Writing Great Books for Young Adults
Page 19
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Gabrielle Zevin 2009 2010 Aoi Production; Dot Dot Dot Films Chick lit
It’s Kind of a Funny Story Ned Vizzini 2006 2010 Alliance Films; Misher Films; Wayfare Entertainment Drama, humor, romance
Guardians of Ga’Hoole series Kathryn Lasky 2003 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole 2010 Village Roadshow Pictures; Animal Logic High fantasy, animal adventure
Tomorrow, When the War Began John Marsden 1993 2010 Ambience Entertainment; Omnilab Media Adventure, thriller
Avalon High Meg Cabot 2005 2010 Sudden Motion Productions; Ranger Productions Mystery, fantasy
Percy Jackson series Rick Riordan 2005—2009 2010—2013 1492 Pictures; Sunswept Entertainment Fantasy
Pretty Little Liars Sara Shepard 2006—present (TV series) 2010—present Warner Horizon Television; Alloy Entertainment; Long Lake Productions; Russian Hill Productions Mystery, thriller, drama
The Invention of Hugo Cabret Brian Selznick 2007 Hugo 2011 GK Films and Infinitium Nihil Historical
War Horse Michael Morpurgo 1982 2011 Amblin Entertainment; The Kennedy/Marshall Company; DreamWorks Studios; Reliance Entertainment Historical
Beastly Alex Flinn 2007 2011 CBS Films; Alliance Films Fantasy, Romance
I Am Number Four Pittacus Lore 2010 2011 Touchstone Pictures; DreamWorks Studios; Reliance Big Entertainment; Bay Films Science fiction, romance
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board Bethany Hamilton 2004 Soul Surfer 2011 Mandalay Pictures; Brookwell McNamara Entertainment; Island Film Group; Enticing Entertainment; Affirm Films; Life’s a Beach Entertainment Drama
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Wendy Mass 2006 2011 Fink Films; Kidzhouse Entertainment Drama, mystery
Lemonade Mouth Mark Peter Hughes 2007 2011 Martin Chase Productions; G Wave Productions Drama
The Secret Circle L. G. Smith, Aubrey Clark 1992—present (TV series) 2011—2012 Warner Bros. Television; CBS Television Studios; Alloy Entertainment; Outerbanks Entertainment Fantasy, romance
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky 1999 2012 Mr. Mudd Drama
Before I Die Jenny Downham 2007 Now Is Good 2012 Maverick Films Drama
Tiger Eyes Judy Blume 1981 2012 Tashmoo Production, Amber Entertainment Drama
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You Peter Cameron 2007 2012 Jean Vigo Italia Four of a Kind Productions Drama, humor
The Hunger Games series Suzanne Collins 2008/2009/2010 2012— Color Force Dystopian
Beautiful Creatures Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 2009 2013 Alcon Entertainment Fantasy/Romance
The Host Stephanie Meyer 2008 2013 Nick Wechsler Productions; Silver Reel Scifi/Romance
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Cassandra Clare 2007 2013 Constantin Film Produktion; Sony Pictures Entertainment; Unique Features Urban fantasy
The Spectacular Now Tim Tharp 2008 2013 21 Laps Entertainment Drama, romance
Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card 1985 2013 Chartoff Productions Taleswapper OddLot Entertainment K/O Paper Products Digital Domain Science Fiction
The Hundred Kass Morgan 2013 (TV series) 2013 Bonanza Productions; Alloy Entertainment (in association with) Warner Bros. Television (in association with) CBS Television Studios Dystopian
The Book Thief Markus Zuzak 2006 2013 Babelsberg Studios Historical
Vampire Acadamy Richelle Mead 2007 Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters 2014 Preger Entertainment; Kintop Pictures/Reliance; Angry Films Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Maze Runner James Dashner 2009 2014 20th Century Fox Dystopian, Science fiction
Divergent Veronica Roth 2011 2014 Summit Entertainment; Red Wagon Entertainment Dystopian, Romance
Fault in Our Stars John Green 2012 2014 20th Century Fox Romance
The Giver Lois Lowry 1993 2014 The Weinstein Company Dystopian, science fiction
The Spook’s Apprentice Joseph Delaney 2004 Seventh Son 2015 Legendary Pictures High Fantasy
*Note: Many movies and books prior to 2000 may have not been categorized as young adult, but today might be.
APPENDIX E
Young Adult Publishers
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To all educators, MFA programs, writers groups, librarians, and bloggers, and to everyone who has told me that they are using Writing Great Books for Young Adults in their writing classes. Thank you so much for making the first edition so successful. I’m collecting a list of adopters of the book. Please let me know who you are.
If you’d like me to come and speak to your group or class, I’d love to. I encourage you to reach out to me at rbrooks@serendipitylit.com, at www.serendipitylit.com, or on Twitter at @serendipitylit.
