Stephanie Stein

The most effective "X meets Y" is always one where the combo is surprising! So agents/editors are desperate to know how on earth you pulled it off. Which, I am not one of the lucky folks who've already read REVERIE but I've been WAITING. 🤩 #askDVpit

Well, Twitter, y'all know how I feel about THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR. Also finally read THE POET X which is an absolute tour de force. #askDVpit

In a case like this, I would suggest being specific about what you are comparing. "The strong friendships of X and the rich fantasy world of Y," perhaps. Or "TITLE with a fantasy spin." You want to make sure the ms delivers what your pitch promises. #askDVpit

Oooh, except in the case of "X meets Y"--if your X and Y are too similar, what's the middle ground where they're meeting? An "X meets Y" piques my interest when the combination feels unexpected. #askDVpit

This is a good point! And @Ryality mentioned THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END earlier, which is an example of a killer illustrative title that also punches home the hook #askDVpit

And I love a good reflective voice in adult fiction! It's absolutely not a problem with the work, but the default isn't "teen character = teen book." #askDVpit

If we could predict this, we'd be printing money! 😉 Certain categories, esp. in YA, are crowded, but that doesn't mean inventive new stuff won't sell. Rom-coms are in, but there are a lot in the queue at pubs already. You can't write to trends; you'll never catch them! #askDVpit

I should also note here that 13, especially if the themes tread upward, is an in-between age that sometimes gets stuck between middle-grade and YA. Do write the book + character you wanted to write, but this can affect where you'll have most success selling it! #askDVpit

The key to "what makes a book YA" is voice. Does the narrative mood of your book inhabit the immediacy and spirit of BEING a teen, or is it more mature or even nostalgic? If you don't feel ready to make this call, you might want to do more reading in recent YA fiction. #askDVpit

This can wait, IMO. Long-term career goals are something you should discuss w/ your eventual agent, but many factors influence this; if you do well in one genre starting out, you might want to build that audience; in other situations you might want to gear shift, etc. #askDVpit

Start with something broad like genre (what's a recent bestseller in your area?) or tone (funny/angsty/cozy/tense?), and see what jumps out to you. It can help to clarify WHAT you are comping, too--"the ensemble cast of X" or "the breakneck pacing of Y" #askDVpit