I’m planning on writing contemporary romance and NA and it feels like nearly every book in those genres is set in the USA; It feels like there aren’t many books set in other countries. I don’t know if I am capable of accurately portraying what it is like to grow up in the USA, but I’m willing to put in the research. I’m just not sure if setting it in another country would make me stand out or turn off readers
Set it in another country, your country, wherever you want! The USA publishing industry likes to set certain standards, but they are not the rule. New Adult has no reason to be specific to the US, and I know a lot of readers would be thrilled to have a New Adult Romance not set in the US.
There's a problem with Western publishing where the people in charge decide if it's set in another country and/or the main character is not a white American, then it gets labeled the wrong genre. My first thought is the award-winning book Americanah about a pair of young Nigerians whose love is tested by a political world that nearly drives them apart. Parts of it take place in other countries like the US and England, but the whole point of the story is that there's no place like home with the person who loves and understands you. Sometimes I see treated like it is only about politics and race, but the theme is love.
Please, "write what you know." There are other international books in this genre, I promise. American books may overwhelm the market, but the readers who want your story are waiting patiently for something fresh!
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