To Katharine Sands, the true example of the universes promise to offer a guiding voice. Your irrepressible excitement is always the burst to get me moving, and always in the right direction.
Anne Wells, you are my fortifier. Thank you for always being there when I need help in finding my voice. You are an editor extraordinaire. May this open the door to many more bestsellers.
To Benjamin Haberman and Emily Becker, my dedicated research team, thanks for your probing and for finding precise facts.
To Samantha Schechter, thanks for your illustrative renderings.
Stephanie Bowen and Jenna Skwarek, much appreciation for your role in reinvigorating the book. Thank you for acquiring and developing a plan for the second edition and helping me celebrate the new and wonderful world of YA.
Thanks to all the editors and publishing professionals who contributed their expertise in this second edition. We can all be proud to have played a pivotal role in educating a new school of young adult writers.
To Xander, who encourages me and always points me to see the land beyond the horizon. Your friendship and advice are invaluable.
Thank you to all the bloggers who have supported the Serendipity YA Discovery Contest for the last five years. The contest has opened the way for many debut writers to get a leg up in the industry. Thank you Paul Samuelson, my first Sourcebooks publicist, for knowing exactly how to get audiences engaged.
A special thanks to my able and dedicated collaborators, to my proofreader, Sharon Sofinski, publicist, Katy Lynch, production editor, Rachel Kahn, designer, Jillian Rahn, and to Marketing.
Dear Reader: Let me hear from you! And remember, one of the best things you can do for an author is to write a positive review. I encourage you to do so through Goodreads, Amazon, or your point-of-purchase location or via email at rbrooks@serendipitylit.com.
FROM THE FIRST EDITION
My deepest gratitude goes to the inspirational Katharine Sands, my soul sister, without whose coaxing and unyielding enthusiasm this book never would have been written. I’m forever thankful to you for seeing a light in me.
To my exceptional editorial and writing guides, John Weber, whose generosity and exceptional eye for excellence has brought me an abundance of everything good; and my editorial carpenter, Brenda Richardson, who can bring shape to nearly anything. Anne Wells, you’re always there when I need you with incomparable editorial guidance.
To Serendipity Literary Agency staff who researched and edited for me: Debarati Sengupta, Meeta Atul Pingle, Megan Ernst, and James Seraphin.
To Sherrie Young, my partner in YB Literary Foundation whose visionary ideas always keep me assured I’m on the right track; your opinion and feedback are like magic dust.
Special thanks to Dauwd Ruffin, who at a moment’s notice had an answer. Having your brilliance near me and your unending support makes me feel truly blessed!
To Flora Anders, whose motivation and support early on prepared me for the publishing industry as she watched over my career and nurtured me like a surrogate mom.
To all my friends who cheered me on through the demanding writing stages.
I wish to thank the numerous people who really helped make this book a reality, including those who filled out surveys and agreed to be interviewed, and those who shared
their knowledge anecdotally and whose contributions you’ll see sprinkled through the text.
A million thanks to Peter Lynch, my editor, who had the insight to see the book’s potential. I am forever thankful for your relentless patience and editorial acumen.
To my copy editor Claire Martinson, thanks for dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. After having worked on the manuscript for months, having your eyes were priceless.
To the team at Sourcebooks, who just seem to get it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Regina L. Brooks is the president and CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC, based in New York, New York. She represents a diverse base of award-winning clients in adult and young adult fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature, including: three-time National Book Award finalist, Newbery Honor Winner, and the Coretta Scott King Honor and the 2006 Michael Printz Honor Award–winning author Marilyn Nelson; winner of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award, Al Roker’s Book Club for Kids author Sundee Frazier; and Stonewall and Lambda Book Award winner, Bil Wright. She is the author of several books including Never Finished, Never Done! (Scholastic), Writing Great Books for Young Adults (Sourcebooks), and You Should Really Write a Book: How to Write, Sell, and Market Your Memoir (St. Martin’s Press), as well as a blogger for the Huffington Post. Brooks is on the faculty of the Writer’s Digest University, Harvard University publishing course, the Discovery Channel’s Media Boot Camp for Doctors, and the Whidbey Island Writers MFA program, and teaches annually at more than twenty international conferences. She has been highlighted in several national and international magazines and periodicals, including Forbes, Media Bistro, Writers and Poets, Essence Magazine, Ebony, Jet, Women on Writing, Writers Digest Magazine, and the Writer. She is a member of the Association of Author Representatives and is on the board of several literary organizations including Grub Street. She has served as a judge for the NAACP Image Awards. Ms. Brooks is the founder and co-executive director of YB Literary Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization for teens, designed to kindle a passion for literature and an appreciation for the possibilities and opportunities that being a developed reader can provide (www.ybliterary.org). She is always interested in new and emerging writers visit (www.serendipitylit.com). When she’s not reading or helping authors, she takes to the sky with her flying club, Brooklyn Aviation.