Meg Rosoff, an American-born author who lives in London, said, “There isn’t an adult who’s going to trot into the children’s section to look for adult literature.”
Um, yes there is! *raises hand* A lot of adults read Harry Potter, of course, and I think that opened the door in some ways. I love the YA section, and I feel it's a much better section now than when I was a teenager-- bookstores around me didn't have a YA section when I was 12!
That said, I like the idea of an "all ages" section. Why discriminate?
I do to, now. I didn't used to. But then I decided (about a year before Golden Compass was released in theaters) that I wanted to read this amazing series that so many of my college friends had raved about. And I couldn't find it anywhere in the adult section of B&N or Border's! I finally asked for help, and was pointed towards YA with the comment of "Are you looking for this as a gift?" Oy.
So now I peruse the YA section from time-to-time. I mean, why not? It's not a situation where I'm incapable of understanding adult novels. I just happen to like what I've found there and don't see any (valid) reason not to return.
Same here. I've been reading YA lit. since I was "too young" (single digits) and I always hit that section in the bookstore or library (now I'm 33). I've found a lot of YA lit. continues to speak to me a way adult lit. does not.
I know this author. she's been a YA author for years--in fact we published a YA mystery series from her like 6 years ago. Considering her attitude then toward the YA genere, and how damned determined she was to get into adult, I find this article verrry interesting.
That question also makes me wonder when the concept of teenager/adolescent came into being (rather than the child/adult dichotomy). I'm probably showing my ignorance here, but wouldn't marketing towards teens have a lot to do with this?
Having a hard time finding YA books was probably, partly, what led me to SF.
I'm a YA editor, and generally the notion of YA first cropped up in the 60s. The Outsiders is often quoted as the first real young adult novel, though there were a lot of novels published for teens before then, by children's publishing departments
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Um, yes there is! *raises hand*
A lot of adults read Harry Potter, of course, and I think that opened the door in some ways. I love the YA section, and I feel it's a much better section now than when I was a teenager-- bookstores around me didn't have a YA section when I was 12!
That said, I like the idea of an "all ages" section. Why discriminate?
Reply
Reply
So now I peruse the YA section from time-to-time. I mean, why not? It's not a situation where I'm incapable of understanding adult novels. I just happen to like what I've found there and don't see any (valid) reason not to return.
Reply
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I know this author. she's been a YA author for years--in fact we published a YA mystery series from her like 6 years ago. Considering her attitude then toward the YA genere, and how damned determined she was to get into adult, I find this article verrry interesting.
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Having a hard time finding YA books was probably, partly, what led me to SF.
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