tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post6064843360634936641..comments2024-03-26T23:41:10.319+00:00Comments on Authors Electric: From Teen to Mean ... Making the transition. A Guest Post by Caroline AkrillKatherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-1478084283630728322015-10-30T19:52:46.326+00:002015-10-30T19:52:46.326+00:00Lydia - I love your comment. And I think so many o...Lydia - I love your comment. And I think so many of us have gone through similar scenarios, including a close friend whose publisher first said that her Y/A novel didn't have enough sex, then complained when she re-wrote it (she's now self-published).Enid Richemonthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218197995089241666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-22024732830936434732015-10-30T19:13:00.748+00:002015-10-30T19:13:00.748+00:00Thanks for this post Caroline! I loved Flying Chan...Thanks for this post Caroline! I loved Flying Changes and I loved that it tackled what it tackled. It was certainly different though, I'm not surprised you frightened the horses :) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12272258414018321701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-62819040366932948492015-10-30T12:42:58.283+00:002015-10-30T12:42:58.283+00:00A very enjoyable read Caroline! YA nowadays is ver...A very enjoyable read Caroline! YA nowadays is very dark indeed, cf The Hunger Games trilogy, though sex (aka 'pink bits' according to US 'clean' publishers) is still a no-no in the US, hence the bloodbaths of chaste violence in THG. I think we have to write what we want to write regardless, and as Catherine says, nowadays we can self-pub anything too difficult for publishers' tastes.Lydia Bennethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09328239009863878547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-51278257573905051212015-10-30T12:00:32.568+00:002015-10-30T12:00:32.568+00:00I did once (many years ago now) have similar carte...I did once (many years ago now) have similar carte blanche on a contract, and that too turned into a monster nobody was quite expecting. But in my case, my previous books were hardly at supermarket selling level and the publisher - being smaller and more independent than HC - did at least say they loved it rather than subject me to an editorial inquisition! In my case it was the bookselling chains who proved less enthusiastic (which was a bit short-sighted of them, since the book is now my best-selling backlist ebook) but I'm not sure what I would do if I found a winning formula now... probably stick to it like glue while it lasted but invent a pseudonym to work on other stuff at the same time? Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-52836257409907844032015-10-30T11:49:15.899+00:002015-10-30T11:49:15.899+00:00Yes, a fascinating read, Caroline. I was lucky, I ...Yes, a fascinating read, Caroline. I was lucky, I think, that for nearly thirty years I had publishers who let me go my own way but I can't really be surprised that it all came to a juddering stop in the end. It's true though that young adult fiction has changed its nature and become darker and more outspoken, which is why when I republish my own YA novels, somewhat rewritten and extended, I bill them as adult. Some people thought they were in the first place but at the time I vigorously denied it. Little did I know!Dennis Hamleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15781139870037634374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-13653728491190681552015-10-30T11:06:34.295+00:002015-10-30T11:06:34.295+00:00I found this a very interesting read, Caroline. I ...I found this a very interesting read, Caroline. I have friends who have a similar dilemma although I think in general YA fiction seems to have become much darker and much more 'sexy' over the years - and the boundaries are blurred. But the various genres or categories within that overall sector probably have their own rules and constraints. The 'more of the same' thing is probably a very good reason for writers, even if they want to go down the traditional route, to have more than one publisher and/or a mixture of trad and indie. The bigger the publisher the less they seem to appreciate this, but I think it's the way of the future. Catherine Czerkawskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14554969254207924049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-46045014925101923662015-10-30T10:45:32.745+00:002015-10-30T10:45:32.745+00:00I really enjoyed this, Caroline - thanks for being...I really enjoyed this, Caroline - thanks for being our guest. And here's wishing you good luck for your indie career. Even if you don't sell a million, you'll at least make more than 10p on each one!Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.com