Monday, November 8, 2010

Young Adult Books: Attracting Large Adult Audiences

Young adult (YA) books are rising on the bestseller's list, and many adults are gravitating to these books. Why are adults so drawn to these books that are written primarily for a younger audience?

At this point in my life, I read children's, juvenile, young adult, and adult literature. My children's reading levels are diverse enough to justify the entire spectrum of reading. I don't shy away from much when it comes to reading, and I think that the lines between these categories are often blurry. I enjoy books written for every level.

Often young adult books are cleaner, with less swearing, violence, and sex, which could be attractive to a number of adult audiences. However, this has been changing, with some YA books becoming quite graphic in both language and content. (Much to my surprise when I randomly picked up a young adult book a few months ago, intending to preview it for my advanced 11 year old reader. It didn't make the cut.) Most of the YA books that are selling to adults are on the cleaner side.

I think this could be part of the reason for the popularity of Young Adult books among adults. I also think it is partly for other reasons as well. Stay tuned for more of my thoughts on this topic.

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