Reverse-Engineering
YA Success: by Aaron Galvin, author of Salted
Industry professionals advise aspiring authors not to
attempt predicting the next trend. After all, trends are here and gone before
you know it.
While I believe that a fair assessment, I also feel there is
something to be said for reverse-engineering success. With all the options
available to readers, what are the necessary ingredients for a successful YA
and/or MG series?
That’s the question I asked myself when beginning my Salt
series, just as I’m certain countless other authors, publishers, and other
industry professionals have done before me and many ask themselves now.
Rowling and her school
of witchcraft and wizardry, I’d think. Is
it not similar to T.H. White’s ‘The Once and Future King’? Both Harry and
the Wart are more powerful and important than they realize. Each also trains
under a kindly, elder wizard with lovable but odd peculiarities.
Meanwhile, I also marveled at the genius of The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.
She essentially took the core of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None mystery and blended it with the idea of
Roman tributes and gladiatorial fare.
Ugh! Why didn’t I
think of that? I’m such an idiot!
Even Stephenie Meyer. Oh, yes, I’m bringing up the sparkly
vampires. Much as I might regret this admission, I read all four books. What
can I say? She had success. I needed to understand how and why. Many argue
she’s not in the same class as the previous authors I mentioned. While I don’t
necessarily disagree, I will say I’ve learned much from Ms. Meyer. Vampires
were a hot ticket before she came along, thanks to Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, so what did
Meyer do to set her series apart from others?
I puzzled over how each of these authors earned their
success many a night. (Notice I used the word earned, not lucky, nor a
phrase like lightning in a bottle. Doing
so demeans both the talents and efforts of the aforementioned authors).
In the end, the answer I arrived at was simple: each story
offered a unique take/twist.
Not only is Rowling’s prose updated for a new generation of readers,
her witch and wizard universe is both grander and more fun than T.H. White’s,
(whose work I also love).
Collins modernized her story with themes representative of a
reality show audiences could relate to, Survivor.
Even better, she amazed yet again by making her sequel a collection of
all-stars, just like the show did with the return of veteran players.
And Meyer? She made daywalkers out of vampires. While I
prefer mine to be night stalkers and decidedly less romantic, I applaud her
fresh take.
So there we have it, fellow newbies. Create a different
take/twist on former classics and you’re off to the races. Easy, right?
Schyeah. That’s why we’re all bestsellers.
Most of us have heard this phrase: There are no new stories, only retellings. While I believe the
heart of it is correct, I also disagree. If you’re a new reader, perhaps brought
to books on the success of those three wonderful storytellers, chances are
you’d never heard about the other novels I related above. In that case, the
things Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, and even Bella Swan experience is new.
You’re on a ride through uncharted waters, experiencing said
storylines with fresh eyes. Even those of us who might see the similarities
can’t deny following the new tellings with excitement.
Creativity aside, there’s also something to be said for the
business side of it: Find a need. Fill it.
These three have done that as well. Rowling made even adults
believe in magic again. Meyer, AKA Ms. Love-Triangle, told girls they had the power of choice rather than
hoping a guy would choose them. Seeing as Bella Swan pretty much had the damsel
in distress thing down, Katniss Everdeen came around to remind girls they could
kick some tail and choose which guy
they wanted.
All of which begs the question: what does a male author who
enjoys writing about mermaids and selkies do?
Simple.
New take/twist: Hmmm.
What would happen if I changed mermaids from having the traditional fishtail,
commonly painted as glittery and scaled, to a different sort of tail? Ooh, and
maybe mine aren’t so concerned with romance. Maybe they’re dangerous and can
morph their tail into legs at will. And what if selkies weren’t prey to some
fishermen looking for a wife…what if they came ashore to hunt?
Find a need: YA male readership is in stark decline. Seriously.
It’s like they’re expected to go from Rick Riordan and jump to George R.R.
Martin. There’s practically no in-between series an average male teen that only
reads books already adapted to film could tell you about.
Clearly I’m onto something, right?
Schyeah. That’s why I’m a bestseller.
Except not…yet.
SALTED
Blurb
Life isn’t better under the
sea.
Lenny Dolan is all too familiar
with this reality. A Selkie slave in the realm beneath the waves, he has no
choice when charged with leading a crew ashore to capture an elusive runaway.
If unsuccessful, the loved ones kept behind will pay for his failure with their
lives.
But when their target leads
Lenny and his crew to deeper, darker secrets, the Selkies are faced with a
moral dilemma. Secure their own freedom at the expense of others, or return
empty-handed to face the grisly consequences?
How Lenny and his
crew answer the question will teach them the harshest truth of all. Only
through the loss of innocence does one become Salted.
Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00JSKYEB4
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/427935
Find out more about Aaron and Salted
Website/Blog: www.aarongalvin.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aarongalvin5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltseries
Goodreads:
http://goo.gl/TGUOoi
Salted is Aaron Galvin's debut
novel. He first cut his chops writing original stand-up comedy routines at
age thirteen. His early works paid off years later when he co-wrote and
executive produced the 2013 award-winning indie feature film, Wedding Bells & Shotgun Shells.
He
is also an accomplished actor. Aaron has worked in Hollywood blockbusters,
(Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and
Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers),
and starred in dozens of indie films.
Aaron
is a proud member of SCBWI. He lives in Southern California with his wife and
daughter.
Early Praise
It's always hard to find a unique
novel on mermaids. I've seen a spin or two from time to time, but nothing
really original, and certainly nothing I'd really describe as 'cool'. That was until
I got the chance to read Salted.
I totally bought into the Salted
world Galvin created. Not an easy read but a unique one, I would
recommend Salted by Aaron Galvin for people who are looking
for something beyond the typical mermaid and selkie tales.
Salted was an intriguing read that kept
me hooked. It is a different spin on the underwater world and creatures, which
I found brought quite a bit of originality to the genre.
Salted is sure to grab your
interest at the onset.
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