Ah, Wednesday. I almost forgot it was my day to post. So when I remembered I started freaking out. What will I talk about? How do other agents always have such smart and thoughtful blogposts about stuff that is relevant to writers across a broad spectrum? Why can’t I have all that stuff?
Then I remembered that I do have stuff. Stuff I think about all the time. Lately New Adult has been on my mind a lot. We’re going to talk about the genre and my personal feelings (you guys are here for my feelings right?) about the genre.
What is New Adult?
Popular Romance blog Dear Author shared this image. I think this is a great definition.
So far what we are seeing mostly succeed with traditional deals and on the self publishing scope is romantic new adult with contemporary elements.
I love these books and the romantic arcs, but I’m also ready to see more genres be represented.
Is NA a thing?
That’s debatable. NA can’t really be a THING until Barnes and Noble makes a shelf for it. However, Publishers Marketplace recently made a deal reporting category for NA and that’s a step in the right direction.
The problem here is many in publishing do not yet see this as a viable thing. But it is obvious that this is something the market wants. Many self pub NA books are rocketing to the top of the Kindle charts and making the NYT and USA Today’s bestselling books lists. Almost weekly another self pub NA star reaches these heights.
What do you want?
I want NA to be a big and viable market. I want to see more than contemporary represented.
My client Jeanette Battista will be self publishing her NA paranormal The Iron Bells very soon. Watch my Twitter for news of that. I wanted to share the cover with you but it seems Jeanette hasn’t revealed it yet. I’m really hoping this book and others will prove that NA isn’t just YA with porn (not like any of NA is YA with porn but you know what I mean) and help bridge a gap between the market and publishing.
The year is 64 A.D. — though now A.D. stands for Anno Daemonii.
Demons have crossed a gate into our world, taking the reins of power
from humanity. A new Inquisition has begun, determined to root out any
who stand against the new world order. The holy sites on earth have
been destroyed — Jerasulem first, then the Vatican, then Mecca — and
what resistance remains is ruthlessly crushed. Amaranth is a fighter
in the resistance cell based in London. Dham is a Ringer, one of the
few people left able to ring the remaining sets of blessed hand bells
that have power over demons. When Amaranth discovers that her best
friend has been possessed by a demon and is going to be used in the
Resistance’s final, desperate mission, she asks Dham for his help in
saving her friend. With the Inquisition closing in and betrayal
threatening from inside the Resistance itself, Amaranth, Dham, and the
demon — along with Catriona, a new, highly-skilled, highly-blonde
bell-ringer — decide to head to Rome and the ruins of Vatican City,
hoping to find a way to stem the tide of demonic possessions and close
the gate.The Iron Bells is the first in a New Adult trilogy.
So how do you guys feel about NA? Is it a thing, is it not a thing, is it going to break out in other genres besides contemporary?
