Hi guys! The school year is wrapping up, and last week, I got done with an entire EOC, an ACT practice test, and an orchestra concert. Whew! This year has gone by so fast, and I am feeling a bit sad that its almost over since Ive made so many great memories and a ton of new friends [All Northwest and All State Honor Choirs, heck yeah!], but this summer is going to be filled with a lot of reading, blogging, and music, so woo hoo! Today, I have an amazing author on our blog today, and her post is fabulous! Youll definitely enjoy it! Heres Kristin Smith!
Guest Post by Kristin Smith:
Is Dystopia Dead?
In the wake of some bestselling series such as HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT, and THE MAZE RUNNER, some may claim that dystopia is deaddried up and overused. Any author who writes dystopia nowadays knows that in publishing, dystopian is kind of considered a dirty word. Most literary agents and some publishers [especially the Big Five] are very hesitant to acquire new dystopian series because they feel the market is oversaturated. They believe the dystopian ship has sailed, and theyve now moved on to the next trend.
But does this mean that readers want to read these books any less? Has the dystopian genre dried up? Or is there still a market for these books?
Lets first take a look at the history of some well-known dystopian novels.
1945- Animal Farm by George Orwell
1949- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
1993- The Giver by Lois Lowry
2005- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
2008- Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2009- The Maze Runner by James Dashner
2010- Matched by Allie Condie
2011- Divergent by Veronica Roth
2011- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
2011- Across the Universe by Beth Revis
2011- Legend by Marie Lu
2012- The Selection by Kiera Cass
As you can see from the timeline above, dystopian novels have been around [and been popular] for decades. Sure, their popularity may come and go in waves, but if youre a lover of speculative fiction, that love doesnt waver, does it?
I personally have a great love for speculative fiction novels. I like that they depict a futuristic or post-apocalyptic world that is different from what we know now. Some of the novels written in this genre have been ground-breaking in their plot development and world building. Take HUNGER GAMES for example. Suzanne Collins broke the mold and set the bar pretty high when she wrote this novel, creating a world in which children have to battle to the death in the annual Games. It has become a bestselling series AND an incredible movie.
As a reader, I would be disenchanted if I found out that dystopian novels were no longer being picked up by publishers because of this idea that the market is too saturated with them.Granted, I want to read well-written novels with incredible world building, but I certainly wouldnt want authors discouraged from writing a dystopian novel simply because that trend is over. Mostly because I STILL WANT TO READ THEM!
So if youre a spec fic lover, would you want a limit placed on the number of dystopian books you have access to? Or should a readers voice be more important than current market trends?
Given the timeline I showed you before, I strongly believe that dystopia is NOT dead. It may be taking a hiatus, but it will be back full force in the coming years. In the meantime, there are many authors who are still writing and publishing thrilling and innovative dystopian novels. You just have to find them!
Here are some great dystopian novels published in 2016.
1]On the Edge of Goneby Corinne Duyvis
2]Genesis Girl[Blank Slate #1] by Jennifer Bardsley
3]The Road to Winterby Mark Smith
4]Black River Fallsby Jeff Hirsch
5]Vicarious[Vicarious #1] by Paula Stokes
6] Catalyst[The Deception Game #1] by Kristin Smith
Thats right, you read that correctly. My own debut novel is a YA dystopian. So perhaps Im a little biased
Anyway, if youre looking for a thrilling YA dystopian that has danger, deception, and swoony romance, CATALYST and FORGOTTEN are now available. [And heres a little plugTo celebrate the release of FORGOTTEN, CATALYST is on sale this week only for $.99!] You can find them at the links below.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Apple iBooks
NOOK
Kobo
Smashwords
Thanks for stopping by! What do you think? Is dystopia dead?
Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels. When shes not writing, you can find her dreaming about the beach, beating her boys at Just Dance, or belting out karaoke [from the comfort of her own home]. Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to chocolate, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.
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Thank you so much, Kristin, for coming onto our blog! This was a great post!
Heres todays quote of the day!
Life isnt one big holiday right now. I know its going to be rough, and I wonder if Ill make it, but thats when I get support from God. Perry Wallace in Strong Inside by Andrew Maraniss.
Happy Reading! Have a great week!
+ J.M.J.
~ Kester
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