On the Horizon

OK, here's my question - yes YA is hot now, but what are the forecasts for next year (with the thought that if I'm working on my YA now, it gets bought, and then takes 12-18 months to pub, will I have missed the boat)? I didn't see the end of chick lit until it was too late. Your thoughts, o wise one?

Hey Mia! For those of you who don't know the fabulous Mia King, who sent in this question, check out her wonderful blog. Of course, she's in Hawaii, so it's probably a lot easier to be fabulous and wonderful out there than it is anywhere else!

Oh geez, if I could answer this question, I'd have the million-dollar book deal, right? I think it's basically impossible to predict because, I mean, who can say what might resonate with the public. Did anyone foresee that a boy wizard become a worldwide phenomenon a few years ago? Probably not. Did anyone anticipate that paranormal vampires would recently take a bite out of the market? (Hey, give me the bad pun already!) I doubt it.

So..man...I dunno. I'm hoping that the trend toward commercial women's fiction continues - you know, women who want smart characters but still lively and diverting plots, and I have to believe that since there are so many intelligent, well-read women in our country, that this will always be a staple in the publishing industry. But the next big thing? I have no idea! (Of course, Mia, I know you were asking this hypothetically and would never write in anticipation of a trend, but it goes without saying that what you should do is write a good book - the best book you can, regardless of "what's hot," and then the rest will follow.)

But I wanted to post this because I bet that A LOT of readers have better ideas than I do! So what say you, oh wise readers? What's the next big thing?