Jan is Jan Fields, moderator of this interview with Lauren Barnholdt, and Web Editor of the ICL Web Site.

Green shows names or usernames of people and the questions they asked Lauren Barnholdt.

Jan: Good Evening! Welcome to tonight's chat with YA author Lauren Barnholdt. Lauren is currently under contract with Simon Pulse for her young adult novels, having set an unprecedented sale when she was signed for her first two book deal on just three chapters and a synopsis.

Jan: Hi, Lauren!

Lauren: Hi, everyone! Thanks for having me.

Jan: I'm especially tickled to have Lauren Because she's my first "I picked her" chat guest.

Lauren: Oh, no, now the pressure's on! Ha.. Thanks for picking me!

Jan: I knew you were the go-to girl for what's hot in YA for girls.

Lauren: Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about being 26 and an expert on teen girls, ha...Makes me feel like I never grew up!

Jan: So...tell us a little about your book, please.

Lauren: My book is called REALITY CHICK, and will be out in June... It's about a girl who goes on a reality tv show that will broadcast her first semester of college.

Jan: Wow...reality tv and teens. Sounds like a good seller. How did you come to sell it?

Lauren: Oh, gosh, that's such a crazy story....I had written a previous YA book, called JOSH PARKER HAS A BIG HEAD.. AND OTHER THINGS I LEARNED THIS SUMMER..that never sold. It was rejected by every major publisher in New York.. So I cried and screamed and almost gave up My then-agent was so-so about my new project, which turned out to be REALITY CHICK, so we parted ways...Two weeks later, I signed with Nadia Cornier of Firebrand Literary, and two weeks later, we had an offer from Simon and Schuster.

Jan: That's the kind of speed I like to hear about.

Lauren: Yeah, Nadia will kill me for saying this, but it was all her. She's a master and getting the publishers to move.

Jan: Okay, we've got a bizillion questions so flex your typing fingers And we're off...

Lauren: I get asked that question a lot...A publisher is not going to shy away from buying your book if it has a sex scene as long as it's handled the right way. Meaning, it adds to the story, and isn't just there for shock value.. So many writers try to put sex in YA just to make their work "edgy".. But if it adds to the story, it's definitely acceptable.

Lauren: Again, I think it depends on the story.. I think the boundaries of YA are changing and expanding so much lately.. In the how to write book that I'm writing with Nadia, we talk about the taboos of YA literature. and the general thought seems to be that there are no taboos, as long as it fits your story and your character.

Jan: I know a couple years ago, I heard some YA editors say they felt the last taboo was oral sex, but we know that one has been hurdled even. So it's all about what serves the story.

Lauren: Yeah, books like RAINBOW PARTY, which is all about an oral sex party have kind of smashed that hurdle, lol.

Lauren: Oh, god, you guys and the scandalous questions! Chick-lit used to be considered a formula for books about women living in the city, with horrible jobs and horrible love lives. But now, with it expanding, and subgenres like YA chick-lit, it's more about any kind of fiction that resonates with a female audience, almost always with a female protag that explores issues that are important to young women.

Lauren: Definitely voice. There are so many times, while teaching my classes, or while reviewing submissions, that someone will have a great story and be a great writer.. But you can tell it's an adult trying to write a teen book. You really need to hone your teen voice, study how teens talk, what they're interested in, etc.

Lauren: Well, for REALITY CHICK it was really easy, because most of the characters were on a reality tv show, so I got to have a little fun with them... ha.. But the main character, Ally, just came to me so naturallly. I hope the character in my next book is as easy to write as Ally was, but I don't know if that will be the case.

Lauren: Well, right now Nadia and I are putting the finishing touches on our how to write YA book, which is due on April 1st, eek! Then I'll be working on my next YA that's under contract with Simon and Schuster, and a proposal for a middle grade that my agent has been patiently waiting for.

