25 Trends in Publishing: Unconventional Princesses

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 #18 of 25: Unconventional Princesses

Contributor: Megan Burkhart

Once upon a time…the kind of stories that still young bodies in anticipation of magic, adventure, princes, and of course, princesses. You’ll find princess books in abundance in the market—they are tales as old as time, aren’t they?

But before you grab your pen or laptop, you’ll want to hear the new twist these tales have taken recently. I’ve termed it “unconventional princess” because these books are not your typical princess books with fancy dresses, polite manners, or handsome princes.

Instead, the trend is seeking to break the rules and empower young girls to be themselves, even if they don’t fit the classic mold.

You’ll find princess books in abundance in the market—they are tales as old as time, aren’t they?

The first example I’ll cite is one of my personal favorites, Princesses Wear Pants by Savannah Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim. In the story, Princess Penelope Pineapple does not like to wear dresses, but chooses to wear pants depending on the jobs she must do each day. Though not everyone in the kingdom thinks it is appropriate, Penelope ends up saving the day because she’s wearing pants.

This story is full of humor and follows a sweet, lyrical style. Princess Penelope has a wide variety of pants that sparkle and shine, like her personality. It’s a wonderful reminder to girls to be true to themselves and express themselves freely.

Another great example of a book in this trend is The Princess and the Pit Stop by Tom Angleberger. A true mash-up of fairytales, Her Royal Highness races against the other fairytale characters to get to the finish line. Fast-paced and fun, this story celebrates both “girl power and horse power” as the description says.

The key to this trend is honing in on a topic that pushes and challenges the norms. To young girls today, what does it mean to be a princess? What does it mean to be a princess in a society where girls aspire to be scientists, doctors, artists, engineers, teachers, and more?

What might it look like for you to write a story that empowers young girls to follow their passions and be confident in their skills?

Princess books will always have a place in the market; it’s just a matter of finding the right angle that can shape the story to today’s young readers.

Princesses come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, backgrounds, interests, and personalities. They’re all fit to wear crowns, so let’s teach them to hold their heads in confidence.

Megan Lynne Burkhart is a junior agent for Cyle Young and an award-winning writer of both fiction and non-fiction. 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.