Why YA?

Some of my stories are more fitting for a younger audience, some are more fitting for an adult only audience. I write it as it comes out and apply it to whatever market it fits in best.

I think your problem might be is you are looking at YA as a "lesser" form of writing?

Think of all the children's books. Are all those authors 10 or younger? It's ridiculous to think an author MUST be close to the age group they are writing for. We write our passions. Your passion isn't for that type of writing, but there's no need to degrade it.

And it's not easier. It's not. You're using different words, less complicated vocabulary, sometimes less complicated story lines but those stories have very specific needs. If you don't fit those needs you won't be successful.

Besides, who else is going to write books for our youth to read so they can eventually move on to more "sophisticated" forms of writing? We learn in steps.

So I ask you, why not? Why shouldn't our young adults have good books to read? Do you feel the same way about picture books and middle grade? Someone has to write them? Wouldn't you prefer capable writers handling them or sloppy 8-14 year olds (not knocking those age groups writing, but I highly doubt there's that many really good writers at that age) printing their scribbles?

john barnes on toast said:

there's a huge market for YA

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Explains everything. No need for further analysis.

caw

Is there?

I don't know, it seems strange to me, too. Not that YA doesn't have a market, but it didn't strike me as bigger than, say, normal fiction. Maybe I'm just hopelessly underinformed.

A few years ago YA as a genre didn't really exist. Now you have YA books (Potter, Twilight) outselling adult books. The genre is still developing and people's expectations of it are still fluid. Everyone wants to write the next big YA book. I think that's pretty much all there is to the flood of YA writers on AW.

Holy sweeping generalisations, Batman!

I don't write it for the market. I don't write it because I get to 'dumb down'. I don't write it because it's 'easier'.

I write YA because I want to. And it can be just as thought-provoking, intelligent, and enjoyable as any other genre.

ChristineR said:

A few years ago YA as a genre didn't really exist. Now you have YA books (Potter, Twilight) outselling adult books. The genre is still developing and people's expectations of it are still fluid. Everyone wants to write the next big YA book. I think that's pretty much all there is to the flood of YA writers on AW.

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Yeah, this is probably it. Ironically, it's one of those things that is usually a bust. A super-hot book doesn't make a super-hot genre, although I guess publishers might think it does.

It reminds me of computer games, circa Diablo. Diablo comes out, does amazingly well as a dungeon-hack RPG because it's just a plain good game, a million clones come out that suck, and all fail commercially because they decided to make a popular type of game rather than just a good game.

Why do peopel write YA? Who knows why anyone writes anything. Might as well ask why someone write horror, or historical, or fantasy...

I write the stories that interest me, and those tend to be YA. I think I am drawn to adolescence because I am drawn to stories about identity and transitions, and so, so far, a lot of what I write seems to be YA. But I can't say that I'll never write anything else or that I sat down to write YA because of some perceived ease or market. If anything, I was kind of intimidated by the diea of nailing a true and organic YA voice (since I'm in my 30s).

Now, a few specific responses:

john barnes on toast said:

Personally I'd dread the thought of working in an area where I might have to compromise my vision in terms of language or content, so what am I missing?.

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Well, and it depends what you write. If what you write is extreme, graphic horror or erotica, well, then maybe YA isn't for you.

But I haven't yet felt any kind of forced compromise or self-editing...and I can't imagine I will.

I write what the story requires. And if some future story I write doesn't feel appropriate to YA (And honestly, in today's market, I can't imagine much that wouldn't be appropriate for YA within what I write) then I would pitch that story as an adult book. But, to be honest, from what I like to write about, I don't worry or self-edit.

My current ms and wip both have sex and langauge, and it's not been an issue yet. And I can't imagine it being an issue. And Given the YA market, I really don't expect being expected to "compromise" the story at all, since there are plenty of YA books with all kinds of language and sex.

john barnes on toast said:

But here's where I might get controversial. I can't help the suspicion that there's a prevailing, but unspoken, wisdom, that it's simply easier to write for people whose critical faculties are less fully developed.

As I say, it's only a suspicion, and I'm here to be proved wrong. Also I'm not looking to upset anyone. I've not been here long, but already get the feeling that the vast majority are capable of reasoned debate, and hoped this might spark some.

