Blah blah age range blah blah blah

So, I am supposed to be working on my application for a writing award (which is far harder than I would have guessed...) and I got distracted trying to figure out what 'age-range' my book is... again.

When I started writing it, all I really knew was the kind of 'voice' I wanted. Something like Lloyd Alexander, or Gail Carson Levine, or The Hobbit. The kinds of humorous books I read and enjoyed as a kid and now love even more as an adult. Something lighthearted and fun, but still enjoyable for adults to read.

In the end, I think I have some odd hybrid of every age, meaning it possibly isn't suitable for any of them. In terms of narrative voice and tone (especially the first third of the book), I tend to think upper middle grades, but I am about double the word count for a typical middle grade book, my protagonist is not in the correct age range, and to be honest, I've given no regard for whether the words I'm using and sentence length is appropriate.

So I thought, maybe it's YA... but the age range is still wrong, and the content doesn't seem 'edgy' enough... I feel that it is complex in it's own way and deals with some deeper issues, but none of those issues are really 'teen problems'.

But then, if I go adult fantasy, the tone is probably wrong. The story starts out a bit goofy, and while it does start to take itself more seriously as the main character learns some common sense and faces some real struggles, I'm not sure I'd have any luck marketing it as adult fiction.

Thinking about it all makes my brain hurt. I like to write. I want to write what I like to write, and then throw it at a publisher and let them decide who it should be marketed at. Buuut that's not how things really work. Even for something as simple as a writing award, I am struggling to define my novel in a way that is accurate and promising.

Anyway, blah blah blah. Kinda felt like ranting. Sorry about that! Anyone have some helpful advice in determining age range? Can you gear something for YA even if it doesn't deal with 'teen problems'? Can you get away with a too-long story in middle grade? Etc. etc.

Maybe just write it, and let the industry decide where it fits, or what needs to be edited to make it fit. If the story is good and the writing is good, someone will want to find the market for it.

IMO. Other people with more experience may have a different assessment of how pre-packaged a story needs to be, but I'm guessing most will say that it is far better to write it the way you want then do a bunch of hand wringing about pleasing editors that might have liked your original approach better.

You have to apply for a writing award?

I thought that these award thingies were thrust upon you by a jury of your peers, as it were.

Edit: Uhmmm. Are these people asking for money? Sounds like a scam.

I am going to tell you what about half a dozen other people have told me:

Write the darn thing first then figure out where it fits. (Exception if you're writing Middle Grade because there are certain themes and features that can't be in there.)

Of course, my current WIP which I haven't thought is YA... is read as YA by my writing group. Just goes to show that categories are not cut and dried.

The Storyteller said:

So, I am supposed to be working on my application for a writing award (which is far harder than I would have guessed...) and I got distracted trying to figure out what 'age-range' my book is... again.

When I started writing it, all I really knew was the kind of 'voice' I wanted. Something like Lloyd Alexander, or Gail Carson Levine, or The Hobbit. The kinds of humorous books I read and enjoyed as a kid and now love even more as an adult. Something lighthearted and fun, but still enjoyable for adults to read.

In the end, I think I have some odd hybrid of every age, meaning it possibly isn't suitable for any of them. In terms of narrative voice and tone (especially the first third of the book), I tend to think upper middle grades, but I am about double the word count for a typical middle grade book, my protagonist is not in the correct age range, and to be honest, I've given no regard for whether the words I'm using and sentence length is appropriate.

So I thought, maybe it's YA... but the age range is still wrong, and the content doesn't seem 'edgy' enough... I feel that it is complex in it's own way and deals with some deeper issues, but none of those issues are really 'teen problems'.

But then, if I go adult fantasy, the tone is probably wrong. The story starts out a bit goofy, and while it does start to take itself more seriously as the main character learns some common sense and faces some real struggles, I'm not sure I'd have any luck marketing it as adult fiction.

Thinking about it all makes my brain hurt. I like to write. I want to write what I like to write, and then throw it at a publisher and let them decide who it should be marketed at. Buuut that's not how things really work. Even for something as simple as a writing award, I am struggling to define my novel in a way that is accurate and promising.

Anyway, blah blah blah. Kinda felt like ranting. Sorry about that! Anyone have some helpful advice in determining age range? Can you gear something for YA even if it doesn't deal with 'teen problems'? Can you get away with a too-long story in middle grade? Etc. etc.

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Yes, the big question is, is this finished or are you still working on it? If you are still working on it then why the rush to apply for an award?

Even finished I found it hard to really define mine and that could be a factor in the cooler reception by perception. And the fact that it is much too long for young adult. If your main character is young then that might determine it for you, whether you want it to or not.

My character begins by thinking she might be about thirteen (memory problems) and later discovering that perhaps its a few years to maybe eighteen; however either of those put her closer to a young adult.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. There are a few things I should probably clarify.

