In my conversation with a local reporter this week, the question arose of why YA and Children’s Books are among the fastest growing genres in the publishing world. (Besides getting interviewed this week, the date for my author visit to Greywolf’s AIM High, Reach for the Stars was set: May 5th. Can’t wait!)
Personally, I like the room for optimism and large doses of imagination that exist in children’s and young adult literature.
Here’s a little nuts and bolts info:
“Young adult literature is a booming business and has been one of the fastest growing book categories for publishers in recent years with more than 715 million books sold in 2013.
“Teen book titles like “Harry Potter,” “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight” have sold millions of copies of books, spawned merchandise empires, been adapted into blockbuster films, and permeated our pop-culture lives.
“A 2014 report showed that 77 percent of young adult literature buyers were actually adults, with the largest segment of buyers — 43 percent, ages 18 to 29.”—Tracy Wholf, PBS News
Lois Lowry, author of “The Giver,” had this to say:
“A lot of very fine writers are entering that [young adult] field. In the old days, they might’ve looked down their nose and felt that only adult work mattered. But that’s no longer true.
“You have to tell a good story. And you have to create characters that a young-adult audience will care about and will follow along, turning pages, turning pages.”
Bottom line? The creators of these children’s and young adult tales have captured the minds and hearts of their readers. In other words, they have crafted some amazing stories. And the leaders of the pack have opened space for similar creations. J.K. Rowling opened up the children’s fantasy adventure genre for many authors like myself.
As a result, when you finish “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” there are other similar humorous confessional works for middle-grade readers available. When you finish “Twilight,” there are other books with vampire and werewolf characters. If you need help finding a read-alike, be sure to ask your local library!
Here’s to having many fine stories available to fill our reading appetites!
Go here to read the whole news report.
Click here to access this week’s audio excerpt is Chapter 17, “High Tide” In which The Lifers launch their rescue effort, Captain Li’l Jack reluctantly remembers his vulnerable self, and Piper prepares to die.