Soap Box - Queries/Submissions and Marketability

I know this may come across as a rant but I really want this situation to be explained to me. I don't have a wide enough knowledge of the publishing industry to read between the lines nor do I have an agent on a friendly enough basis to go to on this subject. So, if you have some knowledge on this, or have a person I can ask, please hit me up. (BTW - I will not be giving any names as it isn't about the person/company but the actual meaning of what I need to do next.)

"It's not marketable." OR/AND "We wouldn't know how to properly market that?"

I have two complete manuscripts and I'm sending them to agents and publishers for a possible contract. One of them is a Gothic Paranormal and the other is a Paranormal/Urban Fiction that has actually been plotted out to be a series.

The Para/UF
          The characters are several different breeds between witches, shifters, sirens, vampires, and such so if that's the problem then I have no idea on how to narrow it down without completely trashing the series plot line. It's based in a southern town so I know that isn't the problem. I do have a few different things for the outer conflict but they're all relevant to pop culture. Maybe as some are buzz words that can be a negative or a positive, it's too touchy for them to deal with. I'm not being told anything specific other than the above and a couple of people stating that if it was YA they might consider it more.
          My critique partners from then and my more recent betas have all "fallen" for it and want it published but the stories aren't being grabbed up by the professional publishing community. Why? It even won a WETA award, so I'm totally confused. Yes, I'm debating on making it self published as I have no intention of killing the story.
          There HAS to be a market out there since Best Selling Authors like Kim Harrison, Laurell K Hamilton, Carrie Vaughn, Keri Arthur, and Charlaine Harris all wrote novels containing more than one breed of preternatural plus included pop culture avenues in their story lines. Yes, some of these ladies entered in the older market, when things were hot, but many of us read these items so why not publish more of them?

The Gothic
          It is set in a small southern town, so that should be okay. What I have with it is a psychic mixing with two preternatural beings (one is the villain) plus the mansion/eery happenings/dark secrets that are typical in a gothic novel. As it's the newer of the two manuscripts, it hasn't gotten as many responses since I just started putting it out at the end of June. I've gotten good reviews on it from my beta readers and critique ladies (that write the same subject), so I need to see if it's my story line or the market isn't ready for another novel in this genre.

Well, there you have it, my latest quandary. Can you offer me any news or info on these?

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn
Wench Writer