Some YA/MG Facts and Info

So.. learned something interesting on Friday that I'm sure everybody else who wanders by this blog already knows and will give a collective 'Well Duh' when I say it.. but I was blissfully unaware of this so I'll just share it anyway.

YA Boys targeted
Maze Runner, Movie coming soon
There is no Male YA audience to write for.  Ponder that for a moment.. let it soak in.

OK, technically there is, but there are very few authors who can pull it off and very few books that successfully enter that genre specifically (Such as the The Maze Runner ----->).  Boys, when they graduate from reading Middle Grade, (MG) books transfer to adult Fantasy.. at least that is what the Publishing Companies will tell you.

Apparently if you send a query letter saying that you're writing for YA males, you'll be more likely to elicit a giggle from your query recipient than a positive response.

Other MG/YA Factoids:

  • MG Word Length: 45,000-75,000  (On Average)
  • YA Word Length:  75,000-100,000 (On Average)


Here's a couple of good, very recent, videos on some other YA/MG differences:





Comments

  1. You know this makes me wonder, because this new "genre", Young Adult Fiction, seems to be a product of the new millennium. Before it was called "Juvenile Fiction".
    And when you look up the subject in Wikipedia, the article sites works such as "Swiss Family Robinson", "Oliver Twist", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", "Kidnapped", "Catcher in the Rye", "Lord of the Flies" and "The Hobbit" all as examples of "Young Adult Fiction".
    .
    So... really? There is no Boy-Audience for YA? No boys ever read Oliver Twist? Hmmm....
    .
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young-adult_fiction

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  2. Markets tend to change. This this case, you're right on, Kevin. I enjoy YA (the typical age of the main characters), but it has quickly become one with many female protagonists with romantic situations that can be a little off-putting to the guys. But hey. This is selling. If it works, it works.

    I, however, have a hard time imaging guys as they are often portrayed, almost like it's a played-out fantasy from the author's end. Again, if it works, it works. Thanks to folks like Dashner, we're beginning to see YA that doesn't alienate the guys.

    That's that style (market) I'm aiming at.

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  3. I've really noticed this lately, especially with my son who's 12. He just read the Maze Runner and loved it, but there are very few books that are calling to him right now when there used to be so many.

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