tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post1119783853563277824..comments2024-02-19T20:15:42.673-08:00Comments on Buried by Books: Romance and Mystery Reviews: Jumping on the YA BandwagonBuriedbybooks http://www.blogger.com/profile/13945897945845383252noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-26564648879419552002011-04-26T09:28:15.835-07:002011-04-26T09:28:15.835-07:00@Hannah,
I think it has a lot to do with the earn...@Hannah,<br /><br />I think it has a lot to do with the earning potential. And I'm a little confused by how many authors have taken offense at being labeled a "Bandwagoner." <br /><br />Call me cynical, but there's no way 100% of the new-to-YA authors decided independently to write a YA just because they thought they had a story to tell that was meant for Young Adults.<br /><br />@SusiSunshine,<br /><br />I don't read YA either. I've read Harry Potter, but not Twilight. I plan to try some of the recommended books out there, but I'm not understanding the mad love so many *adults* have for YA. <br /><br />I am also not sure why books have to be limited to such age specific labels.Buriedbybooks https://www.blogger.com/profile/13945897945845383252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-73541836968485852772011-04-26T06:34:13.244-07:002011-04-26T06:34:13.244-07:00Sometimes I feel like the last reader who won'...Sometimes I feel like the last reader who won't read YA. I know I probably miss tons of good books but I love my romance- mostly my contemps and I don't want to lose them. And yes it makes me sad when author leave the love of my leave to write something I just don't like that much. So I stay put and buy what I can.SusiSunshinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10369771671719640675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-81217343845090861482011-04-25T11:27:00.368-07:002011-04-25T11:27:00.368-07:00I read and enjoy YA novels, but I'm dismayed t...I read and enjoy YA novels, but I'm dismayed to hear about so many authors of historicals jumping ship. <br />It seems like many popular YA novels are being optioned for film--for instance Firelight by Sophie Jordan who you mentioned. Maybe that's part of the appeal (and money-making potential) of writing YA paranormals.Hannahhttp://fancifulreader.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-33220364008048266902011-04-22T21:10:51.592-07:002011-04-22T21:10:51.592-07:00Wow, had no idea historical romance writers were j...Wow, had no idea historical romance writers were jumping ship. Interesting. I do read YA novels, btw. I find the YA label insignificant, however. Stories are complex and interesting enough for adults to read. The POV is usually given from the teen POV. As an aside, I had one YA author tell me that publishers are resistant toward protagonists being in their early 20's..thought that was interesting, too. ---KeishonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-56910258034660522002011-04-22T19:00:18.355-07:002011-04-22T19:00:18.355-07:00Maybe it's partly just a desire to try a new g...Maybe it's partly just a desire to try a new genre, challenge themselves with something different. Maybe it's a little weariness with their own genre and the need for a little change of pace. Maybe they feel like writing something that doesn't require as much research as historical romance does (or should.) <br /><br />Is it the money or just a wish to have the huge number of readers that other genres have? Historical is a demanding genre in which to write. It's tough to feel that most readers are more interested in contemporary romances or urban fantasy or paranormals. You can sometimes get the lonely sense you're writing in a genre whose time has passed, so to speak. :D <br /><br />There's a definite appeal in trying out a new genre, to see how you'd stand against the authors who are currently making that genre boom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-91394342795332110752011-04-22T18:53:38.134-07:002011-04-22T18:53:38.134-07:00I know a lot of people have been ticked off by Jen...I know a lot of people have been ticked off by Jennifer Egan's comments on women writers and bold originality, but they really got me thinking about this whole phenomenon you're talking about. <br /><br />As with most things, I'm highly ambivalent about this, as well. I don't think writers necessarily want, need, nor can do the same thing from book to book, and I can totally see wanting the variety of writing in the artificial categories we call voice or genre (I'm always confused about whether YA is a genre or just a voice, since we tend to talk about it both ways, I think). At the same time, though, I wonder how much of the shift is due to a desire to keep up with the *perceived* market and how much is true desire to write differently. And I also wonder what impact, if any, this shifting around has on the overall character of an author's books, especially if she's writing a lot of books in a lot of different genres/voices at once.Robinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-71036212184302588922011-04-22T13:24:51.090-07:002011-04-22T13:24:51.090-07:00@Kb,
