Week 7: Not Just For Teens

Articles

YALSA's article The Next Big Thing: Adults Reading Teen Literature and Publishers Weekly's YA Comes of Age provide useful insights into why adults are increasingly drawn to YA fiction. A lot of it seems to have to do with marketing and movie/TV tie ins. These things draw adult readers in, and once they realize that there is a lot of high quality writing and storytelling in YA, they continue to seek it out.

Blogs

I've been following Forever Young Adult and John Green for about a week or so and am enjoying them both more than I had expected.

FYA is a self-described "non-stop internet slumber party" for "YA readers who are a little less 'Y' and a little more 'A'."As someone who falls into that general category, I've been having a lot of fun with this site. They write about and review YA books, teen-centered TV and movies, and interview authors. The tone is a nice mix between snark and girlish-naivete, and so it will appeal to many nostalgic young women.

It took me a little while to figure out what John Green, a very popular YA author, was trying to do with this website. At first it just seemed like a bunch of random videos of him and his brother ranting. Okay, so that's exactly what it is, but that seems to be the point. He and his brother have a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas, and there are people out there in the world who want to hear them, so they've created a little internet community where they can all talk about these ideas. Why not?

Publisher Sites

I spent some time on Harper Teen (and their blog Epic Reads) and Little, Brown Books for Teens. Along with the usual teen romance, distopia, and fantasy, I noticed a number of YA books with historical elements.

Week Six: Building Base Knowledge (Genres)

I've been following Urban Reviews in an attempt to learn more about the urban fiction genre. Unfortunately, this site does not seem to have been updated since December 2012, so I haven't learned about any new titles. Through reading reviews and author interviews, though, I have been introduced to a number of urban fiction authors I wasn't previously familiar with, and I've learned more about some of the authors I did already know about.

Subgenres

Christian Urban Fiction, Urban/Contemporary Fantasy and Military Romance are three subgenres that I know very little about. I used Google to find fan sites that would teach me more about these subgenres.

Written Voices Blog: AA Literature the Edifies the Soul is a site for readers and writers of Christian Urban Fiction. The women writing for this site are very interested in exploring their connection to God, and they enjoy reading and promoting authors who write about spiritual journeys in the African American community. Three examples of this subgenre are:

 

All Things Urban Fantasy: Where Para is Normal is a site for readers of Urban Fantasy. In addition to book reviews, this site pays a lot of attention to cover art. They review new covers and host the Paranormal Cover Art Awards. They appear to be very interested in YA titles, as well as adult. Three examples of this subgenre are:

 

For the Love of Military Romance is a blog written by a group of Military Romance authors. These women are very interested in all aspects of the military, from the gear to the heroism to the sculpted physiques. Three examples of this subgenre are:

 

 

Crossovers

Christine Feehan's Mind Game could appeal to readers of both paranormal romance and military romance. This novel features a military hero with psychic and telekinetic abilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Queen's Rival by Diane Haeger might appeal to reader of both historical fiction and historical romance. This novel tells of the life and loves of Henry VIII's mistress Bessie Blount.