I'm thinking of entering. I would love to have your thoughts on what YA means these days.
Over the past few years, there has been a shift in YA towards the crossover (New Adult) end of the market. This has mainly been driven by TikTok promotion of novels such as Rebecca Yarros Fourth Wing and Sarah J Maas COTAR. The drive towards NA seems to have spread from this Romantasy genre which is still the most popularly picked up.
HOWEVER: Publishers have identified a growing gap in the market because younger teens (12-16) may not want to read that level of violence and especially spice. Many librarians, teachers, parents, don't want their younger teens reading that level of violence and spice and are asking for books aimed at the younger end of the YA market. (There was a push towards creating a "teen" section which exists on Amazon and in the US but did not creep into UK bookshelves.) There is a discussion about splitting YA into upper and lower categories (as per MG). That's a watch this space at the mo . . .
Romantasy: there remains an avid readership, especially in the 17-30 age group. Publishers are still releasing debuts, but they were acquired 18 months to two years ago. They will continue to publish new Romantasies from authors already on their list (Annie got in there just in time!), but unless you give them an absolute humdinger, that door is rapidly closing. The best way to get a debut Romantasy out there now is self-publishing with a brilliant marketing campaign (because every new Romantasy author is now a drop in that ocean).
What are they looking for?
Romance but on a sweet level. Many teenagers (especially girls) love reading that coming-of-age first romance. Contemporary romance (think Heartstopper), horror with romance (there seems to be a wishlist for gothic type horror romance).
Also, teenage detective (think A Good Girl's Guide to Murder), novels with boy protagonists aimed at boys (think We Both Die in the End), non-fiction, especially aimed at boys.
Humour. Very few authors can do humour well, so they are looking for those who can.
Graphic novels: They want to increase accessibility, and gain readership among those intimidated by many words.
Shorter: A few years ago, they were saying ~70 000 for cotemporary, 80-90 000 for SFFH. Now they are saying 50-60 000 contemporary, ~70 000 SFFH. And short chapters to give busy teenagers the satisfaction of finishing a chapter in their brief window of attention. And a cliffhanger chapter ending so they'll NEED to pick that book up again.
Inclusivity: But it has to be authentic, well experienced, well researched. (Think Rosie Loves Jack - the author has first hand experience of Downe's Syndrome).
For the teenage market, character is as important as plot. Plus something that bears some significance to their issues of today. So a great, jolly, adventure by itself won't cut the mustard no matter how well written.
Voice: Close third person or first person POV that thinks and sounds like a teenager. Whatever you write, an original, age appropriate voice will pique interest. Once you've gained interest, everything I've said above matters. Without the voice, no wishlist matching will get you a deal.
Hope that answers your question
