Writing and Selling the YA Novel

by K L Going

  FORUMS

  Forums are online venues for conversation. When you go to a forum, you'll find multiple topics posted that are awaiting readers' responses. You can click on any topic and read what people have to say. Forums can be large and complex with many different topics in many different categories, or they can be relatively small and simple. You can reply to a particular topic (called a thread) or to an individual response (called a post). You can even post your own topic and see how others respond to you.

  I maintain a small forum on my Web site (www.klgoing.com/fo-rums). It offers me a chance to interact with my readers by posting about common interests. My categories are broad because the forum is designed for any reader who'd like to participate. For my purposes, I've found that sticking with general categories like books, movies, current events, and writing works just fine. Within each category people have posted many different threads. For example, in the "Books" category someone might start a thread about whatever book he just finished reading. He could ask if others have read it and what they thought, and then other people can post their responses. Topics that have recent posts move to the top of the list, so someone can post on an old topic if it's one they'd like to bring back to people's attention or they can post something new and their thread will appear at the top of the list. You're welcome to visit me on my forum and practice posting! I'd love to hear about the projects you're working on and the books you love.

  My forum is a good one to start out on if you're feeling nervous because many forums are much larger than mine. If you're comfortable with posting, there are quite a few forums specifically designed for adults trying to become published writers. Check out the SCBWI forum if you're a member, or the Absolute Write Water Cooler (www. absolutewrite.com/forums). Author Verla Kay hosts a forum called the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Chat Board that's very popular with children's book writers (www.verlakay.com/boards). Sites such as these offer valuable opportunities to network with other writers, and they have many different categories for discussion including topics like "the craft of writing," "publicity and promotion," "legal questions," and "submission to agents and editors." There are even places to share your rejection letters.

  You'd be surprised at how generous most writers are with information and how much you'll learn from participating in a forum. You might even find a critique group or link up with someone who's willing to serve as a reader for your manuscript. Forums might seem overwhelming at first, but remember, you don't have to post anything immediately. You can start by reading through the various threads, old and new, and when you feel ready you can reply to others or ask your own questions.

  SOCIAL NETWORKING

  Connecting with others is so important. Ask almost anyone and they will tell you that the key to success in most fields is networking. But

  what if you don't have a ton of connections? How can you realistically expect to meet and greet people from all across the country? This is where social networking sites come into play. Popular sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster allow you to create a personal profile complete with photographs and information about yourself, and you can join groups with other people who share common interests. You can also add friends to your page and visit other people's pages, leaving them public comments or personal messages. These sites are great ways to connect directly to your fans no matter where they are, and they're a perfect way to get to know a large number of people all across the country.

  But do they really offer anything other than distraction? Personally, I've gotten newspaper articles, an interview in an online magazine, multiple interviews with online book clubs, and invitations to visit libraries from my MySpace page. I've also made countless friends. I even applied for a job based on an opportunity I saw publicized in one of the groups I belong to. A friend of mine received a request for his manuscript from a well-known editor because he'd posted a comment on a mutual friend's page. The opportunities are literally endless since new people are joining every day.

  The best part, though, is the chance to meet your fans in a more personal way. I love looking at the pages teens have designed for themselves. The variety is incredible. Teenagers include so much information (too much sometimes!) and you have a chance to see how they describe themselves, what they list as their favorite books, movies, and music, and many times they write blogs that are set as "public," meaning they are open to any reader. Interacting with the kids who contact me through my MySpace page has got to be one of the greatest thrills of being a YA author.

  ^t/ujofuW—Shop Class

  BLOGS

  So what are blogs anyway? This is a good question and one that every writer should know the answer to. Blogging has become extremely popular, and it's fabulous publicity both to be mentioned in someone else's blog or to maintain your own.

  For those of you who don't know, the term blog is short for web log. Basically, blogs are online journals that offer readers a chance to interact by posting comments about what the blogger has written. You can blog about anything from personal thoughts to book reviews to politics, and you can blog as frequently or as infrequently as you'd like. Personally, I don't have a lot of extra time, so my entries tend to be sporadic, but since the subjects I write about don't have any time limits, people can access any blog from my archive as well as my most current entry.

  For writers who are devoted bloggers, blogs can offer an outlet for feelings, a chance to share your views with the world, an opportunity to interact with others, and one more way for you to share something personal with your fans. Many blogs are specialized as well. There are blogs devoted specifically to the discussion of books, or to library issues, or to any other subject under the sun.

