Is “New Adult” a thing?
By Morgan on January 3rd, 2013
If you’re tuned in to the kid lit world on social media, there’s one topic that’s reached a bit of a fever pitch: New Adult literature. As in, does it exist? Is it a thing? Should it be?
These days, everyone knows the term “Young Adult” (thanks, of course, to series like The Hunger Games and Twilight, which both saw a tremendous adult crossover). But what comes after YA? If YA is about teenage characters facing primarily coming-of-age issues, and regular adult fiction usually features adult characters with families and careers, where are the books with characters in their late teens and early twenties? Should they be called something new…and should they be shelved in their own section in bookstores?
There are some excellent analyses about the world of New Adult lit out there. Here are some must-reads if you’re interested in the topic:
- What is New Adult? (School Library Journal)
- Would You Read Novels Aimed at New Adults? (The Guardian)
- New Adult Fiction Readership Explodes on Goodreads (MediaBistro)
What do you think, readers? Do you like the term?
Posted: January 3rd, 2013 under Books. Tags: books, in the news, reading.
1 comment
Comments
I personally don’t think that New Adult is going to be a separate genre outside of the YA genre because it’s more of a social genre. What I mean by that is that, yes, some YA books will crossover to adults but there shouldn’t be a specific section in the bookstore for it. It could provide an opportunity for authors to promote their works to a different audience but is it really necessary if adults AND teens are already reading their books? If it does become its own specific genre however there should be a distinguishable factor as to why it’s different from YA (older characters, etc.). Otherwise there will basically be two shelves of YA with different names but the content may be exactly the same. Also, I don’t really like the name of “New Adult” it just doesn’t have that certain ring to it and will never catch on for me personally.
Comment on January 3, 2013 at 4:29 pm