So please, tell me why I'm talking crap.

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You're talking major crap. In my experience (and from every agent and editor I've ever heard answer this question), younger readers are actually harder to reach. They are more likely than adults to put down a book that doesn't grab their attention fast as compared to the average adult reader.

In fact, many conferences for YA and MG writing do brutal first page and first line clinics precisely because the agents and editors say it's so important in YA and MG books to grab the reader from the get go.

Are there studies, etc, to prove it? not sure. But in my personal experience, seems to hold true.

Do some people write YA because they think it will be easier or there's a ready market? Maybe.

Are they the one's getting published, selling out their print runs or winning the awards? Not sure, but my gut instinct is no.

~suki

We also think of YA as an entire genre, instead of splitting it up into Mystery, Fantasy, Adventure, SF, Realistic fiction, etc., the way we do with adult fiction. YA books are usually shorter than adult fiction, too, the Harry Potter sequels being an exception, thereby perhaps quicker and easier to write. But without a publishing market to drive things, there wouldn't be as many people writing the stuff.

caw

Well since I was about 7 whether a book was Adult or YA didn't matter to me as a reader. I could understand them both so the only issue was getting my dad to buy me Stephen King books.

YA is popular because there is a wide audience for it and well, you can get away with a bit more in YA, especially fantasy-wise - which combines two popular genres. Using young narrators also often means you can avoid the troubles of a 9-5 job or bills etc. which make stories difficult when not handled well - i.e your narrator can't really go fighting crime or monsters for two days, or off on some quest - he has to go to work! and if he doesn't, he's fired.

Also, for most young writers, I assume they are not quite as confident writing about MCs that are much older (because they don't have the life experience).

Oooh, was that a little pad of warm mud flying past my shoulder, or was it something else? ;-) Just kidding.

I can't speak for anyone else here, not least because the mods told me I'd get kicked out--just kidding--so here's what it comes down to for me.

1. I don't think that actually the writer is writing down to these kids. I know that I'm writing for me, really.

And when I was a teen, I was reading Hemingway, Tolstoy, Judy Blume, Robert Heinlein, Jane Austen, Tennessee Williams, James Joyce, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, the Nancy Drew books, countless jungle adventure books, Harlequins... And was falling in love with the poetry of Matthew Arnold, William Wadsworth Longfellow, Edmund Vance Cooke, etc. Quite a mix, right? Exploration was the order of the day.

And today? I read all of the same, minus the Harlequin. Added some others, broadened my horizons. Met new authors. Some of those are ones you'd peg as adult literature (Philip Roth, Naguib Mahfouz, Jeanette Winterson) and others, not: JK Rowling, Norton Juster, Edward Eager.

Conclusion? The same things draw me today as back then. Basically it comes down to that gasp, that thrum of surprised delight and anticipation that comes when someone expertly grabs me and pulls me into a new world, where word is image and truth is laid bare in some tantalizing or thought-provoking way. A world I either want to be in (JKR) or which moves me (American Pastoral).

So I'm just writing for me. A fun awesome adventure I'd love to imagine myself in.

2. Maybe branching out from that too... You mention writing for less developed critical faculties. Without getting to into that bramble, here's another thought. How many times have you read your favorites? Loads? Ever see something new in them? I assure you a child reading Harry Potter again and again over a period of years takes more from it on further reading. The same goes for any good work, be it Shakespeare or Dr Seuss.

3. Also, not sure how others got in this, but I'll add that when I started this book, I didn't ask who it was targeting. I wrote it for me. As I wrote it, I realized that it felt a little more magical, a little more fun *takes the slap* than I thought adults generally read. So I changed my MCs' ages. And made requisite rewrites. And loved it more. And reckoned it was MG, but as the story progressed and got darker, and as I found myself delving into the antagonists' psychologies more, I found myself thinking, this is YA...

What will it be when it's over? My friend just lent me Orson Scott Card's Magic Street after I mused out loud about this topic. She said he's not considered YA. And I found him in both sections of the bookstore. Interesting.

