Maybe I should just write YA.
If I had a dollar for every time I read this online, I'd have at least 20 bucks by now. The statement usually goes something like this: "Woe is me. I have not had enough success shopping my ________ (insert genre here) book. Maybe I should just write YA."
This ticks me off.
Why? Because the statement implies a lack of respect for YA writers and the hard work we do. Like if that person just wrote YA, suddenly they would have all the success in the world. Because of course it isn't that their query needs polishing or that their manuscript needs revisions, it's just that no one respects their genre, unlike YA where anybody can get anything published. Um...so NOT TRUE.
I certainly realize and acknowledge that some genres just aren't selling as well as others right now. A friend of mine wrote a really amazing, compelling memoir, but has been having trouble shopping it because it's very hard to sell a memoir without being a celebrity. That's a fact. And YA is booming right now. It's flying off the shelves, and lots of agents and editors are looking for it. Also a fact.
But you know what else that means? Competition in the YA market is crazy intense. I honestly believe that it's one of the hardest literary areas to stand out in. And in order to sell a book, your work needs to stand out. So even though lots of agents are accepting YA queries, they're also rejecting most of them. And other genres continue to thrive as well. The last time I checked a bookstore, there was a lot more being offered than just young adult fiction. If you're querying a book that isn't having much success, keep at it. If you've studied your craft and your query and your manuscript are as polished as they possibly can be, your book will find a home someday. But don't complain that you'd have better luck if you were only writing YA. It's a cop-out and it makes you look like an idiot.
