Trending Now—Supernatural Characters

Regardless of whether or not the vampire genre is losing traction, a growing trend among young adult books and independent publishing groups is the supernatural protagonist. Whether it originates from the young adult fantasy adventure romance genre, harlequin romance novels or post apocalyptic books, a story featuring teen heroes with supernatural powers is what YA readers crave. Is this rise in popularity among novels for young adults due to the connections teens feel with these protagonists? Are they sort of a metaphor for teenage existence?

Companies like Sand Dollar Press, a small publishing company, are releasing young adult novels with these type of characters—if not supernatural characters, then perhaps they have paranormal attributes, or as in post apocalyptic books, live in a new world laden with technological advances that bestows them with other types of power. This is the scenario in the Save the Pearls Part One Revealing Eden, young adult fantasy adventure romance book that Sand Dollar Press will release November 1, 2011, as well as with other young adult books.

Think about protagonists in recent best-sellers—obviously in Twilight, there was a romantic apocalypse coupled with the lead character’s propensity for brooding and yearning. These themes are often present in young adult fantasy fiction, post apocalyptic books and other books for young adults—and are easy for teens to identify with.

Look at recent bestsellers and you will see novels for young adults featuring supernatural protagonists—Lauren Kate's Fallen, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, James Patterson's Witch and Wizard and Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush. Every book publishing company is looking for young adult fantasy with the possibility of a romantic apocalypse or perhaps the tried and tested harlequin romance theme, where you can’t always have the one you love. In the Save the Pearls series, the lead character finds herself attracted to the man she believes to be her greatest enemy. It’s a great formula for young adult novels and one that every independent publishing company seeks to execute.

While the romantic struggle will always be a theme books for young adults, plotlines are evolving to include more complexity and relatable issues that teens deal with daily. Watch for trends in upcoming releases from independent publishing groups and your favorite small publishing company.

Beyond the Vampire and On to the End of the World

As the market for books for young adults and the YA fiction continues to boom, new trends are emerging that go beyond the vampire story. Teens nowadays have a good amount of disposable income—and they’re spending it on young adult books, from the young adult fantasy adventure romance genre and Harlequin romance style novels for young adults to post apocalyptic books like the Save the Pearls series. Every book publishing company, whether an independent publishing group or small publishing company, is paying attention.

As the popularity of the vampire and young adult fantasy soared, many writers scrambled to approach every small publishing company of young adult novels to submit their take on the genre. But are teens and the market for young adult books just interested in reading books for young adults that are about wizards and vampire romances? What the independent publishing world is now witnessing, including Sand Dollar Press, is a greater fascination with the world of post apocalyptic books and fiction geared around a romantic apocalypse.

Many an independent publishing company is focusing their search on post-apocalyptic fiction as a growing favorite among young adult novels. The range of themes is broad, and this style may include elements of young adult fantasy, though it no longer has to be based in the supernatural or paranormal. These novels for young adults tend to center around societies in ruins due to the failures of adults in a sci-fi setting—often with a sense of impending romantic apocalypse. The youthful protagonists may have the power to save the world, just like Eden Newman in the Save the Pearls series, published by Sand Dollar Press, an independent publishing company.

It seems like a small book publishing company should search for a range of Harlequin romance fiction and young adult fantasy adventure romance novels to post apocalyptic books.

Supernatural Characters and the YA Fantasy Genre

With the success of Twilight and the Harry Potter series, it looks like the YA fantasy genre is here to stay—and with it, the popularity of supernatural characters in young adult books. Supernatural protagonists are everywhere in young adult novels—from the new style of YA fiction called post apocalyptic books and those with a romantic apocalypse plot, to young adult fantasy adventure romance and Harlequin romance for young adults. It makes sense, those who crave young adult fantasy probably expect strong supernatural elements.

The popularity of vampires in YA fiction and novels for young adults is said to stem from the ability teens have to relate to the characters. While modern day teenagers and lovers of YA fiction and young adult books may not need to drink blood to survive, they relate to the characters’ angst, of wanting what they can’t have or brooding their own existence.

Every book publishing company, from independent publishing groups to a small publishing company like Sand Dollar Press, looks for novels for young adults with protagonists that are easy to relate to and empathize with. Now that vampires, zombies and warriors are dominating the scene in young adult novels, it’s easy to find ways for the reader to relate and get excited. Post apocalyptic books like the Save the Pearls series allow you to completely understand the character and how they face a romantic apocalypse, but it’s just that the character lives in different, more dramatic settings and situations.

Many an independent publishing company, Sand Dollar Press included, is on the quest for relatable characters magically “gifted” with supernatural or paranormal powers. With the amazing success of many young adult fantasy adventure romance stories and other YA novels with magical characters, it seems that a recipe for success for every book publishing company is to release these types of books for young adults. Just think about recent bestsellers like Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Lauren Kate's Fallen and James Patterson's Witch and Wizard, and of course, the Twilight Series. They may not be Harlequin romance novels, but they are a great bet for any independent publishing company.

For now, teen fantasy novels and YA fiction centered around romantic relationships will continue to be the toast of the independent publishing world. Young adult fantasy novels are easy for a small publishing company to market and release and are always in demand—as long as, like in the Save the Pearls series, the characters are those teens can relate to.

Trends in YA Fantasy

What’s hot in the young adult books and YA fiction? Is the trend in young adult fantasy romance novels, post apocalyptic books and adventure romance here to stay? While young adult fantasy is growing increasingly popular in the independent publishing world, readers get more and more discerning with each new release.

2010 showed us that the trend in young adult novels and YA fiction is more than just a predilection to an old school Harlequin romance story or romantic apocalypse novel, it’s about strong, empowered characters who readers can relate to, even when the storylines have paranormal elements or are defined as a young adult fantasy adventure romance.

Librarians all over the country report that the popularity of young adult fantasy novels and post apocalyptic books among teens is rising. Books that combine fantasy with real issues that are relevant to teen’s lives are the most in demand. For example, even though Bella is in love with a vampire, we can relate to how she feels when she first moves to a new town and how it can be difficult to understand young love. That type of young adult fantasy adventure romance story is an ideal bet for a small publishing company or independent publishing group to focus on. A perfect example is an independent publishing company like Sand Dollar press in its commitment to publish Save the Pearls Revealing Eden. Bottom line, novels for young adults can have all the elements of Harlequin romance books and young adult fantasy, as long as there are elements that are relevant to the lives of modern day teens.

The recent popularity in YA zombie books is testament that the acceptance of magic and fantasy in young adult novels is here to stay. Since high school life is a common thread of the YA fantasy genre, the trend towards young adult books set in high school with zombies and magical teens makes perfect sense. On the brink of a romantic apocalypse or saving the world, as in Save the Pearls, the characters in these books for young adults still have to cope with homework, popularity and peer pressure. Novels for young adults may be contemporary teen fantasies, but they’re more about understanding real issues than escaping reality.

As a book publishing company that focuses on quality novels for young adults, Sand Dollar Press strives to find the best in the popular genres. We are working to provide the best in contemporary fantasy books for young adults.