Lauren: My favorite thing to do, which is eavesdrop! Ha. Listen to teens if you're around them, definitely, but also watch teen tv shows, read teen magazines. But it's a fine line.. Dont' go overboard with the slang, because teens are people too, and then you come off looking cliche. Nadia and I get tons of submissions where all the characters are like "Yo!" and "WHADDUP?' and teens DO say those things, but don't go overboard.. lol [lol=Laugh out loud].

Lauren: No more stories about girls moving away, please! That is a really big one, ha.. There are a lot of stereotypes that surface over and over again.. Mean girls, the main character being unpopular, bad boyfriends...The thing to remember is that these situations ARE very present in teen lives, and therefore, should be present in teen novels...But your characters have to have more than one dimension.. The popular girl can be mean, but she might also be that way for a reason...So use the stereotypical situations if you must, but don't make your characters stereotypes.

Lauren: Thanks! Non-fiction writing can help in so many ways -- mentioning it in your query letters shows agents and editors you can actually write, and that someone has recogized that in the past. Writing for teen markets gets you in touch with what teens are reading about and talking about.

Lauren: Definitely the girl moving to a new place, there are A LOT of those kind of stories floating around -- which isn't to say you shouldn't write that book, if that's what you want to do, but it will just be that much harder to break in. Also fantasy novels about girls getting whisked off to other lands, where the plot just... meanders around. But I always say to write what you want to write, because there's always going to be that book that's so well done, that it will carry the premise.

Lauren: Hmm, I wonder if Nadia is in here, and if I should answer that honestly...I TRY to write every day, but sometimes I can't, because I'll have other things going on, like doing copyedits, etc. My process involves a lot of email checking, a lot of blog surfing.. (Please don't let Nadia be in here, la la la).. But, no, seriously, I do try to write every day, and I set a word count goal for myself, usually between five and ten pages a day, which is 1250-2500 words. Deadlines are a GREAT motivator.. lol

Lauren: Usually YA characters are between 14 and 21. Anything older than that is considered adult, younger than that is middle grade or children's. That's the general rule Although there are exceptions (like the Lovely Bones, which has a fourteen-year-old narrator and is an adult book). Your characters should be dealing with the issues teens deal with, I think that's the most important thing. My character is 18, which is on the higher end. Also keep in mind that teens tend to read up. They like reading about characters who are older than they are.

Lauren: Bother Nadia.. No, just kidding.. I read a lot, I watch a lot of reality television.. I love to go to NYC and do author-type things, because it makes me feel like this whole thing might actually be real, and not just something I've convinced myself is happening ;) Oh, and I like to obsess over Nick and Jessica getting back together.

Jan: Author type things like...um, what? I want to check my author-type things rating....and, it's not going to happen with Nick and Jessica. [Nick and Jessica are Lauren's favorite celebrity couple to obsess over.]

Lauren: Book readings, book parties.. I just got invited to this teen author night that I'm totally scared to go to, because I accidentally got to see the guest list, and it's very intimidating. I refuse to give up hope on Nick and Jessica! I'm very determined.

Lauren: Historical fiction is hot if it's handled right.. Books like Libba Bray's stuff have definitely given historical fiction a bigger push.. But it has to be very, very good.. Time travel plots are hard, but if you're writing about a particular time period and can pull it off, I say go for it.

Lauren: I just had a student who scored a big name agent with her Christian fiction book...I think Christian fiction is tricky, because you have to avoid preaching, and make the Christianity aspect part of the story...My student had to revise a few things about her book, and then they marketed it as YA with a Christian bent, which is much easier to sell, IMO. But I honestly am not as familiar with the Christian fiction market.

Lauren: Ooh, this is one of my favorite questions...Yes, No, and Yes... Ha, just kidding.

Lauren: I recommend that for YA fiction, you DEFINITELY get an agent.. My contract with Simon and Schuster is about ten or twelve pages long.. Nadia also got me things that I never would have even thought to ask for...She got me a two book deal, a lower escalator (which is when your royalty rate goes up after you sell a certain number of copies, which I didn't even know EXSISTED).

