Young Adults and Coming of Age

hopper0001 · May 21, 2018

Dear Community,

After about 5 years of writing a "coming of age" novel I have finally got it to a point where I believe it is ready for submission. It took a long time to write and edit because at first I only did it in my spare time after work (when I had spare time). I am now at the point where I have researched the format of query letters and how to submit them to agents. I have crafted a query that I believe reads well and is succinct enough to get to my point as quickly and efficiently as possible. From what I have gleaned from many sources, the standard format should be short. Somewhere around 300 words with the first paragraph stating genre and word count. The second paragraph being a brief synopsis of the novel to hook the agent. And the third paragraph being a very brief bio including previously published works, followed by a polite thanks to the agent for reading the query with contact information at the signature should they choose to respond. Wondering if this sounds correct to anyone who has been through the querying process. It can be a little nerve wracking composing these things, because it's the first approach to a professional in the industry and you want to come off as professional yourself. I've written and rewritten it (about 10 times so far), and now have it to the point where I think it sounds pretty good.

My second question is, this is basically a "coming of age" novel, but it seems today they refer to these types of novels as Young Adult. Wondering if it would be best to classify it as Young Adult (perhaps coming of age is more of an older term). The characters all do go through transitions (as of course all characters do), that take them out of the more innocent nature of youth and expose them to the growing pains of life. I do think Young Adult fits it, but was just curious as to what other people would think. My characters are all around the age of 17 except for adult figures of authority, parents, professional people, teachers etc.

Any opinions would be greatly welcomed!

Thanks for taking the time to read this question!

Cyia · May 21, 2018

Dear [Agent]

Two paragraphs of succinct plot, without giving away the ending. Hopefully this will catch the agent's attention.

[Title] is a [word count] YA novel. I have included the first five pages in the body of this email, and can send the manuscript on request.

Thank you for your time; I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
[You.]

^ This is your basic current query format. All of the title / genre stuff goes at the bottom, not the top.

Also, YA has a distinct voice, and the fact that you don't know this, tells me you likely need to read some YA novels to see whether you've written a YA novel, or an adult novel with young characters.

Bing Z · May 21, 2018

hopper0001 said:
After about 5 years of writing a "coming of age" novel I have finally got it to a point where I believe it is ready for submission. It took a long time to write and edit because at first I only did it in my spare time after work (when I had spare time). I am now at the point where I have researched the format of query letters and how to submit them to agents. I have crafted a query that I believe reads well and is succinct enough to get to my point as quickly and efficiently as possible. From what I have gleaned from many sources, the standard format should be short. Somewhere around 300 words with the first paragraph stating genre and word count. The second paragraph being a brief synopsis of the novel to hook the agent. And the third paragraph being a very brief bio including previously published works, followed by a polite thanks to the agent for reading the query with contact information at the signature should they choose to respond. Wondering if this sounds correct to anyone who has been through the querying process. It can be a little nerve wracking composing these things, because it's the first approach to a professional in the industry and you want to come off as professional yourself. I've written and rewritten it (about 10 times so far), and now have it to the point where I think it sounds pretty good.

A query letter is in essence a sales pitch. Don't treat it like a synopsis. Some QLs may cover the story line of, say the first 20 pages of the book, some 250 pages. There is a subforum Query Letter Hell SYW (password vista; you can't start a thread there until you have garnered 50 posts but you can respond to threads). What you should do now is head there, read the stickies, then read as many QLs as possible, give your thoughts on the active ones as an exercise. Writing query letters is very hard, and the process--if you let other people help/comment--can be frustrating. Be forewarned. But then, writers do need to grow a thick skin unless they only aim to write for their own pleasure.

hopper0001 said:
My second question is, this is basically a "coming of age" novel, but it seems today they refer to these types of novels as Young Adult. Wondering if it would be best to classify it as Young Adult (perhaps coming of age is more of an older term). The characters all do go through transitions (as of course all characters do), that take them out of the more innocent nature of youth and expose them to the growing pains of life. I do think Young Adult fits it, but was just curious as to what other people would think. My characters are all around the age of 17 except for adult figures of authority, parents, professional people, teachers etc.

