Have you ever dreamed about growing a huge fanbase for your YA trilogy or series?
Do you count success as the number of adoring fans who obsess over your characters?
Do you look forward to the day when teen readers post fanart of your characters and write AU stories about your fictional world?
Please tell me I’m not the only one…
In order to build a fandom around your stories and rocket your book sales, there are certain things that attract fandoms and certain things that push them away.
And after observing *cough cough becoming obsessed with* several different fandoms, I am here to show you how to optimize your story for your teenage readers!
Of course, you can become a successful author without using any of these. This list is meant to give you some insight into what captivates the average teen “fan.”
So let’s get started with the structure and plot of your story.
Lots of Content Performs Best
Have you noticed a common trend with the book fandoms that take the internet by storm?
With rare exceptions, most of the biggest fandoms are based around a series.
Standalone books can have a good fanbase, but in order to become a trend, the standard is four or more books in a series. The books all center around the same characters and the same overarching plot.
The Characters Control the Plot
This might seem obvious, but it’s something that a lot of authors (myself included) tend to forget about.
Does your character make all the choices, or does fate decide what happens next?
Your story should work like a maze, not a labyrinth.
In a labyrinth, all of the paths lead to the center, so there’s no way to avoid the ending. In a maze, you have the option to turn a different way and find your way by trial and error.
Readers, especially teens, love stories where the entire plot is controlled by the characters. So take a look at your plot and ask yourself: did my characters cause these events to happen?
Relationships Are Hinted At, But Never Forced
This one’s pretty big for me, but other fans might not feel the same way. It depends on your audience.
However, if you’re going for the biggest readership, keep in mind that many fans have very active imaginations. And they love shipping characters.
I found this gif a while back, and it explains pretty much any fangirl between the ages of 13 and 25:
Remember back in 2014, when Captain America: Winter Soldier came out? Steve Rogers kissed Sharon, and everyone absolutely hated it.
Sometimes, the writers can say, “These characters would make a cute couple!” But the fans completely disagree.
On the other hand, some fans will go off the shipping “deep end” and come up with dozens of OTPs, when the characters in question have barely met. (People still ship Tony Stark and Dr. Strange. I don’t get it.)
So yeah. The shippers will do what they want. Put in lots of cute moments between different pairs of characters, stand back, and watch what happens.
The Point of View Stays Consistent
Again, this might vary from person to person, but most fans that I know don’t like books that switch to a different character’s point of view every chapter.
Instead, think of the Marvel movies: each movie switches to a different character’s POV, but we never switch POV in the middle of a movie. For example, in the Ant Man movies, we don’t suddenly switch to Hulk’s perspective.
If you have a book series, consider giving your readers a little more time in between “head hops.” One POV per book is usually a good idea.
Controversial, I know. In fact, I feel so strongly about this that I made a meme about it.
Not Every Plot Line is Wrapped Up Nicely
Especially if you want your fans to stick around after the end of your series (whether you’re planning a sequel or starting a different series in the future), leave a bit of an open end on your story.
Here are some ways to achieve this loosely wrapped up ending:
- Wrap up all but one of the subplots, and leave a hint that the subplot may or may not be resolved.
- End all of the major plot lines, but leave a character in a vulnerable position. (Maybe they get home, but they know the bad guys are still out there somewhere and they’ll eventually have to deal with it.)
Now that we’ve talked about structure and plot, let’s talk about the characters.
Large Cast of Unique and Important Characters
Many people don’t realize this at first, but the psychology behind fandoms is all focused on picking sides. We like to choose our “team,” and then feel like we’re accepted and safe within that team.
It’s the same psychology that explains why sports teams are so popular, and why many sports fans will feel an instant connection with someone else who is wearing their team’s jersey.
Also, remember back when people used to wear Twilight t-shirts that said “Team Edward” or “Team Cullen” on them? Same idea.
As soon as your reader picks up your book, they already start looking for a favorite character.
Make them think about it. Give them several different characters (who are all important to the plot), and let them pick a favorite.
For example, in the Marvel movies, you could argue that the main character is Tony Stark. But the fans are able to pick their favorites from a wide cast of characters, and this helps them bond with the story in different ways.
A good rule of thumb is at least 3 main good guys (think Harry, Ron, and Hermione), 3 side characters (Hagrid, Luna, Ginny), one main villain (Voldemort), and one antagonist (Draco).
The Villain is Extremely Good at What They Do
Long gone are the days of villains who send their henchmen to do their bidding.
Today’s teens like stories about a villain who is powerful– so powerful, like Thanos, that the heroes barely stand a chance.
Teens want to feel a sense of awe for the villain, and the expectations keep getting higher. So tell your villain to man (or woman) up and meet their full potential.
Also, a huge trend in fandoms right now is the manipulative villain. Someone who is terrifyingly good at twisting the hearts and minds of the good guys.
If you’d like to learn more about how to write a manipulative villain, be sure to check out my post here!
If you’re looking to build a fanbase, make sure the villain is a candidate for your reader’s favorite character.
Include Lots of Morally Grey Characters
Most, if not all, of your characters should be morally grey, falling at different points on the spectrum between good and evil.
Modern fiction rarely has characters who are all good or all evil. And for good reason– these characters are impossible to root for.
The villain has a good reason for being bad. The hero has an ulterior motive for being good. The side characters switch sides (from good to bad, or bad to good).
If your story is based around some common themes, like love/hate, loyalty/betrayal, etc., draw a line across a sheet of paper. On one end is the extreme good ideal (like complete loyalty), and on the other is the evil ideal (utter betrayal).
Draw different points along the line, and label them as your characters. But here’s the challenge– try to put the main character and the villain as close to the middle as possible.
Your side characters shouldn’t be the middle ground in between your hero and villain. Instead, they should be scattered throughout the spectrum.
And last but not least, my final point…
Leave It Up To The Reader’s Imagination
Your readers have great imaginations.
No need to lay out every character’s hair and eye color, or every character’s intricate backstories.
By making subtle hints and clues, you can leave more space for the reader to fill in the gaps, which makes your story interesting. And an interesting story is the number one best way to attract a loyal fanbase.
And there we have it– the best tips, tricks, and strategies that you can use to make sure that your book series is ready for a fandom of it’s own.
What do you think is important for YA writers to include in their stories? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back again soon with a new post!
Oooo… I really liked your tip about having a moral spectrum with the villain and hero as close to the center as possible. Not only do I want to experiment with that in my own stories, but now I want to search for it in some of my favorite existing books, shows, and movies.
Thanks for the comment! Yes, I highly recommend the spectrum trick. I learned about it about a month ago, and it’s made my characters so much more interesting to write!