Lauren: It IS hard to find a YA agent.. And my advice..Which I will probably get in trouble for, is to query A LOT.. I sent out at least thirty queries every time I was searching for an agent....That doesn't mean query every agent in NY with the same form letter! It means you need to query a lot to give yourself the best chance, especially with how slow everything moves!

Lauren: Characters in YA? I think 13 is probably the lowest you can get away with.. Anything younger than that is probably considered middle grade.

Lauren: As for the age of readers, I still read YA and I'm 26. But I'm obviously extremely immature (you can ask anyone or just read my blog), so the general reader age is probably 11-18? Depending on the book, reading level, etc.

Lauren: A tongue ring?! LOL, Well, I don't really know.. I'm anti-piercings (except for my ears), just because I have a low pain tolerance. But you should all feel free to write piercings, tattoos, and addictions into your books.

Lauren: Yes, I always query simultaneously, unless the agent specifically states that they don't take simultaneous submissions. If an agent takes three or more months to get back to you, it would take forever...And sometimes they WILL take even longer than that... Funny story, but I got an agent rejection three months AFTER I sold my book.. On a submission I'd sent eight months before, Ha.. So yes, simultaneous is the way to go.

Lauren: No, i really didn't, which is kind of strange.. I think most writers have someone look at their stuff. Although my younger sister, who was sixteen at the time, read all my stuff as I wrote it. Now, my agent reads it and suggests changes if she thinks it's applicable, and I have a few writers friends who will read my stuff if I ask them as well.

Lauren: Ooh, hard one. I think ANYTHING is a tough sell, unless you can pull it off. Dual first person can be a great technique, if you have a good handle on making the characters have separate voices. Also, the story has to be the story of both characters, not just one.. Which can be tough to pull off. So, yeah, it's a harder sell, but only because there are more challenges. But personally, I love dual first person.

Lauren: Dual first person is a book told in first person, but from two different characters.. For example, one chapter would be told by "Tom" and he would say "I did this,".. Then the next chapter is told by Fred, who also uses first person, "I did this," and it alternates back and forth between two characters.

Lauren: You know, I really dont.. I have writer friends who make out character sheets and write down characters specifics to get to know their characters, but for me...The story comes from the character.. For example, with REALITY CHICK, I knew I wanted the story to be about a normal girl who goes on a reality show, and has to deal with her long distance relationship and the challenges of her first semester of college being taped...So in order for that to happen, Ally had to kind of be naive about certain things, or the book wouldn't work..So I kind of already know the character before I start.. Which I'm sure doesn't help you at all, I"m so sorry!

Lauren: YA in general is a very hot market right now, for a lot of reasons... Paranormal, supernatural,chicklit... YA in general is hot, so I say go for it.

Lauren: Haha, I hope my sister isn't in here.. List of people I hope aren't here: My agent, my editor, my family... ha...I take things from my family, things I overhear, things that have happened to me.. But I usually spin them to be much more scandalous than the actual event.

Lauren: For me, sometimes the worst rejections are the ones that say "We love her voice, we love her writing, we love the premise, we love everything, but we don't love it enough to want it...."Well, not exactly like that, but you know what I mean....My very worst rejection day..Was one day when my then-agent sent me my last batch of rejection letter for my first book, and at that point, it was kind of apparent that the book wasn't going to sell..I remember opening the envelope and reading the four or five letters, which were really nice and detailed, those "good" rejections writers always talk about.

Lauren: And I just started crying, and I called my boyfriend and told him I couldn't do it anymore, that if this book wasn't going to sell, no book was, and how could i be expected to write A WHOLE OTHER BOOK AND WHAT DID THESE PUBLISHING PEOPLE WANT ANYWAY?...About a month later, I wrote the beginning of REALITY CHICK, and about a month after that , I sold it.. So, yeah, I totally didn't mean that whole giving up thing...

Lauren: I don't think there's really a way to deal with rejection -- you just have to accept that it is going to and will happen.. Eat chocolate, cry to your writing friends, and write something else. So trite, but true.

