Of course I want mine YA novel to be a hit. But the reason I wrote it is because I love the story, characters, plot, etc.
Write what you love but write wisely with a good goal to change the world for the good.

True, but there is something WONDERFUL about writing something unique or new. Something that may have been covered but is shown in a totally new light.

Good luck!

Yeah, my YA novel deals with time travel as well. Time Travel in any form is an intriguing idea. I’m trying to review, edit, and smooth my novel over before I submit it to publishers (Christian and Non).
So Good luck with you book!!! 🙂

Totally agree.

Yes,in my opinion. I wouldn’t read something like that, ever. I don’t think it would be a hit like HUNGER GAMES or TWILIGHT. The character is not reachable to the majority of people, not all but most.
I would really soul search before you go any further. Books shape peoples worldview and we as writers should be careful what we feed our audience. So yes I think it will not reach the hights you are hoping for if you choose to go that path. But it is your chose and my opinion. 😉

Well, the secular market is getting into dream sequences right now. The “Wake” series by Lisa McMann led to her signing with 6 other authors to write a series of books (Infinity Ring)about teens time traveling in dreams.

It’s a good thing my YA Christian fiction series is about, you guessed it…time travel in dreams.

I hope an agent picks it up because I think the storyline is HOT and could bring Christian YA Fiction right up there with secular YA.

Great post! Thanks for the tips!!

I think storytelling trumps all, but uniqueness is a close second. The hot books mentioned above—”The Shack”, the Harry Potter series, “Twilight”, and going back a little further something like “The Prayer of Jabez” in non-fiction—were all excellent stories of fresh situations. I suppose going way back would be “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, a fresh, compelling story with good characters that met a need. Somewhere in there is the original Amish stories (Beverly Lewis, perhaps?). The quality of the writing appears to be in last place, though it obviously has to be above some minimum threshhold. Other examples that come to mind are “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “The Hunt for Red October”.

Sure, copycat success extends the period of hotness. Twilight knockoffs and bonnet fiction are still hot. Those who can’t get enough vampire love at the speed what’s-her-name can write them will buy similar stories while they wait for the real thing.

Oh to find something unique, fresh, with interesting characters and a compelling story, and write it well enough.

An agent isn’t going to pay attention to you unless you can turn enough tricks to make them some money. Agents specialize in certain areas, fetishes, and they can’t waste their time and credibility on running anyone in the stable that isn’t going to turn the high end tricks.

Timothy,

Yeah, I know. The whole love of writing yada, yada thing. I have a life, a FT job, a family, other interests. I like telling stories and people like reading them. If they didn’t, I would go back to writing WWII history or playing the guitar or whatever.

Writing, to me at least, is just another outlet. I know I’m not going to be Steinbeck. I write pulp fiction. I play guitar but I’ll never be BB King. Such is life. I’m okay with it.