Re: YA/adult

R. L. wrote: 
On Sat, 7 Jan 2006 22:34:30 +0000 (UTC), "Nicola Browne"
<nicky.matthews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"Bill Swears" <wswears@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:11s0dn7qgr8069b@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Are there US markets for that length of children's story? 

Nicky



I think the early chapter books, like "Junie B Jones, Kindergartener" and the "Captain Underpants" adventures are about that length.


Yeah, but I would regard them as books not shorts which is what I thought RL meant. 


Yes, and mine are getting more complexl, not less. I'd say the complexity
level is around mid-teen or higher.  Complex plot, non-angsty characters.

Also as someone pointed out, with magazine and anthology markets you get to
sell the same story over and over.



I jumped in late. I thought Nicky posed the question based on her own needs.

I've mentioned before that there is a market for similar novellas, like the current taste for supernatural and dangerous soft porn. I've seen a couple paperbacks with four or five authors represented, each telling a tale from their own ongoing series.

I don't know that you could find a publisher who wanted to risk it, but I think there would be a market, if you could develop a product that could be packaged for teens, with interesting and punchy shorts/novellas, and total word counts from several stories being in a publishable volume length. Looking at today's short attention span readers, that might sell better than older style teen oriented books, in some groups.

Since the teen magazine market trends toward modern and wholesome, I wonder if you wouldn't do well calling them modern parables vice F&SF, and pointing up the 'moral' of each story you introduce.

Bill



--
Bill Swears

Ever Inappropriate, always contrite, and now... Ironic!  How cool is that?
.

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