Predictions for 2010

*puts on sparkly scarf, gypsy skirt, and lights some incense*

Yessss....I see many things in the future of publishing.

1. YA (especially speculative YA) will continue to be very popular.
2. Vampires will be less so. Many people think angels are going to be the new vampires, but I'm leaning towards some totally new fad. I don't think angels are going to last all year. Probably not werewolves or zombies either. But something new and different. Maybe a YA version of Rick Riordan's demi-gods, or something like that.
   
3. Science fiction and steampunk are going to continue to rise in popularity. 
4. YA is going to grow more intelligent. Less GossipGirl/Snarky/PopularMeanGirl stuff, more stuff where the plot is based on something you have to think about and less where the plot is based on people (girls) being mean to each other.
5. Romantic triangles will continue to be popular, but the plot of a book is going to need more than a romantic triangle in order to survive in the future.
6. YA is going to remain the genre where you can experiment--new, fun, exciting things will happen in YA more than adult literature, and it will be much better for it. 
7. YA will increasingly become more accepted as a distinct genre style, not a target age range. As it should be.