In conclusion: Because it's fun. Whatever's fun for you, you're writing, right? *shrug* Well, that's what I'm doing.

john barnes on toast said:

Personally I'd dread the thought of working in an area where I might have to compromise my vision in terms of language or content, so what am I missing?

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What YA are you reading?

Sex? check.

Drugs? check.

Profanity? ****ing check.

Dark themes like death, suicide, incest, rape, betrayal, prostitution, addictions of all kinds? Check.

Real themes like identity, homosexuality, life choices, faith, responsibility, family, single parenthood? Check.

Anything you can think of as an adult topic, YA can handle. It's all about the voice and marketing.

A 30-something career woman who has revolving relationships while downing half a bottle of wine a night, is adult. This could even be a light hearted comedy.

A 16 year old student (contemplating dropping out) who has revolving relationships while downing vodka or whatever else she can get her hands on, is YA. This could be a dark coming of age story.

There's no boundary to what is and isn't acceptable in YA. Taboos are few and far between, and as soon as one is pointed out - the book becomes a hit.

ChristineR said:

A few years ago YA as a genre didn't really exist. Now you have YA books (Potter, Twilight) outselling adult books. The genre is still developing and people's expectations of it are still fluid. Everyone wants to write the next big YA book. I think that's pretty much all there is to the flood of YA writers on AW.

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Actually, that's inacurate. I will agree that YA has taken off in recent years, but the first YA book was published in 1974 [editing for accuracy] YA as a genre came about in the 1950s and 1960s, took off through the 1970s and 1980s, and the Printz award has been around since 2000, recognizing excellence inYA books.

So, the market has been growing and changing and, yes, with recent cross-over successes, gaining attention, but YA as a market has been around for more than a decade.

I do think, however, that the fact that more of the 20-30 year olds actually read YA books when adolescents might also have something to do with why more 20-30 somethings are writing YA ficition.

~suki

Cause its fun!

I wrote my first YA this year. But I am more experienced with being a children's book author (middle grade [MG] 8 -12 - think the first 3 Harry Potter books). I answer your question extensively in relation to that age range in a guest blog post I did for agent Nathan Bransford. You can find it here: http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2009/01/guest-blogger-adrienne-kress-on-why-she.html

But I think the larger issue with your question is a total misunderstanding about the YA genre. First off YA is not MG (what I primarily write). There are absolutely no restrictions in today's YA. Sex, violence, swearing, drug use, all abound in YA. Nor does the writing need to be particularly dumbed down to any level. Think of the books you read as a teenager, I'm sure most of them were probably adult. Thus there is no need in a YA book meant for older teenagers to write any differently.

This comes to the next point. YA is a very new category. This is the first time where YA has been written for YAs. Most YA previous to that, think Judy Blume etc, was actually read by the tween set. Now YA is actually aimed at 15, 16, 17 yearolds, and dealing with subject matter that they find interesting.

Another issue is that with the existence of this category you might find that formerly "adult" books, were they to be published now, they would be categorised as YA. "The Catcher in the Rye" would be a prime example. Personally I am sick of categories, but the fact remains that if one writes a book about a teenager dealing with coming to terms with being a human being, you've written yourself a YA.

As to it being easier to write for kids in general. Bull crap. If your story doesn't captivate a kid right from the off, they have no need to prove themselves by slogging their way through your book. They'll put it right down. What's more, they'll tell you they think it sucks. Maybe the language in kids' books (and now I'm talking more my category, 8 - 12 yearolds - where there ARE restrictions with sex, violence, language and drugs) might come across as more straightforward because yes kids read at a lower level than SOME adults, but that does not mean it doesn't require a heck of a lot of skill to write such text in a compelling fashion. The most amazing prose I have read, in most instances, come from children's literature, with an author expressing a complex nuanced thought with beautiful simplicity.

Lastly, yup YA is a huge market. It's new, it's probably the market that accepts most experimentation (because you'll note the YA section of a bookstore is only that, no further subdivisions with genre - meaning fantasy and gritty reality sit side by side, friggin awesome if you ask me). It is also, along with Romance, one of the only genres out there right now where sales have not been negatively affected by the recession.

