"New adult"

android415 · Dec 21, 2011

What exactly is this genre?

I came across this name a few days ago, and I have become curious. Any details? Who writes this kind of stuff?

From what I understand, it's like....people who YA is a bit too young for, but "adult" novels are too old for.

Becca_H · Dec 21, 2011

Pretty much, yeah. Protagonists are usually college-aged and themes tend to reflect the life of a teen who's away from home for the first time, and the freedoms they have as a result.

I think it's only St Martins Press who market this at the moment. It's a fairly new genre.

Paper Princess · Dec 21, 2011

It's like an in-between genre. Not quiet an adult, but not a teenager. It's more like people in their late teens to their early twenties.

Cyia · Dec 21, 2011

It's NOT a genre. It's an experimental age-category being tried out by ONE publisher for marketing purposes.

ryannj5 · Dec 21, 2011

Entangled Publishing is a small but growing pub house that is taking new adult, by the looks of their website.

Irysangel · Dec 22, 2011

Cyia said:
It's NOT a genre. It's an experimental age-category being tried out by ONE publisher for marketing purposes.

This. Most agents will tell you that it's not a real category.

Amadan · Dec 22, 2011

android415 said:
From what I understand, it's like....people who YA is a bit too young for, but "adult" novels are too old for.

Kill this idea with atomic fire.

ashlynnb · Dec 22, 2011

Amadan said:
Kill this idea with atomic fire.

I agree. Marketability vs. quality literature that can span any age gap.

doubt · Dec 22, 2011

Pretty strong opposition here.
I like it, though. It's not that I want to separate new adult and adult because it's not appropriate to be together or because college kids don't want to read adult books. It's just a pretty easy way to find a narrower type of literature regarding protagonists and plot than checking through all of YA or Adult

Of course anyone can read it. Adults read Middle Grade and YA a lot.

gothicangel · Dec 22, 2011

Well, by the time I got to the target age for this category, I had already worked my way through Austen, Dickens, Thackery etc. Add some Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood in for good measure too.

doubt · Dec 22, 2011

So did many people targeted for YA.

Personally, I'd love to be targeted for fiction about college-aged people.

Sage · Dec 22, 2011

Unfortunately, college students do not read for fun enough for the market. That is why they are not included in YA (or adult) very often. As a teen, I would have loved a book about college students, but that is not the target market for NA, and for some reason it's not included in YA (summer before college is the usual cut-off).

gothicangel · Dec 22, 2011

doubt said:
So did many people targeted for YA.

Personally, I'd love to be targeted for fiction about college-aged people.

Honestly, when I was a teenager, I never read a single YA title. That was back in the 90's [Point Horror, Sweet Valley High etc.] Wasn't interested. More interested in the books that where in the adult section of the library that I wasn't allowed to borrow on a child ticket.

So I just 'borrowed' my Mam's tickets, and began devouring things like Cadfael, Sherlock Holmes and Richard Laymon.

gothicangel · Dec 22, 2011

Sage said:
Unfortunately, college students do not read for fun enough for the market.

For me, I think I was trying to push myself. I wanted to read what the adults were reading. Honestly, how many teenage girl's first taste of adult fiction is at about 13 reading Jilly Cooper or Joanne Trollope?

My first was a historical called The Mistletoe and The Sword by Anya Seton at about 9, given by my Mam after I read Rosemary Sutcliff's Song For A Dark Queen.*

*Which is also an interesting point. Back in the 50's her books were deemed children's/young adult. But now because of the age of MC's [Marcus of The Eagle of the Ninth was 22] would be deemed at adult.

doubt · Dec 22, 2011

As a kid (pre-teen) I read teen and children's books, plus an occasional classic like Jane Austen. When I got to high school, I lost interest in reading any original fiction (meaning, I read Harry Potter fanfic -.-). It's not that I thought books were uncool. For some reason, I would just pick up books all the time and not feel at all compelled to read on.

Now I'm 22 and I read across genres and ages. It started at around age 20. So I can't say I really know what a high schooler wants to read.

ether · Dec 22, 2011

I feel 'new adult' is just narrowing down the YA category a bit more. Publishers probably won't get behind it anytime soon simply because book stores have a teen section, and an adult section. There isn't a spot for a new adult section.

My book classifies as new adult, or upper YA. College-aged protagonists. I'd love to see more books out there in that category, too.

TCnKC · Dec 22, 2011

You likely won't see "New Adult" become a recognized or major "category" until there's a major hit. Once/If that happens people/agents, etc will latch onto it.

alessahinlo · Dec 22, 2011

Cyia said:
It's NOT a genre. It's an experimental age-category being tried out by ONE publisher for marketing purposes.

Yes, exactly. And even then, I don't know how well that marketing is working. The one new adult novel I know of that SMP published was shelved in the general fiction section.

The Lonely One · Dec 22, 2011

Oh for Christ's...

Just call it YA or adult based on themes and content, not the age of the damn protagonist. There aren't a set of themes that are too mature or not mature enough for people in their 20s.

Bootz · Dec 23, 2011

I like the idea. I figure that NA will be shelved similar to how MG books are shelved. A place will be made for them, when there are enough of them.

I do think college aged people read. And I think younger and older people will read them too.

Smish · Dec 23, 2011

Bootz said:
I like the idea. I figure that NA will be shelved similar to how MG books are shelved. A place will be made for them, when there are enough of them.

I do think college aged people read. And I think younger and older people will read them too.

I don't understand your MG comparison. MG is a HUGE category, with a general target audience of kids aged 8-12 - often called "the sweet spot". It's the age where a lot of people develop the love of reading.

:e2shrug:

Bootz · Dec 23, 2011

MG wasn't around when I was a kid. When they started coming out, stores and libraries experimented with shelving them in different areas. I don't think I have ever seen an MG section that is anything like the YA section of a bookstore or the room at my local library. It's usually just a MG subdivision in the children's section/room or just combined with general children's books. At my library the folktales section is bigger than the MG section.

Jehhillenberg · Dec 23, 2011

TCnKC said:
You likely won't see "New Adult" become a recognized or major "category" until there's a major hit. Once/If that happens people/agents, etc will latch onto it.

This topic has been nearly beat to death in the YA thread.

"New adult"

android415

Becca_H

Where am I again?

Paper Princess

I'm a newbie, bee nice to me :P

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

ryannj5

Irysangel

She of Many Names

Amadan

ashlynnb

In transit.

doubt

gothicangel

Toughen up.

doubt

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

gothicangel

Toughen up.

gothicangel

Toughen up.

doubt

ether

TCnKC

alessahinlo

The Lonely One

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Bootz

Smish

Reads more than she writes.

Bootz

Jehhillenberg

N/A