Expanding from Children's to YA Fiction

[Guest6814]

Hello Everybody,

I've posted on the Fastlane Forum before about my novel-writing/self-publishing business. I've been aiming to do it the smart way, taking courses offered by people who have already succeeded, getting advice from podcasters (Joanna Penn, Mark Dawson, Chandler Bolt, and others), Facebook groups for writers, cross-promotions, etc.

Still, my success has been quite limited so far. I finally decided to face a reality and make a mental shift: children's books represent a very small share of the book market, and aren't so easily amenable to the eBook format. Also, an author interviewed on Mark Dawson's podcast stated that young adult (YA) readers are the most prolific; they often make reading a lifestyle rather than occasional hobby. So, that age group is the best one to target. And, yes, they read eBooks.

On that basis, I have decided to gear my next series towards YA readers. Once I finish my current WIP, I plan to start a new series, with a view toward a somewhat older crowd, YA. Market research on the genre will happen soon, too.

 

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[Mattie]

Hello Everybody,

I've posted on the Fastlane Forum before about my novel-writing/self-publishing business. I've been aiming to do it the smart way, taking courses offered by people who have already succeeded, getting advice from podcasters (Joanna Penn, Mark Dawson, Chandler Bolt, and others), Facebook groups for writers, cross-promotions, etc.

Still, my success has been quite limited so far. I finally decided to face a reality and make a mental shift: children's books represent a very small share of the book market, and aren't so easily amenable to the eBook format. Also, an author interviewed on Mark Dawson's podcast stated that young adult (YA) readers are the most prolific; they often make reading a lifestyle rather than occasional hobby. So, that age group is the best one to target. And, yes, they read eBooks.

On that basis, I have decided to gear my next series towards YA readers. Once I finish my current WIP, I plan to start a new series, with a view toward a somewhat older crowd, YA. Market research on the genre will happen soon, too.

There's so many courses, information out there, you really just have to learn through trial and error. I think it's basically finding the right niche your good at, knowing your audience, what they're after, and shooting for the goal. It's about all any of us can really do as writers.

 

[Guest6814]

There's so many courses, information out there, you really just have to learn through trial and error. I think it's basically finding the right niche your good at, knowing your audience, what they're after, and shooting for the goal. It's about all any of us can really do as writers.

There's a lot of truth in what you've set. I'm still experimenting. Two writers can write to the same target audience and get different results, and there are different approaches that may work or not work.

"Join Twitter and spam people (that's what I call it) with your life-changing blog post!"

"Blogging doesn't work for fiction. You need a series, with the first book free."

"I never had to write a series, but have sold children's books over 10,000 times."

etc.

In my FB group for children's and middle-grade authors, one guy with a series has apparently been very successful at it, since offering both a first book free and a "reader magnet" (each one advertising the other, I believe). Others have been less successful.

There's no perfect piece of advice.

However, branching into the YA age group seems like a rational move, considering the high amount of book consumption among that group.

Anyway, I'm planning on doing some market research in a few days, using Wesley Atkins's product, Kindle Spy. I'll see how well the YA historical fiction is doing there, and make the best decision I can make.