If we look toward the national market, do you recommend we de-LDS the story (keep it clean and have morals, but no overt "Mormon-ness")or do you think the national market would be open to LDS stories with LDS characters? Maybe it would help demystify our religion (some are still convinced we practice polygamy, etc.).
Okay, I should know this and be able to spout off a list of nationally published YA books that have LDS characters, but I can't so help me out. Kristen Randle's Slumming published by HarperCollins is one. And Charlotte's Rose by A.E. Cannon, published by Wendy Lamb Books. (Although, that's more of a middle grade book.) Orson Scott Card's Lost Boys features an LDS family, but given the subject matter, I think that's more of an adult book than YA. What else?
I mention those to show that national market YA with LDS characters is not unheard of but it's also not very common. If that's your plan, I'd suggest that you first publish a non-LDS YA book. If it's successful, then talk to your agent about publishing LDS books. You can go straight for the YA with LDS characters, but I'm thinking that's going to be a tough first sell.
Someone disagree with me and tell me it will be easier than I expect it will be. Please.
4 comments:
There's just so many trashy YA books out these days. Maybe the LDS-themed YA books would be a hard sell, but there's got to be a market for clean YA books.
It'd be nice if we could sell LDS-themed books nationally, if only to show people that we're pretty normal (at least some of us most of the time or is it most of us some of the time or . . .).
Not sure on the YA side of the market, but nationally as a whole, Mormon characters are fine. I have a yet as unpublished supernatural thriller that landed me my national agent. And the Mormon-ness was a big plus with everyone.
Louise Plummer's charachters are usually Mormon, but she does not play that up to much. The one semi-exception is A Dance For Three, where the Mormon nature of the characters come out a bit more, and a Bishop plays a supporting role.
Maybe it's worth a shot to submit a book with Mormon characters and a Mormon storyline to the national market?
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