Jan: The first time you get one of those "good rejections" -- it's nice, but about the 15th time on the same book and it doesn't make you happy at ALL.

Lauren: Exactly! At first, you're like, wow, this has a shot! Then you're like, IF IT'S SO GREAT, HOW COME NO ONE WANTS IT? It's hard.

Jan: I want to make a quick announcement. The winner of the "buzz" contest is Terri Hamilton. Terri will get a great collection of young adult books. Thanks for buzzing, Terri!

Lauren: Yes, thank you so much!

Lauren: I really didn't -- I mean, I got a revision letter from my editor that had some thoughts on how I could make the book better, and I was so, so pleased with it -- I agreed with ninety percent of what my editor wanted, and the book is so much better...I'm sure that won't be the case on every project -- at some point I'm sure I'll have to do massive rewriting. But this one was pretty painless.

Lauren: I always knew I wanted to write novels.. Even now, I find it so much harder to write non-fiction.. The writing book I'm doing is much harder to write than REALITY CHICK was...I wrote some articles and short stories, so that I would have a few writing credits for when I went to pitch my novels, and since the book sold, I've gotten asked to do some magazine/non-fiction pieces, which I accepted.

Lauren: Oh, wow..I loved so many YA books.. I was obsessed with Sweet Valley High, The BabySitters Club, anything by Paula Danziger, Robert Cormier, and of course, Judy Blume is one of the most amazing YA writers.

Lauren: I get this one a lot, and I'm not sure.. I still love the premise and the characters, but the book would need a major overhaul to really work, I think.. Even now, I can see the problems with it, so in a way, it was good it never sold...I know, I hate to be so "everything happens for a reason", but it's true!

Lauren: I think I always knew I wanted to write, but it was one of those "Oh, when I grow up, I"ll write a book"...And then I read a book by Sarah Mlynowski, who was twenty-four at the time..And I was like, Um, wait, I am grown up...It took me, from the time I started writing seriously, about three years to sell my first book.. Oh my God, if you had told me it would take that long, yikes!...The first draft of REALITY CHICK took me about three months.

Jan: How long did your first book take to write?

Lauren: Funny story on that one...Just fyi, I"m totally not advocating this, this story is basic, WHAT NOT TO DO, so you didn't hear it from me..ha..I starting querying my first book, um, before it was actually finished, figuring that I would just, yanno, write it while I waited to hear back...Yeah, not so much. I got a request for the whole thing, and banged out the rest of the first draft in about a month...But when I got an agent for that manuscript, I spent a couple months revising it.

Lauren: Oh, don't get the wrong idea -- I'm not motivated unless someone's actually WAITING for my work. Otherwise, I just google Nick and Jessica all day.

Lauren: Yeah, usually I'll say to Nadia, "So, here's what I want to do next.." and then we go through and decide if something might not work.. With my YA stuff now, it's a little different, because since I have a two-book deal, I have to run it by my editor, since they've already bought the book.

Lauren: NEVER,..Did you seriously think I would say something other than that? Ha.. There's this really great quote, and I can't remember who said it off the top of my head, but it's "The only difference between an amateur writer and a professional writer is that the professional didn't give up"...So true.. I almost gave up, and a few months later, I had a book deal..I'd also like to point out that I totally know who asked that question, and I won't embarrass her by saying her name, but just fyi, if you ever ask me about when you should give up again, I"m totally going to name a really awful character after you in one of my books.

Jan: But you did "give up" on the first book, Josh, because you finally knew...that one wouldn't sell. You never give up on writing...but you do come to the point where you know a specific book is done.

Lauren: Well, there was no one else to send it... LOL...At that point, it was really out of my hands. So give up on one book? Yes, sometimes you have to, if you've exhausted all your options..And there's nothing wrong with it, as long as you write something else.

