by Rachel Seigel --- In recent months, a new offshoot of Young Adult has been catching traction on the publishing scene. The term, "New Adult Fiction" or "Post Adolescent Literature", is a term that refers to Young Adult books that feature older teen characters, and appeal to the 18-25 year-old readers who are still figuring out what it means to be an adult.These titles, reverse adult crossover, in that they are Young Adult books that appeal to an older or adult audience, and it's protagonists have a greater insight into life than traditional YA. The term was first coined in 2009 by St. Martin's Press editor Dan Weiss, and his editorial assistant S. Jae-Jones (our very own JJ), who wanted to publish books that cater to that transitioning age group who are not quite "young adults" anymore, but who are not fully adults either. The protagonists in these books are emerging adults who have a broader life experience than younger teens, but not enough experience to be living full adult lives. As JJ states in a 2010 Writer's Digest article, “New Adult is about young adulthood, when you are an adult but have not established your life as one (career, family, what-have-you).” One recent YA novel which meets the "New Adult" criteria is Gayle Forman's
New Adult- Passing Trend or Legitimate Genre?
New Adult- Passing Trend or Legitimate Genre?
New Adult- Passing Trend or Legitimate Genre?
by Rachel Seigel --- In recent months, a new offshoot of Young Adult has been catching traction on the publishing scene. The term, "New Adult Fiction" or "Post Adolescent Literature", is a term that refers to Young Adult books that feature older teen characters, and appeal to the 18-25 year-old readers who are still figuring out what it means to be an adult.These titles, reverse adult crossover, in that they are Young Adult books that appeal to an older or adult audience, and it's protagonists have a greater insight into life than traditional YA. The term was first coined in 2009 by St. Martin's Press editor Dan Weiss, and his editorial assistant S. Jae-Jones (our very own JJ), who wanted to publish books that cater to that transitioning age group who are not quite "young adults" anymore, but who are not fully adults either. The protagonists in these books are emerging adults who have a broader life experience than younger teens, but not enough experience to be living full adult lives. As JJ states in a 2010 Writer's Digest article, “New Adult is about young adulthood, when you are an adult but have not established your life as one (career, family, what-have-you).” One recent YA novel which meets the "New Adult" criteria is Gayle Forman's