Blah blah age range blah blah blah

[RX-79G]

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?

The problem is not just one of classification, but of readership. A lot of fantasy readers are not interested in the trappings SF and vice versa. A lot of us read the respective genres for different reasons and attempting to blend them usually results in something unsatisfying to either interest.

 

[DelActivisto]

The problem is not just one of classification, but of readership. A lot of fantasy readers are not interested in the trappings SF and vice versa. A lot of us read the respective genres for different reasons and attempting to blend them usually results in something unsatisfying to either interest.

Interesting... I think I'll go start a new thread about this - about how much people will tolerate diverging over. In my story, for instance, the magic is explained as being the laws of nature conquered by one law. But when the magic was created, it resulted in a power struggle that decimated the world. As the story progresses, I drop more and more hints about how it was created, and they even find a vault of ancient relics - except the inside looks like a high tech laboratory. It would be real easy for me to change it back into a dusty underground castle. But I also have other tech in the story, though the tech is technically powered by magic. It's a close marriage between technology and magic, because the magic was created by technology and now powers a lot of technology. There's also discussion about how far technology can go, but that would be a sideline diversion - the main story is about the evil warlord back from the dead trying to take over the country (a total fantasy trope, most likely).

 

[Jo Zebedee]

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?

I didn't get that one published (although I had offers) but chose to self publish. But my trilogy is a Space Opera verging on Space fantasy and it's with a small publisher.

There are 2 different things here - mixing sf and fantasy and mixing age groups. The first is absolutely not a problem with a vibrant, established cross over market. The second is more of a problem and that is, essentially, the one the OP is facing. MG and YA are 2 different markets with differing focus, word count etc. Straddling them without clear focus makes selling harder.

 

[The Storyteller]

The second is more of a problem and that is, essentially, the one the OP is facing. MG and YA are 2 different markets with differing focus, word count etc. Straddling them without clear focus makes selling harder.

Thanks for the input Jo Zebedee. I was having a feeling it might be too good to be true when people were saying I didn't need to pin down the age range.

Of course, that still leaves me with the problem of what age range best fits? Is it harder to publish an overly long and older MC middle grade, or a non-edgy YA with a still wrong aged MC, or an adult fantasy but with a tone more associated with children's books? (The question is rhetorical btw, since I know it's too hard to answer without actually reading the material!)

What you said in your first post makes sense, at any rate. I was always worried I'd work myself into a corner and end up with a product that doesn't quite fit anywhere. But in the end, if I feel it's important to keep the general length/tone/MC age that I have, I can still try to do my best with it, just being aware it might hurt my chances at getting published. It is my first book, so even if the age range was clear cut, I might not be able to get it published any way! And self publishing is a consideration.

Lots to think about, at any rate. I'm hoping I can cut down on the word count a bit with this next edit, which might help clear things up!

 

[DelActivisto]

When I was young, about 13, I jumped into The Wheel of Time. Pretty much an adult series, with adult problems, romance, and situations that most younger people mightn't understand. (No sex scenes, though.) So I was way ahead of my age range. Now I'm in my early twenties and I recently devoured Brandon Sanderson's Calamity (??) series - aimed specifically at 12-13 year olds. But the MC is 18, so I still felt like we had some problems in common.

It's pretty interesting. I think the best piece of advise I can give to to not dumb your book down too far. Bookworms are smart. Most published authors will probably tell you to write well above what you [think] your readers will comprehend.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thanks for the input Jo Zebedee. I was having a feeling it might be too good to be true when people were saying I didn't need to pin down the age range.

Of course, that still leaves me with the problem of what age range best fits? Is it harder to publish an overly long and older MC middle grade, or a non-edgy YA with a still wrong aged MC, or an adult fantasy but with a tone more associated with children's books? (The question is rhetorical btw, since I know it's too hard to answer without actually reading the material!)

What you said in your first post makes sense, at any rate. I was always worried I'd work myself into a corner and end up with a product that doesn't quite fit anywhere. But in the end, if I feel it's important to keep the general length/tone/MC age that I have, I can still try to do my best with it, just being aware it might hurt my chances at getting published. It is my first book, so even if the age range was clear cut, I might not be able to get it published any way! And self publishing is a consideration.

Lots to think about, at any rate. I'm hoping I can cut down on the word count a bit with this next edit, which might help clear things up!

Honestly - for now finish it. Then review where you are - in the edit you can do the needed things once you have a clearer understanding what the book is.

 

[The Storyteller]

When I was young, about 13, I jumped into The Wheel of Time. Pretty much an adult series, with adult problems, romance, and situations that most younger people mightn't understand. (No sex scenes, though.) So I was way ahead of my age range. Now I'm in my early twenties and I recently devoured Brandon Sanderson's Calamity (??) series - aimed specifically at 12-13 year olds. But the MC is 18, so I still felt like we had some problems in common.

It's pretty interesting. I think the best piece of advise I can give to to not dumb your book down too far. Bookworms are smart. Most published authors will probably tell you to write well above what you [think] your readers will comprehend.

Good point. I know the age range of a book never stopped me when I was younger--or now that I am older. I love reading a good YA or middle grade, especially when it is well-written and doesn't cut corners just because it is 'for kids'. I haven't tried Calamity yet, but The Rithmatist by the same author was delightful!

Honestly - for now finish it. Then review where you are - in the edit you can do the needed things once you have a clearer understanding what the book is.

Technically I am in the editing stage already! I am on the third draft, and was hoping to make the final 'big changes' this time through, and then go over it for polishing. So at this point I already have a pretty clear understanding of what the book is, and am (hopefully!) getting close to finished. So if I was really wanting to make it fit perfectly into an exact age range, now would be the time I'd want to make those changes. Still, I feel pretty comfortable with what I have, and I'm okay with it maybe not fitting as perfectly as it could. I will try to pinpoint what age range I personally feel it's best suited for, and maybe make a few adjustments accordingly.

 

[Juliana]

There are 2 different things here - mixing sf and fantasy and mixing age groups. The first is absolutely not a problem with a vibrant, established cross over market. The second is more of a problem and that is, essentially, the one the OP is facing. MG and YA are 2 different markets with differing focus, word count etc. Straddling them without clear focus makes selling harder.

This, exactly.

Of course, that still leaves me with the problem of what age range best fits? Is it harder to publish an overly long and older MC middle grade, or a non-edgy YA with a still wrong aged MC, or an adult fantasy but with a tone more associated with children's books? (The question is rhetorical btw, since I know it's too hard to answer without actually reading the material!)

I really think you need to go and browse some of the shelves in the children/teen sections of your local library or bookstore. You'll notice that pretty much everything has a young protagonist (because MG and YA are not genres, but reader categories). There may be adult characters, but not the main POV characters. (possibly with rare exceptions) However, there are plenty of playful 'adult' novels around that include young characters among the adults.

When I was young, about 13, I jumped into The Wheel of Time. Pretty much an adult series, with adult problems, romance, and situations that most younger people mightn't understand. (No sex scenes, though.) So I was way ahead of my age range.

I don't think the issue is this one exactly; plenty of kids read 'grown-up fiction' (I remember devouring Gone With The Wind at age 12). The issue is that when it comes to pitching the novel, there are certain expectations if the author is going to pitch it as middle grade or YA.

This article has some pretty decent info on what is middle grade and YA. Utah Children's Writers: MG or YA?
And agent Jennifer Laughran's word count post is often cited as a good guideline. Jennifer Represents...: Wordcount Dracula

Hope this helps!