How Do You Know When to Give Up?

 

I have one young adult manuscript I’ve spent years working on, and finally published on the free digital platform Wattpad last year. I also entered the first 20 pages in a book adaptation contest almost a year ago. After having been turned down by numerous literary agents, I thought the book, which is told from the point of view of a young man who has taken his own life, might have potential as an adapted work. 

After a long weekend spent editing and writing magazine copy for my day job, I received my feedback from the contest in my inbox last night. It was not good, and probably was the last thing I needed to read when I was already under a great deal of stress.

This is the second time I’ve submitted my story to a contest and was basically told it isn’t marketable. The person in charge of writing my critique called the premise of the book “bizarre,” and also said the following: 

It covers quite heavy subject matter—molestation, depression, suicide—and yet the intended audience for this seems to be in the YA range, given the young(ish) age of all the main characters. These are subjects that are generally not covered in films/TV shows intended for younger audiences, adding yet another complication to the potential marketplace success of this piece. 

I was a little confused because I read a lot of YA, and from what I can tell, dark sells. Also, plenty of YA novels feature characters that are 17-18 years old. These are themes that are covered in young adult novels, and have also been in adaptations (mostly on streaming services, I’ve noticed). So this led me to wonder if it is simply time to give up on this book (which was inspired by a real-life event that happened when I was in high school). Maybe it’s my writing and delivery that aren’t marketable. 

I’m not going to lie and say I suck at writing. I have enough confidence in myself to know that there are specific things I can write well, such as podcast scripts, flash fiction and magazine articles. But maybe young adult fiction is where I need to hang up my hat. The other thing I could possibly do is go through one last round of professional editing and then self publish it. I’m creating an audience with “Missing in the Carolinas,” and I’m pretty sure the listeners of the podcast don’t mind dark themes. It’s hard to know, but it’s something to think about. It’s hard not to feel depressed about critical feedback, no matter where it comes from. I mentioned earlier in this post that I've received comments that the book wasn't marketable. I also received positive feedback once from an artist grant application that the characters were very well developed and the committee thought I would be able to finish the book successfully without the grant. No wonder I'm confused!

I have another YA novel I wrote a few years ago during NaNoWriMo that may have more potential, so I’ll also consider working more on that one in the future instead. I still have dreams of being a YA novelist, so I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on that just yet. 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and magazine editor who also hosts a true crime podcast called "Missing in the Carolinas." Learn more at FinishedPages.com.