I get the reasoning. But it still irks me. A...@Kb,<br /><br />I get the reasoning. But it still irks me. And yes, it seems like historical authors are primarily the ones abandoning ship. <br /><br />I guess another question would be why are the historical authors feeling compelled to leave? The $ or something else?Buriedbybooks https://www.blogger.com/profile/13945897945845383252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-70631042992594727302011-04-22T12:35:36.402-07:002011-04-22T12:35:36.402-07:00Authors are going to follow the trail where the mo...Authors are going to follow the trail where the money is.<br /><br />I noticed more historical authors leaving the genre. Look at Lisa Kleypas, Julie Garwood, Iris Johansen all left historicals behind.<br /><br />YA is the hot genre and when you hear about authors making 6-7 figures, I guess it makes sense to jump on the bandwagon.KT Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15958121742156171756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-78689302804045639502011-04-22T11:35:15.823-07:002011-04-22T11:35:15.823-07:00I am amused by what has now been labelled as YA no...I am amused by what has now been labelled as YA now. I never read Sweet Valley High and books like that, I was reading mostly adult fiction in elementary school as well.Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07542837171000604181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-53506576643346168572011-04-22T10:09:32.883-07:002011-04-22T10:09:32.883-07:00@Dympha,
I think it's glutted, too, but what ...@Dympha,<br /><br />I think it's glutted, too, but what do I know? And by the time I was a YA, I was reading adult fiction. Piers Anthony, those Dragonlance novels, Gone with the Wind... The stuff that passes for YA now, I read as an elementary school student.Buriedbybooks https://www.blogger.com/profile/13945897945845383252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-13823325499363541192011-04-22T10:07:47.564-07:002011-04-22T10:07:47.564-07:00@Wendy,
I was never much of a library user growin...@Wendy,<br /><br />I was never much of a library user growing up. It wasn't near my house, and my mom was bad about taking me. But I did buy a lot of used books. <br /><br />I think most of YA is aimed at schools and libraries. The genre is nearly 100% hardcover or trade paper. <br /><br />As an adult, I've yet to read a YA book beyond the Harry Potter series. Teenage protags just aren't that interesting to me. And honestly, outside of our online community, I'm not seeing a lot of adults read YA unless they want to see what their children are reading.Buriedbybooks https://www.blogger.com/profile/13945897945845383252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-17541849131391827702011-04-22T09:53:53.826-07:002011-04-22T09:53:53.826-07:00I think that at this point the YA market is glutte...I think that at this point the YA market is glutted. When I was a teenager I did not read much YA but read mostly sci fi, fantasy, and historical romance. Looking about campus, I see most students have similar reading habits. I buy and read quite a bit of YA now, but am *very* fussy about it and tend to avoid bandwagon stuff/novels. Most of the time I feel that the YA label is erroneous, superfluous, and sort of condescending, but that is a different debate all together. <br /><br />For some authors, perhaps it is getting their foot in the door? Didn't Jim Butcher start with his UF series, but really dreamed of publishing a high fantasy series?<br /><br />While I think it is normal to experiment writing other genres or even get tired of one, you need to take into consideration how many people have had the brilliant idea to write a dystopian YA or a vampire romance novel. *rolls eyes*Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07542837171000604181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4951562957483519143.post-27011029772427407282011-04-22T09:22:36.198-07:002011-04-22T09:22:36.198-07:00Oh man, yes. I'm a western lover after all. ...Oh man, yes. I'm a western lover after all. Lorraine Heath, Nicole Jordan, Susan Kay Law, Pamela Morsi, Maggie Osborne (altho she retired) etc. etc. etc. <br /><br />This exodus to YA has been generally curious though. I get that the market is growing, interesting and diverse - but is the market really THAT big? Especially since teens have so much competing for their entertainment dollars. I know teens have disposable income, but really - do they have THAT much? Have things changed that much since I was a teen? I read a lot - but I didn't buy books. I was 100% a library user. Period. Are there enough adult reading & buying YA to equate good sales numbers? I'm geniunely curious! Guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.com