Worried about Demographics

[undormant]

Hi,

I believe in believing in your own voice and story choices.

I have a bit of a conflict however.

I am writing a fantasy fiction novel with orcs and elfs and dragons, but the main character is a middle aged gay man trying to overcome his suicidal tenancies/depression.

I don't really have an issue that it isn't that mainstream. My main issue is that I can think of about 7 books I want to write in the series and only about 2 feature this character. Others will be more along the YA line with 6 or so teenage characters.

I'm worried a publisher would make me choose one route or the other, I don't think they'd allow 2 books to be for one demographic and the rest for another demographic.

Also, as a fan of Narnia I kind of wished all the characters were consistent like with Harry Potter, not chopping and changing.

The only way I can think of to overcome this problem is to have the gay character in all the books.

R

 

[Abernovo]

The Narnia books don't all have the same characters, even though they're connected by a story arc. The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy are separate from the Pevensey family books. If your series is all set in the same 'universe' and is has a similar links between individual stories, then it might not be problem.

Perhaps write it and worry about the genre placement afterwards.

 

[undormant]

The Narnia books don't all have the same characters, even though they're connected by a story arc. The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy are separate from the Pevensey family books. If your series is all set in the same 'universe' and is has a similar links between individual stories, then it might not be problem.

Perhaps write it and worry about the genre placement afterwards.

I guess the reason Narnia works though is because they are all YA, as well as the themes that are similar.

I also have the problem this gay character has very heavy issues, none of the other ones will have this heavy an issue.

R

 

[Warren_Paul]

It's tricky, and honestly, I wouldn't suggest changing demographic halfway through the series.

I say this because the people who read the first 2 books would likely expect the later ones to be the same. And likewise, if a YA picks up one of the later books, and likes it, then decides to go back and read the first two, they'll expect it to be YA like the later ones.

But saying that, as has already been pointed out, you don't have to keep the same characters through the whole series, but also, you don't have to write the book as YA, just because it has teenage protagonists. GRRM's books have some teenage protagonists (Arya, Sansa, Bran) yet it's certainly not YA.

If the first books aren't going to end up as YA, then write the later ones with a mature perspective and it won't matter what age the protagonist is.

By the time you get to book 3, the younger characters might flesh out more and grow depths to them that give them just as heavy issues, or their own ghosts to deal with.

 

[Sapheron]

I think if you published a novel in a fantasy world about a group of teenagers having a YA kind of time about things, and then tried to write an adult story about a gay suicidal in the same world, let alone series most editors would be somewhat concerned. It isn't the change in characters, that's hardly unusual. It's the change in themes.

If it's a series, there's a connection somewhere. People generally (if they like the first one, obviously) go on to read the next book in a series. That's kind of the point of a series, I'd say. So, you can't really get away with such a change in characters and theme. Children might be reading one, and get on fine, then move to the other one and be a little out of their depth. More importantly, their parents might be a little unhappy that what they thought was a friendly YA fantasy has switched to an adult story with themes they don't think their child should be reading (potentially, of course, I don't actually know what your story is like).

I can't help but think there's the potentially for a massive mess. Editors, when looking for things to publish, are not looking for a difficult time. As such, I think you could struggle getting something like this through.

However much you might not want to, I'd suggest dividing the two into different stories, entirely separate.

 

[undormant]

Yeah I think I'll avoid YA then, the gay character will be the first and second book, after that I'm hoping the audience will stick with a set of early 20's type characters.

The gay character chooses not to return to Earth so maybe other characters will bump into him.

The connecting theme is religion throughout. Also, immigration after a natural disaster and generally acceptance of people who are different.

Not as Narnia as it sounds lol.

R

 

[Gumboot]

The Narnia books are not a continuous series. Each is a stand alone novel.

Perhaps that's your solution? Write stand-alone novels? Or write an adult series about one character, and a children's series about others?

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is for adults, but he also writes stories set in Discworld for children such as The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents and The Wee Free Men.

 

[Jake Reynolds]

Hmm, I would ask whether the story about the suicidal, middle aged guy needs to be fantasy at all? I understand that fantasy is often used to draw parallels with our world and so on, but it is difficult to make a call on this without knowing what the effects of setting are.

I'd say that Sapheron has the answer, in that it sounds like it might be best as two wholly separate projects.

 

[Anne Lyle]

I'm worried a publisher would make me choose one route or the other, I don't think they'd allow 2 books to be for one demographic and the rest for another demographic.

You're right, they wouldn't - the publisher wants a consistent product they can market to fans of your work, and to suddenly switch to a middle-aged character mid-series...it just wouldn't wash.

I've heard that a similar thing caused the delay in book 3 of Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series, in that he wrote two books featuring the adventures of Locke Lamora then handed in a manuscript that didn't have Locke in at all. The publishers told him to go away and write something that wouldn't disappoint his fans...

However - if you're attached to this character, I suggest you write a separate adult series about him. If and when you reach the happy stage of getting an agent, you can discuss issues like maybe publishing the adult books under a pseudonym. Many authors do that, and often it's an open secret that's done purely for marketing reasons, to make sure that one audience doesn't accidentally pick up a book by their "favourite author" and be turned off buying any more because this one is different.

In short, write an awesome book, and let the professionals handle the marketing side. That's what we pay them for

 

[Jake Reynolds]

I've heard that a similar thing caused the delay in book 3 of Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series, in that he wrote two books featuring the adventures of Locke Lamora then handed in a manuscript that didn't have Locke in at all.

So THAT's what happened. Damn, when put in that context, I suppose I would be hugely disappointed if Locke wasn't in the next one. I'd be interested to have seen what it was, though.

 

[Anne Lyle]

I don't know if it's true or not - one hears rumours

Anyway, the truth of it is beside the point. It's entirely plausible that that's how an editor would react in those circumstances.