25 Trends in Publishing: Political Plotlines

About the column: A handful of agents and interns who work with Cyle have learned the latest and (sometimes so, sometimes not so) greatest trends in publishing right now. Tune in each week to find out what’s trending, ranging from ABA to CBA, children’s to adult. The authors of these columns have included social media tags at the end to keep up with trends they are finding. They can also be found here. 

Trend #7 of 25: Political Plotlines

Contributor: Megan Burkhart

Political plotlines are big in YA right now, especially fantasy and sci-fi. The political atmosphere is always heated with issues that need to be solved. And that’s the basis for a conflict in any story, right? The protagonist faces some problem that needs to be resolved.

But why politics? I’m sure many of you reading this are probably curious as to why young readers have any interest in politics/government.

Editors know this is what young people want to read about, so this is what they are publishing. In fact, many editors have told Cyle and our team that they don’t want to see as much emphasis on wars and fighting in fantasy/sci-fi stories. There can be a war going on in the distance, but they’d rather see the politics and diplomacy at work during the strife and conflict.

The best example of this right now is Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone. The simplified premise is that a king has stolen magic from a group of people and has been oppressing them for years. But now magic has come back, and the Magi will rise to claim what is theirs.

There’s no war going on, but there is a threat of war if the Magi gain their powers back. The king is oppressing a minority group, which is a hot topic in the political atmosphere right now. The focus is on the oppressed rising up and finally having the power to change their circumstances.

Young readers want a cause they can get behind. They want to make a difference and have their voices heard in society. If you can write about this, they will read about it!

Young readers want a cause they can get behind. They want to make a difference and have their voices heard in society. If you can write about this, they will read about it!

You don’t have to be talking about a particular issue in your novel. In most fantasy books, the focus is simply on an oppressed group rising up. Think about big, overarching topics that you can creatively set up in a fantastical or futuristic world.

How will your characters deal with the things our society is facing today? How does technology, magic, or some other element affect the problems they are facing? Will this affect the solution to the problem as well?

One of the greatest gifts you can give your reader is empowerment, and the YA readers of today want that. Show them their voice is important and that standing up for something they believe in is hard work but worth it in the end.

I hope this is helpful for you! Check back next week for another trend in the publishing industry. May you have a very productive writing week!

Megan Lynne Burkhart is an intern for Cyle Young and a professional writing student at Taylor University. She loves YA Fantasy and Children’s Books, and she believes being a princess is hard work. She hasn’t found her frog prince yet, and she still secretly loves the color pink, although Lake Michigan blue is a close second. You can find out more about her at meganlynneauthor.weebly.com.