I will give you a topic, discuss amongst yourselves

[megwrites]

Actually, 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?

Comments

[scififanatic.livejournal.com]

I'm still trying to learn about the YA genre but it seems as if some writers are crossing over because YA seems to be the "hot" ticket right now.

My jaw fell to the floor when I found out that James Frey (author of A Million Little Pieces) received a significant publishing deal for his YA sci-fi series but I'm not complaining because I certainly would like to sell my YA sci-fi book. :D

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

I'm still trying to learn about the YA genre but it seems as if some writers are crossing over because YA seems to be the "hot" ticket right now.

I think that might be part of my reluctance, to tell you the truth, to ever write YA. Because I tend to get a little wary of hot ticket items. Because they cool down fairly quickly sometimes, and because I remember when Snarky Heroines In Leather Who Shag Vampires became all the rage in urban fantasy. Now the shelves are clogged with sub-par tomes because that's the "hot ticket", and now some agents/publishers (and definitely some readers) are starting to say, "No more vampires!"

So I'm wondering if the same dip in quality will happen in YA as writers who haven't really been YA fans/readers pour in to take advantage of the gold rush.

Also, part of me resists the idea because I appreciated the books I had in my younger years that were written specifically for me, my age group, and were written by authors who were very sensitive to the things that were important in my life at that age and didn't talk down to me. Because even at age 9 or 10 or 14? I was pretty discerning about which books were "Adults Writing About Kids" and which ones were "Adults Writing About How They Think Kids Are".

And the good books were my refuge. And I'd hate to see that refuge get destroyed for kids because a bunch of adult writers just wanted to "cash in" on a trend.

[scififanatic.livejournal.com]

Luckily, I think most YA is written by skilled and talented writers who have a passion for the YA voice (I would argue that there are many YA voices but the common thread is some of what chomjii mentioned.)

It is annoying to see the shelves cluttered with copycat books or with literature that talks down to teens or simply does a poor job of writing about that teenage experience when life during that young adult time is often just as emotionally charged.

This is why I'm for breaking some of the "rules" of YA, such as no-sex or cursing or drug abuse, etc. because clearly, some of these adults want YA to be a preachy don't-do-this kind of literature and that just isn't interesting to me at all.