Lauren: Sometimes, yeah.. I think it's hard if you're writing for teens and don't really KNOW teens, if that makes sense.. I think the stereotype is that teens are angst-ridden and always upset, and while this can be true in some cases, your character has to have more going on..Give them lots of angst if you want, but don't make that the only thing they're about.

Lauren: I love YA fantasy books, but I think it's easy sometimes to let the fantasy aspect override the fact that you need to have great characters and a great plot as well.. But if you have all these things, YA fantasy is great.

Lauren: If you get an offer, you immediately find your dream agent's phone number and CALL them to tell them you have an offer..I really wouldn't recommend doing your own contracts, because there are just so many things that will overwhelm you..also...It's your agents job to be the bad guy.. For example, Nadia deals with getting me a bigger advance, better deal, etc.. And that way, I can have a great working relaitonship with my editor that focuses on my writing only, and nothing else.

Lauren: agentquery.com is a great website that lists agents by genre they represent.. Also, Jeff Herman's Guide to Literary Agents is a great book that list agent contact info..And of course, publishersmarketplace.com, which lists agent contact info, along with the deals they've made, so you can see who's selling what.

Lauren: No, Firebrand represents all kinds of YA! Adam Selzer's book, HOW TO GET SUSPENDED AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE, which is out from Delacorte early next year, has a boy protagonist and is definitely not chick-lit....Nadia also does non-fiction and adult, and so does Caren Johnson, who's also with Firebrand..You can check the website for exact details if you're wondering if your book might be a good fit.

Lauren: You know, everyone always says that first person is a harder sell, but I really don't see that in YA...I think teens in general can be very analytical and slightly self-absorbed, so first person can work very well..For me, first person is the most natural voice to write in, so that's what I do.. I say do whatever comes naturally and is right for the story.

Lauren: Oh, wow.. My favorites lately, and that I would recommend if you want to write for teen girls are the Jessica Darling books by Megan McCafferty, Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart.. YA in general, I'm loving the Scott Westerfeld trilogy that starts with UGLIES.

Lauren: Not to give up is obviously the best advice.. I also think that listening to agents and editors, and trying to take something out of the remarks on your rejection letters is really important..If an editor or agent takes the time to write something to you on how you can make your book better, see if there's a way you can incorporate their advice.. Don't get defensive, as I know writers can sometimes! And resist the urge to write them a really mean letter back, ha.

Lauren: It's funny, because Nadia's my age, and we get along so well that we'd be friends even if she weren't my agent.. We just have to know when it's time to talk business and when it isn't... We'll be on the phone sometimes, and we're like "Okay, business now"...And we make sure we talk business..Also, we try to limit IM conversations to personal stuff only, and do business stuff on the phone or through email, so there's no miscommunication...And I just have to know when to listen to her as my agent, and not as my friend.

Lauren: No.. It obviously doesn't hurt, but when I look at a query letter, I don't automatically discount someone if they don't have any credits. It's all about the writing (and mentioning that you want Nick and Jessica to get back together definitely doesn't hurt, either.)

Lauren: Being an agent is very strange, because I know how much the rejections can hurt...So I always cringe when I have to reject someone's work.. I also now realize that agents are SO BUSY, that form rejections really ARE necessary, and they're not just being jerks..(except the ones who don't like Nick and Jessica)...Nadia actually approached me asking if I wanted to join Firebrand.. I teach online YA writing classes, and I kept sending her projects, like, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!...Nadia ended up signing people (and even selling some projects of theirs!) and so finally she was like, You know, you're really good at this.. So we talked, and voila...

Lauren:'m keeping my client list really, really, small, because I'm working closely with Nadia ... A lot of things I get that I love, I'll pass to Nadia, because I know it's good, I just don't have the time to commit to it.

Lauren: I don't know. I've never done them, and I"ve never had them done. If it's a part of the conference, I say go for it, but I'm not sure I would pay to get my first page critiqued.

Lauren: Usually I'll write twenty to thirty pages, then go back and edit at least once before I go forward.. Revising is one of my least favorite parts of the process, so I usually try to avoid ending up with a whole book that needs to be revised.. I make deals with myself, like, revise ten pages, watch one episode of Newlyweds, to motivate myself.