  There are many different online places available to host your blog if you'd like to keep one. Social networking sites such as MySpace usually offer a blog as part of your personal page. In addition, sites like Livejournal, Open Diary, Blogger, WordPress, and GoogleLive all host blogs, in addition to myriad other sites too numerous to name.

  PODCASTS, VIDEO CLIPS, AND BOOK TRAILERS

  While most bloggers are still using the typed format, there are some who are using their video cameras to keep video blogs, otherwise know as vlogs. Video bloggers, or vloggers, might post their entries on YouTube or on their personal Web sites or social networking pages. Vlogging, like blogging, is yet another creative way you can reach out to your fans if you have the technology available.

  Likewise, podcasts are simple and easy if you have modern computer equipment, including a microphone for your computer. Podcasts are audio clips that listeners can link to through various Web sites. They can be about any topic you choose. Some authors record podcasts about their writing process. Others might tell a personal story they want to share with their readers. When my third book, Saint Iggy, was due out, Harcourt asked me to do a podcast to share a little bit about where the story idea had come from and to read a chapter for my listeners. Some publishers have offered a series of podcasts interviewing various authors or asking multiple authors to respond to a similar question. Readers who visited their Web sites were then able to listen to the podcasts of their choice. They got a sense of the author's voice and personality, as well as additional insights into their books.

  Finally, if you're really technically savvy, you can make your own book trailer. Book trailers are just like movie trailers, only they ad vertise your book. My husband and I made a book trailer for my fourth novel, The Garden of Eve, using our handheld camera and his computer editing program. There are also various services available where people will make a trailer for you, and these range in cost from minimal amounts like one hundred dollars to very expensive amounts. I read an article about one author who spent ten thousand dollars on his book trailer. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this. Book trailers are new and it's not yet proven whether they can positively affect sales. They are a lot of fun, however. So if you can make one yourself or can find someone who will do a good job for a small fee,
they can be a great addition to your Web site and an avenue for potential readers to find you on YouTube.

  GIVEAWAYS

  Everyone loves free stuff. Teens are no exception. In some instances your publisher will distribute some sort of free promotional item in connection with your book, such as a bookmark or postcard, but other times, you might want to create something yourself. I've had bumper stickers made so I could hand them out at book signings and author visits. They promote my books, look cool, and are an eye-catching addition to my display. Other authors I know have distributed pens, pencils, stickers, temporary tattoos, bookmarks, and mouse pads. Do an online search or ask for recommendations from other authors to find out the best places for purchasing giveaway materials of your choice.

  ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

  You might find that after you're published you get asked to write short articles or essays for various publications. For example, I was asked to write a 5oo-word response to a question about English curriculum for a journal that circulates to English teachers. These are great opportunities to get your name out there to a large crowd who may not be familiar with your work.

  If no one approaches you, try contacting magazines or newspapers you think might include something you've written. Perhaps you can write an article for your local newspaper about authors living in your area, or books you recommend for teens. Since larger teen magazines like Seventeen and Teen Vogue are hard to break into, try looking for smaller magazines or online magazines and sending them a query letter pitching your idea.

  Writing articles and essays builds name recognition, and once someone knows and likes your writing style they will probably pick up one of your books. This can be time consuming, but the payoff might be worth the distraction from your novel writing. Consider the venue, its readership, and its circulation before making your decisions about which projects to pursue.

  REACHING TEEN READERS

  Throughout this discussion of tough issues and promotion, it's necessary to continually come back to why we're doing all this. Reaching teen readers is what being an author of books for teenagers is all about. It's what motivated you to become a YA author right from the start, and it's what will make the process of researching, writing, publishing, and marketing your books worthwhile in the end. Sales are important, yes, but it's the teens who read and respond to your work who both create the marketplace and fulfill it.

  Writing for teenagers is never an easy task. It's as complex as creating work in any field, with the added twist of navigating different audiences—adult parents, booksellers, librarians, and reviewers, along with the teens themselves—but in the end this is also what can make this held the most rewarding.

  Remember that quote from Bruce Brooks? "Young adults deserve our best regard and our best literature."

  It takes a great deal of hard work to bring a manuscript from the idea phase, to the development phase, to the editing phase, and finally to the point of being a complete bound book, but if you can say at the end of this process that you've been a part of providing the best literature to young adults today, then there is no question your efforts have been worthwhile.