YA is a hugely broad category (and that is YA alone, I'm not including MG in there). With all kinds of books, all different reading levels, all levels of really everything. It's a genre where an author can just let their imagination soar. And really, I think the YA experience, even if you are 50 yearsold, is something we can all relate to. It's about finding your place in the world and understanding how people interact with each other.

icerose said:

Besides, who else is going to write books for our youth to read so they can eventually move on to more "sophisticated" forms of writing? We learn in steps.

So I ask you, why not? Why shouldn't our young adults have good books to read? Do you feel the same way about picture books and middle grade? Someone has to write them? Wouldn't you prefer capable writers handling them or sloppy 8-14 year olds (not knocking those age groups writing, but I highly doubt there's that many really good writers at that age) printing their scribbles?

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Funny thing is when I was a teen, I hardly read any YA books. I basically skipped the genre (can I call it that? ). Now that doesn't mean I didn't read books when I was a teen; I read loads. I loved reading non-fictional books on ancient Egypt, the Dune series, several of Isaac Asimov's novels and more. And I doubt I'm anything unique, I'm sure there's plenty of teens who go straight to adult novels rather than using YA as a stepping stone. Especially since YA books seem to target females more than males. Honestly, I 'd hate to be a teenage guy looking for something to read in the YA section.

There's a lot of stuff out there for boys too, check out Little Brother, for example, by Cory Doctorow. It's just that the really big stuff that sells, like in the adult world, is the Romance. That's just kind of how it is. Doesn't mean there isn't stuff out there for everybody (fingers crossed my YA sells, it's totally a boy book - well also a girl book for girls like me )

defcon6000 said:

Funny thing is when I was a teen, I hardly read any YA books. I basically skipped the genre (can I call it that? ). Now that doesn't mean I didn't read books when I was a teen; I read loads. I loved reading non-fictional books on ancient Egypt, the Dune series, several of Isaac Asimov's novels and more. And I doubt I'm anything unique, I'm sure there's plenty of teens who go straight to adult novels rather than using YA as a stepping stone. Especially since YA books seem to target females more than males. Honestly, I 'd hate to be a teenage guy looking for something to read in the YA section.

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YA for boys is just starting to really explode, but it does have a long history--think The Outsiders.

But I agree--so many YA novels are for girls. Right now, I think there's a split happening in YA between "light" books and "dark" books, and many of the darker books appeal more to male readers.


To the OP and others: 'm not going to bother responding to the allegations that teenagers aren't as capable readers as adults, because others have already said it better than I could (and much more calmly).

suki said:

the first YA book was published in 1974,

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???????????????

The term "Young Adult" as applied to a category of fiction, maybe. But fiction aimed specifically at young people has been around since the 1800s, at least: George Macdonald fantasies, Edgar Rice Burroughs adventures, L.M. Montgomery stories for girls, etc. etc. etc.

caw

"Go Ask Alice" was published in '71, I think, and it's usually marketed as YA.

defcon6000 said:

Funny thing is when I was a teen, I hardly read any YA books. I basically skipped the genre (can I call it that? ). Now that doesn't mean I didn't read books when I was a teen; I read loads. I loved reading non-fictional books on ancient Egypt, the Dune series, several of Isaac Asimov's novels and more. And I doubt I'm anything unique, I'm sure there's plenty of teens who go straight to adult novels rather than using YA as a stepping stone. Especially since YA books seem to target females more than males. Honestly, I 'd hate to be a teenage guy looking for something to read in the YA section.

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A lot of boys go straight from MG to adult, and some gravitate toward non-fiction - and I'm not sure of your age, and won't guess - but there is actually more and more being published in YA with the boys in mind, and marketed in ways to get past the societal submliminals to boys re books/fiction.

I actually find it ironic that we are still, all these years later, having this discussion about boys and books since the first YA book [editing for accuracy - my bad] one of the first really aclaimed YA books was definitely a "boy book" (and if you hear my distaste at using that phrase, good). The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.

And I'm not diving back into this chicken or egg discussion about boys and reading/books.

But there are many, many, many current YA titles marketed with boys in mind. They wouldn't be hard to find. As plentiful as the ones marketed to girls? probably not even close, but they're there and I think more and more "boys" are finding them - and finding themselves less inhibited with what they read.

~suki