Lauren: Read a lot of YA! I think reading in general is so important to becoming a good writer, and even more so with YA.. Because you get a sense of the kind of things teens like to read, what's important to them, what issues are being addressed, etc..It helps you get a sense of your teen voice, too, unless you're already stuck in adolescence, like some of us. Not me. I'm not stuck in adolescence. I'm just saying.

Jan: It's a good thing Terri won all those books. Now she can really follow your advice!

Lauren: Those are great books to follow my advice with.

Lauren: The first one I didn't, and so revising it was really hard. Now, I try to write in order, because if I find myself wanting to skip a scene, I know it's probably because it's going to be a hard scene to write, and I just have to get through it..I'll force myself to write through it, even if what comes out turns out to be crap, and I have to go back and rework it... But that's just what works for me.. If you love the revision process, I don't think there's anything wrong with skipping around. I know a lot of writers who do it.

Lauren: I type. I'm a pretty fast typer, and it's just faster for me. I write in a paper journal, though, because I'm obsessed with office supplies ;)

Jan: I think most writers are obsessed with office supplies...I can spend hours choosing the right pen And I type EVERYTHING...but I love pens.

Lauren: Me too! My friend Robyn bought me a pen for when I do book signing,s and I almost started crying, because I thought it was so sweet. I'm such a dork.

Lauren: I always know HOW the book is going to end, but I don't really know how I'm going to get there...For example, in REALITY CHICK, my main character gets torn between her long term boyfriend and one of her castmates...And she's trying to figure out the whole high school relationship to college thing.. And I knew what was going to happen, who she was going to end up with when I started writing. But I didn't know how she was going to get there.

Lauren: Nadia and I made a pact that I would only do it to the point that I could, because my own writing is my top priority always. Which is why I end up passing a lot of fantastic projects onto her.

Lauren: It really depends on the agent and the project.. I know some agents are very involved in the editorial process, and others are very hands-on. Plus, agents might get a project from a client that's really polished, while other projects need more work.. So it depends on how the agent works, the writer, the project.. That's one of the things I always tell people to ask before they sign with someone, because different writers are comfortable with different things.

Lauren: I think it depends...For my first book, I got a lot of very detalied rejections, but by the time I had to decide if I wanted to revise or not, I didn't think it was going to be a good use of my time..I was writing REALITY CHICK, and I could tell it was a much better book, and I realized that my first novel was going to need such a huge overhaul, that it might not be worth my time.... I think it depends on the project, and what you feel comfortable with.

Lauren: YAs are usually between 45,000 and 65,000 words. I think anything much shorter than that is going to be a very hard sell, because YAs are shorter than adult fiction to begin with, that shorter than 45K doesn't give you enough room to really develop your story.

Lauren: The internet has been really great, as in I get to teach my online classes, which i love, and I've met tons of people through my blog -- although I'm not sure that's a good thing, because they then totally realize what a dork I am, and it crushes the "famous author" persona, haah...The internet is a great marketing tool, especially if you're writing for teens, since they're all online now.

Lauren: I knew I wanted to eventually teach an online writing class ,and when Nadia and I sold the how to write book, it seemed like the perfect time.. The first one was a learning experience, but it's been so great.. In the past six months, I"ve had students sign with Nadia, Ethan Ellenberg, Jenny Bent, and Rachel Vater.. We've also had two book sales.. It's been really fun, and I love doing it.

Jan: And I know you've appreciated her sharing as much as I have.

Lauren: Thanks so much for having me! And I hope Nick and Jessica get back together soon, too! If anyone has any other questions for me, they can email me through my website, www.laurenbarnholdt.com -- I feel like I didn't get to answer even half of what was asked! It might take me a while to get through them all, I plan on watching Newlyweds after this, I just got the second season on DVD.. But go ahead and email me, I really don't mind.

Jan: And thank you...you've been stellar!