kelly_parra

So what's going on with me? Well, with times tough with the economy it has also hit publishing, and my agent and I have decided that writing a full manuscript would be best to take out regarding my Paranormal/Sci-fi YA. I'm half way through the book so far, and I have my trusty CP helping me out.

I also read on my agent's blog that some eds. are full with paranormals.

And second, publishing is often about timing. For example, if you are currently a writer of young adult or middle grade fiction and you have a paranormal element (read: vampire, werewolf, witch or what have you), you might be stymied by the timing of putting said project on submission right now.

The market is crowded. Editors are weary in some respects. (Agents too!) Just last week I had an editor turn down even looking at a manuscript because she felt her list was too crowded with the supernatural.

That’s a sure sign that a trend is winding down. Now that doesn’t mean nothing in that realm will sell. It just means that any project that does will have to be X times better, X times more original, than similar projects sold 2 years ago.

I've always believed in the saying, you never know until you try. Writing is a subjective business, there's no way to tell who is going to love your book and who isn't, but I'm always willing to give it a try if I believe strongly in a project. We'll see how it goes!

A few weeks ago an author contacted me regarding a non-fiction essay project anthology that she plans to shop. I wish her the best with that! The essay had me thinking about freelancing. I have another fiction project that I'm writing beside the YA and decided to go freelance with writing projects. That means in between writing novels, I'm freelancing creative writing projects, web content, and critique/editing under my real name.

I completed my first job this week and it felt good. It's odd, but even with two novels under my belt, I forget I have skills that other individuals might be interested in. I know, sounds kind of silly.

So if you are interested in me giving your pages some input with some line editing and thoughts on the overall project in the area of Children's Fiction or Romance, feel free to email me through my website with any questions. This isn't something I'll be advertising on my website, just something I'm passing along. :) :)

I hope everyone is hanging in there during this tough time!

*hugs*
kelly