The "coming of age" element or theme, together with voice (as Cyia pointed out), and MC ages, etc are all essential for your story to be categorized as a YA fiction.

Again, there is a subforum where you can share a portion of your work for comments: Young Adult SYW (password vista.) The rule is also 50 posts to start a thread. But there is a thread Hook me in 200 words or less where you can post a 200-word snippet (usually the opening) for critique. Once again, read as many threads there as possible, participate in the critique yourself, to realize what and why others have done wrong. Chances are you've also made the same mistakes.

You can even try The new Post the First Three Sentences of your Novel For Feedback thread (same password) for your opening three sentences for a feel of getting feedback. Again, don't just post, read what others have posted.

Crits can be a hard blow to your ego. If you are not used to getting critiques and have thin skin, specify something like "please be gentle." (But we'll still be honest and truth sometimes sting.)

mselephant2015 · May 21, 2018

AH1990 said:
I got some pretty good free advice from a literary consultancy agency called Labyrinth Independent. They are worth taking a look at, they will answer any questions you may have and even read through your Query letter and your Manuscript if you would like them to. They helped me with mine and were really friendly and also very to the point when dealing with my submission.

hope this helps.

I've taken a look and it looks great!...what's the catch? xD

hopper0001 · May 21, 2018

Thanks very much for the information. I will look into this.

RaggyCat · May 23, 2018

As suggested above, I would strongly urge you to read some YA to figure out if your book sits in the category or not. YA is very distinct, and fiercely competitive, and I'd worry that if you haven't read any YA and aren't familiar with the market that you would struggle to pitch your book successfully. Agents are very sharp about figuring out who knows their stuff and who doesn't. You don't want to blow your chances by being ill-informed.

RKen1 · May 30, 2018

hopper0001 said:
My second question is, this is basically a "coming of age" novel, but it seems today they refer to these types of novels as Young Adult. Wondering if it would be best to classify it as Young Adult (perhaps coming of age is more of an older term). /QUOTE]

If somebody has written a coming of age story and it is in the YA category, then it is a YA coming of age story...

gem1122 · Jun 30, 2018

hopper0001 said:
Wondering if this sounds correct to anyone who has been through the querying process. It can be a little nerve wracking composing these things, because it's the first approach to a professional in the industry and you want to come off as professional yourself. I've written and rewritten it (about 10 times so far), and now have it to the point where I think it sounds pretty good.

My second question is, this is basically a "coming of age" novel, but it seems today they refer to these types of novels as Young Adult. Wondering if it would be best to classify it as Young Adult (perhaps coming of age is more of an older term). The characters all do go through transitions (as of course all characters do), that take them out of the more innocent nature of youth and expose them to the growing pains of life. I do think Young Adult fits it, but was just curious as to what other people would think. My characters are all around the age of 17

As for the query letter, there are all sorts of 'standards' out there, and I'm sure they all do the job just fine. There are also stories about authors getting an offer using a query letter that doesn't adhere to the 'rules': a query letter in the form of a letter from the protagonist comes to mind. I've read a lot of "successful" query letters online, and there is no winning formula. Each one touches on the main points: what the book is about, the author's background, and so on, but there are a lot of ways to do that. My publisher said my query letter was 'beautiful' -- I thought it was kind of standard. So, you never know what's going to work. My own feeling about it is that if it comes across as gimmicky, it had better be in a way that enhances the sale pitch and highlights the manuscript's strengths.

Oh, and I've read that you shouldn't leave the agent/editor hanging; tell them the twist at the end of the story up front. I did.

As for marketing your book as a YA, it sounds like that's a good idea. It's best to go read a bunch of YA coming-of-age books, of course. All YA books are coming-of-age in a way, but I think if it's contemporary and realistic, that description fits better than if your story is sci-fi or fantasy, for example. Yes, characters go through changes no matter what, but the primary focus of these books is the genre in which they are written.

Young Adults and Coming of Age

hopper0001

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

Bing Z

illiterate primate

mselephant2015

hopper0001

RaggyCat

RKen1

gem1122

We can pickle that