I was reading an interesting blog post the other day about the trends in YA books. Specifically shorter novels (around 45k-65k words), and 3-4 pages per chapter. The result is a rapid read with cliff hangers every few pages. This sounds great and certainly would appear to much of the YA audience. This general guide in terms of length was further supported by Colleen Lindsey, Literary Agent for FinePrint Literary Management during a recent #askagent chat on twitter. Both Ms. Lindsey and the blog post author indicated there are always exceptions to the rule: Harry Potter and Eragon are two such examples.
I am certainly going to defer to those with much more experience than I when it comes to literary trends and such, but the discussions made me think a lot about my novels, their audience, and intent. Both the Seed of Hope and Of Worldly Deeds weigh in at approximately 90k words: long by industry standards for YA books. Is this good? Is it bad? It is hard to say. One thing I do know from reviewers is that the feedback has been that both books are non-stop action.
The feeling of urgency and fast-pace was one thing I strived for during the writing process. I believe that the pace of a good book should mirror the urgency of a novel to have the most impact. Take for example, one of my favorite series, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. I adore this series but many will agree that around book 4-6, the pace slowed dramatically. This was completely contradictory to the urgency in the story: the battle with the Dark Lord was looming ever closer. So why should the pace of the book not match this?
The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson is a great example of books pace following the urgency of the plot. Book 1 and 2 moved along a good clip, but book 3, where the world was on the precipice of destruction and time was running out for the characters, the pace of the book sped along, dragging the reader with it.
The Seed of Hope, and even more so, Of Worldly Deed follow Charlie and the other kids of Devon Grove as they race to thwart the plans of the Seekers who are threatening creation itself. The pace of the book is design for 12 year olds and up. And the length, although longer than the average moves swiftly, with enough subtleties to entice older readers as well.
But don’t take my word for it. Email me at quinton AT quintonwall.com and ask for an electronic copy of The Seed of Hope. I am happy to send you one. The only thing I ask in return is a review which I can post on my site.
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Tags: Quinton Wall, The Seed of Hope, YA trends