No Romance, No Chance?

[Sarah Olutola]

This is my first time adding a discussion, so forgive me if this is in the wrong place or if this has already been discussed somewhere else in this comm. I guess it's just something that I've been thinking about deeply for a while. To tell you the truth, I've been a bit down about it.

You see, I may be wrong, but for the most part YA is definitely trending towards books that heavily feature romance (especially love triangles) first and foremost with any plot stuff happening in the background (mostly just as a means to let the romance play out). Any supernatural elements may spice the book up and make it cooler, but in the end it comes down to whether the regular girl will choose between Hot Boy A or Hot Boy B, or/and whether the regular girl and Hot Boy of Choice can stay together despite Overwhelming Odds. I'm talking specifically about YA urban fantasy/paranormal/contemporary fantasy here.

Now don't get me wrong, I continue to read and enjoy certain books along these lines. But I wonder: if the market is becoming so saturated with these types of books, and if these books are still doing incredibly well, will agents and publishers be less willing to take a chance on a YA novel where romance is included, but as an afterthought (or dare I say not included at all)?

I mean I don't believe that teenage girls/young women can only be interested in a book if romance is the crutch of the story. The mythic popularity of Harry Potter pretty much proved that. The story, characters, magic and mystery was what made most of the people fans, and though people formed ships and wrote...'interesting' fanfic about the characters, in the end the books remained popular despite barely having any romance in it until the sixth book and even then you could tell Ms. Rowling was not as fantastic with romance as she is with everything else. So I mean yes, it's possible. We're out there.

Though Twilight and Twilight-inspired novels are mostly the in-thing, there are still tons of people out there that are fine with - or even looking for - books where the romance is minimal or possibly even a non-issue. For me personally, the books I love the most are the ones with incredible detail, with an adventure, and with heroines with personalities that aren't just there to be loved and protected by gorgeous men. Romance can be included, but not necessary. But now whenever I tell people about the current YA book I'm reading, they assume it's mostly about a melodramatic love triangle and roll their eyes. And so long as publishers don't believe that there's a sizable enough populations that want something different, this audience will have their work cut out for them trying to find the kind of books they like.

I know there are quite a few YA urban fantasy/contemporary fantasy/paranormal books that break that mold, but I really wonder, how hard will this current oversaturation make it for unagented writers who write in this genre, but aren't as interested in the romance?

[Georgia McBride]

You've put your discussion in the right place! Nice topic.

[Sarah Olutola]

Thanks! It's definitely something that I have interest in, but it doesn't seem like a lot of people wanna touch this one lol

Georgia McBride said:

You've put your discussion in the right place! Nice topic.

[Alicia Walker Muhlestein]

Excellent topic for discussion. I'm gonna make this brief, because I've got to run to the dentist, but I'm not scared to talk about this one.

Romance is never going to hurt a YA book targeted to girls (and even boys), but I'm finding the same type of romance with the same struggles and odds repeated over and over in the current reads. Don't you? As writers, we tend to analyze books for themes and I am constantly catching myself finding scenes from one book and remembering I've read almost the exact same scene in another book. But those who are just reading for pure enjoyment (I've lost that ability I believe) could care less who wrote it, who published it, what the sales are, who's the agent, or if it's almost a carbon copy of another book. If it's engaging, and their friends say it's a good book, or if it's been publicized expertly, they'll probably read it.

But it's funny--the market is always changing, and it's always a surprise to see what the next 'in' thing will be. There are readers out there who are looking for something different, no matter how bizarre or unpopular agents or publishers think it's going to be, and when you give it a chance, that might just be the next wave.

Maybe your book is just what someone is looking to read:)

[Michelle Zink]

Good topic. And I feel your pain. I'm proud of the fact that Prophecy of the Sisters doesn't focus on the romance. It's THERE, but it's not the STORY, you know? I wanted it to be about Lia, not as a reflection of a boy, but all about her.

That said, one of the most common criticisms that I get is the minimal romance. Readers want "more" of James, even though he really doesn't play a huge part in book one. It's difficult, because I want to please my readers. I want to give them a story they can lose themselves in. But I also want to be true to the story, because there's a big part of me that feels like every story I write already exists out there somewhere and it's just my job to channel it right. At the same time, I don't want to be a writer-for-hire in terms of writing what OTHER people want me to write. I want to write something original and unique and true to the characters voices in my head. And from a craft perspective, it's poor writing to overdevelop a character who isn't integral to the plot and/or to force one into a position of importance because it makes for steamy reading. A character is either primary or secondary, and let's face it, if you're doing your job as a writer, the primary character is going to be more fully developed. I wouldn't consider myself a good writer if I over-insinuated a character who didn't have an important role.

I'm not gonna lie; it's tough to strike the balance between writing what YOU want to write and giving your readers what they want, and this is even truer once you're published and everyone has an opinion about how things should go. But the only thing I can say is that in order to find true joy in writing, you have to write the story you want to write. You have to write it the very best you can and believe that your passion will allow that work to find an audience.
<3

MZ

[Stacey O'Neale]

I have to admit that I like to see romance in young adult but that's my taste in most things. I like watching romantic comedies, etc. Plus, most teenage girls are obsessed with one cute guy in their school. I know I enjoyed quite a few in my middle/high school days, LOL! However, I enjoy books with romance but also about the female lead growing up or overcoming obstacles. I especially enjoy books with strong female leads. That's why I'm not so crazy about Bella in Twilight. She's too weak for me. I like my females a little tougher.

