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megwritesActually, this is something I've been wondering for a while now.
Are YA books actually intended solely for young adults anymore? Because it seems like a lot of YA bestsellers are becoming more and more popular with the decidedly not-so-young adult set, and I'm wondering if authors have started keeping older audiences in mind when they set out to write books in the YA genre.
I can't say I read very much YA myself, nor do I imagine that I'll be writing it any time soon. Which is not an insult to the genre. I can see why readers outside the advertised age bracket are attracted to some of the books coming out in the genre. Many of them are better written, less cliche, and all around more exciting that some of the so-called "adult" fare.
However, I guess the genre boundaries interest me, as well as what attracts adult readers to some of the works in the genre and what factors into the minds of those who write it. How does writing a book for a younger audience change what you do, or does it?
For that matter, how does one differentiate between a book that's "YA" and a "children's book" or a "middle grade" book - and where did the term "Young Adult" originate from?
Are YA books actually intended solely for young adults anymore? Because it seems like a lot of YA bestsellers are becoming more and more popular with the decidedly not-so-young adult set, and I'm wondering if authors have started keeping older audiences in mind when they set out to write books in the YA genre.
I can't say I read very much YA myself, nor do I imagine that I'll be writing it any time soon. Which is not an insult to the genre. I can see why readers outside the advertised age bracket are attracted to some of the books coming out in the genre. Many of them are better written, less cliche, and all around more exciting that some of the so-called "adult" fare.
However, I guess the genre boundaries interest me, as well as what attracts adult readers to some of the works in the genre and what factors into the minds of those who write it. How does writing a book for a younger audience change what you do, or does it?
For that matter, how does one differentiate between a book that's "YA" and a "children's book" or a "middle grade" book - and where did the term "Young Adult" originate from?
no subject
Date: 2009-07-15 02:47 am (UTC)You might be interested in this discussion of the "YA" label and the intended age group(s), which occurred in response to the review I posted of Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu's Zahrah the Windseeker on the Writers of Color 50 Book Challenge LJ community.
My take is that an awful lot of today's YA books are just more explicit versions of the first-crush, no-one-understands-me material that's been aimed especially at teen girls over the years. Also, works that have child/teen leads and no explicit sex or foul language seem to have been "demoted" in recent years to YA: most people now encounter To Kill a Mockingbird, which was written for adults, in 6th or 7th grade. Things can go the other way too, though: McKillip's "Riddlemaster" trilogy was definitely released as YA (I remember which section of the library it was in when it came out), but the paperback edition was released as adult fantasy.
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Date: 2009-07-15 08:21 am (UTC)I worked for a couple of years in a public library. I found it very interesting that Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower was shelved in the YA section of the library.
In some ways, I think the publishing world and librarians apply similar classes: children's books are for 12 and below (with MG being for 10-12 yo, chapter books being for 7-9 yo, picture books being for 3-6 and board books being for 6 mos-2 yo).
ETA: I failed to mention that the YA section of our library was located downstairs with the adult fiction collection because co-workers argued that young adults often like to browse in the adult fiction stacks. What's so great about this YA boom is that we're seeing the reverse--adults who enjoy browsing in the YA section. Either way, it's certainly healthy that people are reading! :D
JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is often considered the first YA novel but it wasn't called this when it was published.
I found this interesting as well: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204261704574275941028138178.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
no subject
Date: 2009-07-15 11:26 am (UTC)The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh? That does seem, to my mind, to be a pretty good description of it. Though I kind of wonder what teenage boys are reading these days, because it seems like a lot of the YA fantasy out there is either pointed at girls or made extremely girl friendly.
I didn't realize that that McKillip's books had been re-released as YA. I knew that OSC's "Ender's Game" (yes, I know, I too feel bad mentioning He Who Shall Not Be Mentioned on this LJ), was remarketed rather a while back and it always struck me as odd, because Ender's Game was held up as a stunning book for adults and had a lot of adult fans before it was remarketed.
Do you think there will be a lot of shelf shifting in the coming years?