Are you writing frantically for NaNoWriMo? Are you trying to write the next dystopian bestseller?

Charlie Jane Anders’ article at io9 recaps discussions with publishing industry experts at the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto about the state of Young Adult publishing. The entire article is worth a read, especially for aspiring and published novelists. Here are the important takeaways:

The dystopian market is flooded, which isn’t that surprising considering everyone tried to produce the next Harry Potter, and the next Twilight.

“I do think the YA market is very tough now if not impossible for novels that are girl or boy vs. corrupt government,” says Sara Crowe, a literary agent with Harvey Klinger, Inc. And after the many, many dystopias that Hunger Games inspired, this book wouldn’t have the same feeling of originality it had back when it first appeared. At the same time, the darkness in Hunger Games “would be less of an obstacle than when it was first bought.”

Adults read YA for escapism. Trends are leaning toward action adventure for this reason.

Samantha Shea, a literary agent with Georges Bourchardt, Inc., brings up a startling fact: some 55 percent of buyers of young adult novels are 18 or older. In fact, the biggest share of total sales goes to people aged 30-44. And these books aren’t being bought as gifts for kids — 78 percent of them are for the adults’ own reading.

This isn’t shocking to the readers who buy these books. I’ve been saying this for a while on FANgirl. Life is tough, and there . . . → Read More: Hunger Games, Young Adult Fiction – What The Readers Already Knew