Saturday, May 17, 2008

Poll Results Are In

The Science Fiction Romance/YA Poll has ended. With 87 votes cast, here are the results in order of votes cast:

I occasionally read Science Fiction Romance. 20 23%
I prefer other genres. 18 21%
I read Science Fiction YA once in awhile. 17 20%
Other 9 10%
I write Science Fiction Romance. 8 9%
I avidly seek out Science Fiction Romance as a reader. 7 8%
I write Science Fiction YA. 5 6%
I search everywhere for Science Fiction YA. 3 3%

Nearly a quarter responded they sometimes read Science Fiction Romance where only 8% avidly seek it out. A fifth read Science Fiction YA and 3% actively seek it out.

Since a total of 27 responses either "prefer other genres" or "other" it appears the poll represents a good cross-section of readers, not just Sci Fi Rom/YA fans who are more likely to visit this site.

This seems to indicate (to my unique brand of possibly biased analysis, anyway) there should be a good market for Sci Fi Rom/YA, yet few agents seem to state they seek Science Fiction Romance or YA (Fantasy...oh yes! And Science Fiction, (comma) Romance or Science Fiction, [comma] YA, but very seldom Science Fiction Romance or Science Fiction YA. With the popularity of Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and the cult status of television shows such as Firefly and Farscape, it would seem these subgenres (or sub-subgenres?) would be more desirable.

I'm curious to hear any thoughts, comments, insights or opinions on the subject. Agents? Editors? Please give us your perspection.

8 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this post. I can only weigh in as an aspiring author who has been shopping around an SF romance to agents for the past eight months. One agent requested the full, another a partial (still waiting to hear back on both).

    Another agent told me in brief that although some of her clients had SFR's published, the market is so small that they've moved onto other genres.

    Other than that, I haven't had any personalized feedback at all (and I've had plenty of feedback when I shopped around my other manuscripts (paranormal, fantasy, horror).

    So the silence has been both puzzling & discouraging. I at least would have liked to have known if it were my story (which of course it could be; or the word count, etc.).

    I still believe SFR has the potential to be the next big trend, and I'd love to see that not only as a writer but as a reader.

    Buzz like yours can only help. The audience is there--agents and publishers just have to know where to look....

    clara

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  2. Clara, thanks for your comments. I, like you, am a frustrated Sci Fi Rom writer. It's good to know there are success stories in the subgenre such as Linnea Sinclair and Susan Grant, but it's still a tough sell, and also a very rare find if you're a devoted reader of SFR, as I am.

    I agree with you that this may be a future hot market. The good news is when that happens, those of us who are already writing and marketing Sci Fi Rom may be on the leading edge of the wave. :)

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  3. >The good news is when that happens, those of us who are already writing and marketing Sci Fi Rom may be on the leading edge of the wave. :)


    Power to the skiffy Rom-ers!

    clara

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  4. As a reader I dont look at genre, I pick up authors I know I like, and anything new whose blurb intriques me. I think many readers who find the romance genre to be rather limited in imagination, I mean there are only XY, XX or your're not human, right?, would gobble up a well written sci-fi romance.
    Here's hoping the agents-publishers catch on to a wide, eager market.
    In the mean time, keep writing is the best two words I can think to suggest.

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  5. LOL, Clara, you betcha! :)
    ::: gets ready for high tide :::

    Arlene, yes, I agree. Writing is something I have to do, it seems to be part of my wiring. I'll always write the sort of stories I love to read. And I agree with you on the formulaic romance factor. In a sci fi universe, things can get so much more imaginative (IMHO, of course).

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  6. Okay, I'm going to stick my two cents in here. Been listening to various comments among the RomVets. Many of the writers who write Sci Fi Romance Romance have indeed labled it the next trend. Believe this. They don't just track the trends, they try to predict them. They're all over the Sci Fi Romance and Military Romance. Publishers, Agents and Editors are starting to watch for it. I think we're sitting on the cusp, and publishers are waiting to see how these stories go with the general public before bitting on more. They've got some big names putting it out there. Susan Grant has a new release this week and a new website devoted to it. Ya Adult is headed that way. I just picked up a Stephenie Meyer book called "The Host" This is about on of the last wild human girls that gets captured by a parasitic alien species and implanted with a soul. Very interesting.
    Hang on. You might be surprised how hot this sub-genre gets.
    Dawn

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  7. Dawn, that sounds like great news to me. I think our sub(sub)genre's time is coming.

    To market, I say! :)

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  8. Clara, I'd like to contact you. Are you a member of CC?

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