New Adult in Australia

When I first wrote Divided I had never even heard of New Adult. I queried it as a Young Adult story. An agent asked me to rewrite it so that the main character was in high school rather than at university. But a student having an affair with a teacher is a bit more taboo than with a university professor.

I believe New Adult is an important category as people usually read up, and there's a lack of stories out there for teenagers about what they can expect when they leave school. I know university life wasn't what I expected, and maybe getting the opportunity to read stories set straight after school would've helped with that.

I was so relieved with I heard about New Adult. Finally my story fit somewhere. Unfortunately for me, New Adult barely exists in Australia. In fact when I raised it at a writer's conference, someone else wrote a sneering tweet along the lines of "Of course someone brought up NA. Ugh."

We have stories that would fit as New Adult, like Rebecca James' novels, but they are categorised as Young Adult still. And we have authors such as CJ Duggan who are championing Australian New Adult. You can read an interview with her on it here.

I was excited to find that Booktopia now has a New Adult section. And some publishers (but not many) have NA submission options, like Escape Publishing and Bloomsberry Spark.

But the take up is much, much slower than in America. And I get the impression that Australian authors with New Adult novels are more likely to find an audience in America than at home. That's certainly been my experience.

The good news for Australian authors writing New Adult is global reading is definitely growing. Readers what to be transported in their books, and they do love visiting Australia in their books.

Hopefully the grassroots writer support bases in Australia, such as writers' centres and writers' festivals will embrace, support and promote New Adult by including courses on it, including it in their programs, and allowing education opportunities. Some have started, but there's a lot more opportunities out there.

If this base support starts, maybe one day I'll get to see New Adult Sections as a standard thing for Australian libraries and Bookstores.

Pitch Madness Prep

Pitch Madness is on again! And for you're planning to enter this year, it's prep work time!

Every year the Pitch Madness crew reads through SO MANY ENTRIES! But you have to be in it to win it...so to speak. You need to make sure your entry is at it's best to catch the eye of a Pitch Madness Team, and then an agent.

Here's some simple steps to take to get your entry ready.

Pitch Prep

1. Craft your 35 word pitch: Put together your pitch. Make sure you touch on the main point of the story while also dangling a hook for the agents to intrigue them. 
2. Test your 35 word pitch on people who know your story: People who have read your story can tell you if your pitch gives a good reflection of your story. 
3. Revise your pitch: Take on board the feedback and hone that pitch!
4. Test your 35 word pitch on people who don't know your story: Nobody knows your story better than you do, so it's easy for the pitch to make sense to you. That doesn't mean it will to someone who has no idea what your story is about. And you'll be pitching to people who had no idea what your story is about. 
5. Revise your pitch...again...

Manuscript Prep

1. Polish your manuscript: Don't enter if your work isn't ready. Simple. 
2. Make sure your story has a killer opening: You get to share your first 250 words. Make them killer. 
3. Make sure your story starts in the right spot: Don't use a prologue in Pitch Madness. Don't give backstory/telling. Start it with ACTION or INTRIGUE. Hook us with your opening. 

Entry Prep

1. Research the agents: Brenda has worked hard to vet participating agents, but you need to do your own research as well to make sure they're a match for you. 
2. Follow Brenda Drake's blog, as well as all the hosts on Twitter, to make sure you get all the latest news on the contest. 
3. Follow & use #PitchMadness on social media.
4. Connect with other Pitch Madness entrants: You may find a CP. You may find someone cool. You may make friends of life.
5. Prepare your entry: Get it all ready in advance so you're not rushing. 
6. Proofread your entry: If your entry has a mistake it WILL put agents off. 
7. Get someone else to read your entry: See above!
8. Revise your entry!
9. Send your entry in!

I look forward to reading your entry, and may the odds be ever in your favour.

Sharon M. Johnston is an author and public relations specialist who lives in sunny Queensland, Australia. 

She has been a Pitch Madness host for the past few years, and is also a Pitch Wars mentor.

Her New Adult Sci Fi Romance, DIVIDED: An Open Heart Novel Book 1, is out now with City Owl Press. 

You will be able to catch up with Sharon in Las Vegas in April if you are heading to Romantic Times.