[Jennifer R. Hubbard]

Romance is often a source of tension, conflict, suspense, and payoff. Also, the quest for a significant other is often an imporant part of young single life. Both of these reasons are why you see so much romance in YA lit.

But it's not essential. All that is essential is that the book be good and include what it needs to include to tell its story. If what's in the book is compelling, there won't be a sense that anything is missing.

[Crystal Collier]

I HATE triangles! Cursed be the person who first thought to immortalize indecisiveness as the focus of romance! CURSED I say!

Whew. Had to get that out. Now, I think every good story is going to contain some element of romance because, well let's face it, romance is an inherent part of human nature. BUT I said "an aspect". Periphery is good. Before my hormones kicked it into high gear I steered clear of "romantic" plot lines, and hope one day I can be level headed and normal again. For now I consume anything that contains a good WHOLESOME romance, (Hence the YA--which is hastily becoming not quite so safe,) and know that women who fall into my same bracket read the same way.

At any rate, publishers will always publish what sells. If there's an abundance of vying authors it just means editors are more picky, and only the BEST of the BEST of the BEST (or luckiest of the luckiest of the luckiest) will land a major deal. It comes down to the merit of the work.

Oh, and I would highly suggest an agent. If you can't land an agent the chances of landing a major publisher are, well, shall I say abysmal? The big guys don't look at unsolicited manuscripts any more. Smaller publishers will though. Even if you don't use an agent it's important to know you could have one, if you wanted. Confidence boost in a box.

Okay, I ranted. Whew. Bowing out now.

[Crystal Collier]

Hey Nicola!

Sounds intriguing! (And no, I won't hold the triangle against you.) Looking forward to reading some--if and when you are ready to share/publish!

The issue with triangles is indecisiveness. Strong characters are well defined. They know what they want. True, not all characters are supposed to be strong, and some must grow through the choices thrust upon them by extraneous events in the stories' evolution. This is the only time, ONLY time I will accept a triangle. This whole process of "well I like him, but the other guy's really cute, but he's so smart, but the other guy is stronger..." makes me want to gag. If the MC makes the wrong decision then I despise her/him, and he/she makes the right decision I'm annoyed she/he didn't wake up and smell the bacon sooner! I really don't want to resent the MC.

Nicola Richardson said:

Hello,there.

I write YA paranormal romance,but my MC has a mystery to solve and powers/heritage that she has to learn about. So, I have two different plots going plus the romance. I simply can't write straight up romance. The romance is there but it isn't the entire plot of the book. I worry,too. Because with the current YA trends,the romance MUST be the centerpoint of the book. Also,the trend towards female leads with no swagger worries me. My girl kicks ass and takes names. I am incapable of writing a girl as anything less. I do have a love triangle(don't hurt me!) but the focus is always on my MC's life and choices. The guys are secondary.

What you said about HP holds true. There is an audience for everything and there may be readers who are searching for exactly what you describe.

[Laura Boyd]

Unfortunately I can't tell you abut what publishers want since I have not a clue, but I can tell you of some books that don't have romance as the center stage. My favorite author, Holly Black, recognizes that romance is not the only part of a person's life. She wrote Tithe and Ironside, but by far my favorite is Valiant. The romance is Valient is definitely different. As for others... I can't think off the top of my head but I know there are.

The problem is that Twilight proved there was a huge market of unexploited readers who went gaga over a girl who had to choose between two incredibly hot, superhuman boys. But trust me there still is good literature out there and people who want to read it.

And if there are people who are still willing to read books that are non-Twilight-like I can assure you there are publishers who would be willing to publish non-Twilight-like books. I cannot say that no publisher will turn you down because they want Twilight-like books, there is the chance, but getting a publisher for such a book is a possibility. I would say your best bet would be to do some research on what publishers are looking for your type of book. Try this site. It is on the fourm for people new to the publishing. http://dglm.blogspot.com/2010/03/entering-publishing-world.html

On another note, if you are looking to publish and you succeed I would love to read such a book.

[Audrey]

I, personally, dislike extremely-romance-based books. I find them repetitive (how many different ways can you swoon or kiss?) and unexciting. I like books more plot or character driven, with a dash of romance on the side.

I don't think this genre will oversaturate YA lit, because I'm almost positive publishers and agents are all looking for the "next big thing" (and I'm crossing my fingers for more dystopian, haha). I dunno, that's just what I would do if I were an agent.

[Florence Kincaid]

You know what? I totally agree with you on those points. I find romance tiresome. I didn't like reading those types of books as a teenager and I'm still not into them now. There are a lot of people who seem to believe that romance is the main draw of a story, however.

I actually just switched to writing male MCs in hopes it would give me an excuse to avoid a romantic subplot.

The best seem to be in novels like, "Vampire Academy". The MC is a fully developed, independent entity in her own right, and the rest of the story isn't a mere adjunct to a romantic plot-- it's the other way around.

[Michelle Zink]

Hi, Sarah!

I definitely think there's still a place for books with light romance in the YA market. There are tons out there and lots of agents actually prefer them (my agent, Steven Malk, is a stickler for making the primary point of the book the PLOT and weaving any romance into that).

The bigger question is can a book with very little romance be a true, commercial success in this market. My answer is; rarely. There are books like the Hunger Games series and Incarceron that are commercial successes without a ton of romance, bit they are very definitely the exception. Makes it tough going as a YA novelist, because you end up having to ask yourself if you want to write for commercial success (which means people will keep paying for your books so you get to keep writing) or do you want to write what YOU want to write, regardless of what the public wants, and let the chips fall where they may.
<3

MZ