-The writing award. This award is an annual award that gives one writer in my city a sum of money so that they can take three months off of work to pursue a writing project. You need to send in a short sample of the project you plan to work on, along with an outline and description of your project. This obviously would be a fabulous opportunity, but since I'm still new to writing I'm not exactly holding my breath on it. Still, it would be silly not to apply, and I am trying really hard to put in the best application I can! Turns out that this kind of thing isn't my strong point though... I am really stumped on writing the outline and description, which just kinda turned into me getting distracted trying to figure out age range. (I was hoping to include the info in my description.)

As for the topic at hand (the age range of my book), I was under the impression you needed to include that kind of information when you were attempting to get a book published? Am I wrong about that? It would definitely be easier to just pass it off to publishers and let them determine where it best falls. But I was guessing you would need to know that info ahead of time so as to pick publishers that would be the best fit for the book, and also to include the information in any queries, etc. I have read before that people who don't correctly identify their age range will have their books rejected out of hand, but maybe that isn't as big of a worry as I thought it was?
(Any responses concerning this from people who know better than me would be welcome!)

I am currently on the third or fourth draft of my book (kinda hard to tell where one edit ends and the next one begins sometimes...). Optimistically speaking, I'd like to say I'm 75% done the entire writing process, but being honest, it might be closer to 50-60%. I have gotten enough done to know that, in terms of length and theme, it's not likely to change much. I can shave off a good amount of the word count on editing, but not cut it in half without losing very important scenes, and as for tone, I would have to rewrite the thing from scratch to really change it.

The main character doesn't have an exact age given anywhere in the novel, but in my head he was always in the 25-30 range. He is extremely immature and naive, but part of his character is that he acts that way despite his age. I could go as low as 20 with him, but anything under that really changes who he is in my mind. Plus, there is a possible romantic interest with a character who simply cannot be below 20 years old, which would start to make things awkward if I went preteen age for the MC!

Ultimately, I would love to just write it and let it keep the tone it has and not worry over much about length. But I'm worried about being too careless now, and ending up with problems when I go to publish.

Lafayette said:

Of what you have told us of your novel I think I would like to read it. Please let me know when it's published.

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Well, I'll probably be looking for beta readers before too long if you are really interested in reading it! And don't worry, if I get it published I'll be letting the whole world know!

Alex The G and T said:

Edit: Uhmmm. Are these people asking for money? Sounds like a scam.

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I described the award in more detail above, but no, they are no asking for money!

Oh, thanks for clearing that up. No one else seemed to catch that this thread was inre an application.
Offhand, I'd say, if they don't ask about genre, or "age-range", or specify which they're expecting; don't mention it. Let them draw their own conclusions.

I think it is great that your city has this program. More cities should have them. I have a feeling that if you make some polite inquiries your questions will be answered. Perhaps they have some other guidelines that can help you. Perhaps if you ask you will relieve your stress and have an easier time writer.

You sound like a panser instead of a plotter.

Good luck.

What Alex said. If they don't ask, don't give the information. If that fails go with what you think, adult fantasy does not have to have any set maturity. One of my most favorite books (and what little you've said about yours sounds a little like this) is Twenty-nine and a Half Reasons by Denise Grover Swank. It's an hilarious romp with a very naive southerner who has just a bit of clairvoyance. --- I'm grinning just thinking about the book again. I might have to re-read it.

Alex The G and T said:

Offhand, I'd say, if they don't ask about genre, or "age-range", or specify which they're expecting; don't mention it. Let them draw their own conclusions.

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Parson said:

What Alex said. If they don't ask, don't give the information.

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Yup, agreed, just state that it's fantasy and leave it at that.

The Storyteller said:

The main character doesn't have an exact age given anywhere in the novel, but in my head he was always in the 25-30 range.

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For what it's worth (I write YA and middle grade), if your main character is an adult than most likely it's not kid lit. Obviously, there are exceptions with children's books where the MC is a grown-up, but in general the rule is that kids/teens want a MC they can empathize with. So for middle grade, usually anything between 8 (for lower middle grade) and 14, and for YA, usually 15/16 and up to around 18. School age.

Yes, have read previously that a child reader wants a protagonist a little bit older than them as kids normally aspire to be older and able to do more - but definitely not an adult.

I'm not too worried about the application, I was planning to leave it as fantasy. I was mostly trying to think ahead for when publishing. I'm assuming by the responses that this advice applies for publishing queries as well though?

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Parson said:

What Alex said. If they don't ask, don't give the information. If that fails go with what you think, adult fantasy does not have to have any set maturity. One of my most favorite books (and what little you've said about yours sounds a little like this) is Twenty-nine and a Half Reasons by Denise Grover Swank. It's an hilarious romp with a very naive southerner who has just a bit of clairvoyance. --- I'm grinning just thinking about the book again. I might have to re-read it.

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Hmm, I should give that a read! Sounds like a lot of fun! And I think I would prefer think of it as adult fantasy with a different maturity level than as middle years or possibly even YA.

