posting this here - I actually posted it in another thread but should have thought to share it in the YA forum. Nothing in here is good news for me as I've never been drawn to MG and I have nothing to contribute to #OwnVoices! But, also, nothing here is too surprising. I know many YA authors who've been advised to either switch to MG or Adult. Somehow, I can't see publishers overbuying MG in the way it seems they did with YA, so I'd hazard a guess the focus on MG is in for a few years. There's also a drive for MG to be recognised more in awards that also include YA such as the Carnegie Medal, which is probably a reflection of this.

On the plus side, all this may present some opportunities for those of us who stick with YA - who knows!
 

Ezakima

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Thanks for posting. Happy to see diversity taking the forefront in terms of requests but still wary of those that insist "DIVERSITY ISN'T A TREND!!!" when it's clear the industry is treating it like one. My only worry is that in 5 or 6 years, diversity won't be so HOT, so minority/marginalized writers will be right back where they began.
 

thejadevoice

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My only worry is that in 5 or 6 years, diversity won't be so HOT, so minority/marginalized writers will be right back where they began.

That's an interesting point. I hope it's not the case. I make a point of buying and reading a lot of diverse books these days in the hope that support will lead to more books.
 

Loke1997

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I hope same-sex romances count as diversity. I snuck a few of those into my current work.
 

RaggyCat

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I hope same-sex romances count as diversity. I snuck a few of those into my current work.

They definitely do from what I've read! Plenty of appetite for them in YA.