Guest Post: L.M. Preston

Today I am excited to have author L.M. Preston stop by the blog author of the "Explorer X" series stop by to tell us a bit about the gap between middle grade and young adult fiction! 

The Gap Between Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

Sometimes I wonder if it was wise of me from a marketing standpoint to write both Middle Grade fiction and Young Adult Fiction. They seem to be sometimes miles apart.

Many times I when I look at my sales of both genres I can see the big divide. And when I attend publishing conferences or writing events I’m constantly told not to jump genres all the time.

WHY NOT JUMP GENRE

The most important reason is the building of different markets. When you write a book in a specific genre, market that book, build a fanbase for that book within your genre – changing it means basically starting all over again.

Someone who reads mostly romance may not be a fan of your new horror book. It’s so much easier to build and maintain an engaged audience when you keep feeding them goods they love. Which in turn saves marketing dollars and efforts.

BUT…if you write companion genre it may help instead of hurt. For me, I hope my middle grade readers grow up to like my young adult novels as well.

DO READERS CARE

Yep, because let’s face it. Readers are picky and creatures of habit. Yeah, I may jump out of my comfort zone once in a while but most people love the same type of story and genre. For instance, all those girls that loved Disney’s fairytale love stories probably love romances that are grown up love story, lol!

THE DIFFERENCE IN SALES

This to some people is the bottom line. I have to admit that my Middle Grade books sell MUCH better in person at book signings, direct to stores and other venders then it does in ebook. It’s growing in ebooks but not by leaps an bounds mainly because most people prefer to buy their 6th-8th graders paperback books over ebooks.

My Young Adult novels do much better on the ebook formats than the paperback. Over the years their paperback sales have shifted to the ebook format although remaining somewhat steady in paperback.

SOOO…… What are your thoughts? Do you like to read an authors book when they hop genre even when the genre is something you aren’t in love with?

From Goodreads: "For most kids, a trip to space camp is the trip of a lifetime—for Aadi it was life altering. After receiving a camp immunization needed for travel to Mars, Aadi finds that the immunization is the catalyst of an insidious experiment. He realizes what is happening too late for a change of fate. The full experiment is set in motion when he and his co-pilot, Eirena, crash in a distant galaxy called Shrenas, where they change and realize the full extent of their power. This turn of events forces him to grow up quickly, accept his change, and to decide to save a world, or to do what he was trained to do—dominate it. His power is coveted by the warring leaders of Shrenas, and he is forced to choose sides—a decision that may prove just how much humanity he has left."

About the Author:  LM. Preston was born and raised in Washington, DC. An avid reader, she loved to create poetry and short-stories as a young girl. With a thirst for knowledge she attended college at Bowie State University, and worked in the IT field as a Techie and Educator for over sixteen years. She started writing science fiction under the encouragement of her husband who was a Sci-Fi buff and her four kids. Her first published novel, Explorer X - Alpha was the beginning of her obsessive desire to write and create stories of young people who overcome unbelievable odds. She loves to write while on the porch watching her kids play or when she is traveling, which is another passion that encouraged her writing.