I think we would probably be surprised by the amount of stories that seem like one thing but get classified as something else. I wouldn't worry about trying to identify the exact market right off the bat. Then again.. if you do have a good idea about what reading group is going to be reading it, you can better tailor the story that way. Was this your story in the critique forum? If so... I was wondering why it sounded kind of goofy. I hadn't read this yet. So that means it is probably going to fall into the young readers category... maybe? I don't know. Your syntax was higher-level but the characters were third grade-esque, in my opinion! It's been so long since I was in public school, though, that I really couldn't say. (I was homeschooled.) Also I was reading CS Lewis when I was, umm, 6?

DelActivisto said:

I think we would probably be surprised by the amount of stories that seem like one thing but get classified as something else. I wouldn't worry about trying to identify the exact market right off the bat. Then again.. if you do have a good idea about what reading group is going to be reading it, you can better tailor the story that way. Was this your story in the critique forum? If so... I was wondering why it sounded kind of goofy. I hadn't read this yet. So that means it is probably going to fall into the young readers category... maybe? I don't know. Your syntax was higher-level but the characters were third grade-esque, in my opinion! It's been so long since I was in public school, though, that I really couldn't say. (I was homeschooled.) Also I was reading CS Lewis when I was, umm, 6?

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Sorry, I never got an alert that you posted this, so I only found it now!

Yes, that was my story for the critique. It does start with a goofier tone, but that tone does get a little more serious as the book continues. It more or less follows Mulgrin's progress; at first, Mulgrin is very impulsive and childish for his age, but over the book he matures a lot, and the tone matures a bit with him. Length and age of the protagonist were two big ones against middle years. Though who knows! I think the best thing is to send it in and let people with more expertise place it in the right category!

The Storyteller said:

Sorry, I never got an alert that you posted this, so I only found it now!

Yes, that was my story for the critique. It does start with a goofier tone, but that tone does get a little more serious as the book continues. It more or less follows Mulgrin's progress; at first, Mulgrin is very impulsive and childish for his age, but over the book he matures a lot, and the tone matures a bit with him. Length and age of the protagonist were two big ones against middle years. Though who knows! I think the best thing is to send it in and let people with more expertise place it in the right category!

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Yeah... that sounds about right. Sometimes stories won't even really get a category - maybe something really broad like "youth." I prefer to focus on the writing, and make it what I want it to be. Then, later, if someone actually publishes my work (oh joy!) we can work out the nitty gritty then. Otherwise it's like trying to figure out what color the kitchen should be when you haven't even bought a house yet.

DelActivisto said:

Yeah... that sounds about right. Sometimes stories won't even really get a category - maybe something really broad like "youth." I prefer to focus on the writing, and make it what I want it to be. Then, later, if someone actually publishes my work (oh joy!) we can work out the nitty gritty then. Otherwise it's like trying to figure out what color the kitchen should be when you haven't even bought a house yet.

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I've walked this walk, slowly and painfully. I've watched what is arguably my best work (it's not, actually - book 2 and 3 of my trilogy blow it out of the water) fail to get a publisher because it sat between two genres. That's a lot of work that might well have done better/sold more* if I'd have taken the time to tighten my focus (whether it would have been a better book is an entirely different argument).

At some point, @Storyteller will need to nail their colours to a mast to have a hope of selling it. The sooner that can be done, the easier this all becomes. It's too late sorting out the nitty gritty at publishing stage: more to the point you will never get an offer until you've worked out what your book is, made the pitch that suits it and totally nailed what market you want**

*although I do have the fun of claiming it as a cult hit

** but if you're writing for your own satisfaction and not sales, disregard this whole post. Enjoy the process. Do what you love.

Jo Zebedee said:

I've walked this walk, slowly and painfully. I've watched what is arguably my best work (it's not, actually - book 2 and 3 of my trilogy blow it out of the water) fail to get a publisher because it sat between two genres. That's a lot of work that might well have done better/sold more* if I'd have taken the time to tighten my focus (whether it would have been a better book is an entirely different argument).

At some point, @Storyteller will need to nail their colours to a mast to have a hope of selling it. The sooner that can be done, the easier this all becomes. It's too late sorting out the nitty gritty at publishing stage: more to the point you will never get an offer until you've worked out what your book is, made the pitch that suits it and totally nailed what market you want**

*although I do have the fun of claiming it as a cult hit

** but if you're writing for your own satisfaction and not sales, disregard this whole post. Enjoy the process. Do what you love.

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But did it get published? You said it was a trilogy, so I'm guessing it did get published...

But the notion of these rigid categories is a bit absurd if you think about it. Science fiction is supposed to be about ships and robots and the future and how humans will adapt and avoid becoming like the Borg. Fantasy is about swords and horses and often magic - mostly a worshipping of the medieval era. Here's a novel (pun intended) idea: Have the future invent magic, have the world collapse and return to the medieval era and rediscover the technology that made the magic possible. As far as I can tell, that's a marriage between fantasy and sci-fi. So, yeah, I would imagine an unimaginative publisher would have a hard time nailing the genre down. How about they make a new genre while they're at it?