The Storyteller
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2014
- Messages
- 243
Greetings all,
So I’m facing a dilemma that I have faced (and thought I’d resolved) in the past, which is, is my novel middle grade or YA? Or other??
I am currently trying to query agents with my first manuscript (Yay! I finally finished a book!), and I’ve been writing that my book is upper middle grade, however, I know there are some red flags in my query that may cause agents to dismiss my project before even considering it, such as the length.
I've read many articles about the differences between YA and MG, but after much contemplating, I still don’t feel confident about where my book fits. It has some elements of both categories, and in some ways doesn’t seem to suit either.
So I’m turning to the wise and more experienced members of SFF for help! Here are some of the main factors:
-current length is 81,000. I think I could cut a few thousand more words off if I need to, but I’m not sure it would be enough to help it as for as MG goes.
-the main character’s age is never mentioned, but he is meant to be in his early twenties. He does act with the maturity level of a young teen or preteen, however, by the end of the book (and particularly in the following 2 books) his character matures a lot, bringing him closer to his actual age.
-Tone- the tone starts quite light, even a bit goofy, but as Mulgrin matures and faces some disquieting revelations, the tone does get a bit more serious. The second book maintains a greater sense of gravity throughout and the third book will definitely have some darker tones. There is mention of darker elements in all the books, and I don’t shy away from some deeper themes.
-Sentence structure/word choice- although the voice feels a bit younger at first, I don’t hold back a lot on word choice/sentence length. I’m not using language that’s impossible to follow by any means, but there are some bigger words and longer sentences.
-Content- the main character deals with things in both his outer and inner world. There is some self-reflection, but also some action. There is journeying, puzzle solving, some small fights with an antagonist, and a ‘disaster’ at the end of the book. The story line feels a bit more MG when I consider it, but I'm not entirely sure.
The second book has more technical stuff in terms of how the magic works (this plays a very important role in the trilogy), and also has bigger stakes, tougher and more dangerous situations, and a much larger disaster at the end. There are a lot of discussions between characters, delving deeper into their situation and relationships with each other, and also some heated arguments.
-Themes- there is a strong theme of friendship, identity, what it means to be a hero/do the right thing, not judging other based on looks (or stories), and the importance of doing the right thing for the right reason. Book 2 and 3 have additional themes of forgiveness, responsibility, and failure.
When I consider the second and third book, it seems like maybe YA, but the first book feels a little too young for YA, and I know that many MG series start lighter and develop a much darker tone as the series progresses, so maybe the future books don't matter that much.
Because it opens so light/humorous, it’s hard to imagine it anywhere but middle grade, but many of the other factors don’t seem to fit. I’ve thought about rewriting the first quarter of the story to make it less silly, but Mulgrin’s immaturity/foolishness and the lighter feeling at the beginning are important to how the story develops, and gives more weight to the changes Mulgrin goes through. The second half of the book is stronger because of how the story starts.
In a way, I feel like my story is targeted at adults who enjoy reading middle grade, but that isn't a real category. So what do you think? YA? MG? Or something else altogether? Any advice or feedback is welcome!
(Side Note: I know this book may be a tough sell for my first, but I love it and I do believe this story has something special, particularly the trilogy as a whole. So, even if I have to fall back on other projects (which I am also working on!), I still want to try my best to get this one published.)
(Other Side Note: I mention the second and third book a few times, and I know that even if I publish the first book there's no guarantee that the next two will also be published. However, I do want to keep in mind where the story would go in sequel books as I consider what category this trilogy best fits in.)
P.S. Sorry for such a long post, and thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read/respond to it!
So I’m facing a dilemma that I have faced (and thought I’d resolved) in the past, which is, is my novel middle grade or YA? Or other??
I am currently trying to query agents with my first manuscript (Yay! I finally finished a book!), and I’ve been writing that my book is upper middle grade, however, I know there are some red flags in my query that may cause agents to dismiss my project before even considering it, such as the length.
I've read many articles about the differences between YA and MG, but after much contemplating, I still don’t feel confident about where my book fits. It has some elements of both categories, and in some ways doesn’t seem to suit either.
So I’m turning to the wise and more experienced members of SFF for help! Here are some of the main factors:
-current length is 81,000. I think I could cut a few thousand more words off if I need to, but I’m not sure it would be enough to help it as for as MG goes.
-the main character’s age is never mentioned, but he is meant to be in his early twenties. He does act with the maturity level of a young teen or preteen, however, by the end of the book (and particularly in the following 2 books) his character matures a lot, bringing him closer to his actual age.
-Tone- the tone starts quite light, even a bit goofy, but as Mulgrin matures and faces some disquieting revelations, the tone does get a bit more serious. The second book maintains a greater sense of gravity throughout and the third book will definitely have some darker tones. There is mention of darker elements in all the books, and I don’t shy away from some deeper themes.
-Sentence structure/word choice- although the voice feels a bit younger at first, I don’t hold back a lot on word choice/sentence length. I’m not using language that’s impossible to follow by any means, but there are some bigger words and longer sentences.
-Content- the main character deals with things in both his outer and inner world. There is some self-reflection, but also some action. There is journeying, puzzle solving, some small fights with an antagonist, and a ‘disaster’ at the end of the book. The story line feels a bit more MG when I consider it, but I'm not entirely sure.
The second book has more technical stuff in terms of how the magic works (this plays a very important role in the trilogy), and also has bigger stakes, tougher and more dangerous situations, and a much larger disaster at the end. There are a lot of discussions between characters, delving deeper into their situation and relationships with each other, and also some heated arguments.
-Themes- there is a strong theme of friendship, identity, what it means to be a hero/do the right thing, not judging other based on looks (or stories), and the importance of doing the right thing for the right reason. Book 2 and 3 have additional themes of forgiveness, responsibility, and failure.
When I consider the second and third book, it seems like maybe YA, but the first book feels a little too young for YA, and I know that many MG series start lighter and develop a much darker tone as the series progresses, so maybe the future books don't matter that much.
Because it opens so light/humorous, it’s hard to imagine it anywhere but middle grade, but many of the other factors don’t seem to fit. I’ve thought about rewriting the first quarter of the story to make it less silly, but Mulgrin’s immaturity/foolishness and the lighter feeling at the beginning are important to how the story develops, and gives more weight to the changes Mulgrin goes through. The second half of the book is stronger because of how the story starts.
In a way, I feel like my story is targeted at adults who enjoy reading middle grade, but that isn't a real category. So what do you think? YA? MG? Or something else altogether? Any advice or feedback is welcome!
(Side Note: I know this book may be a tough sell for my first, but I love it and I do believe this story has something special, particularly the trilogy as a whole. So, even if I have to fall back on other projects (which I am also working on!), I still want to try my best to get this one published.)
(Other Side Note: I mention the second and third book a few times, and I know that even if I publish the first book there's no guarantee that the next two will also be published. However, I do want to keep in mind where the story would go in sequel books as I consider what category this trilogy best fits in.)
P.S. Sorry for such a long post, and thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read/respond to it!