What do you see in the YA Fiction section?

[Lucy]

This has been bugging me for a while, and I need to talk about it with people who visit bookstores as often as I do.

A few weeks ago, I went to my friendly neighborhood Borders to spend a gift card I had received for Christmas. 

"Tra la la la la, I know what books I want. Oh but let me just look over here--Ooh, I've been wanting that for a while..." You get the idea.

I walked over to the YA Fiction section, and what do I see? Floor to ceiling Twilight. Books, calendars, board games, you name it, it was there. Believe it or not, I'm used to seeing this. That wall has been there since Breaking Dawn came out, and I've learned to ignore it. What I've started to notice though, is that every shelf is starting to become dominated by shallow, nonsensical, and often supernatural teen romance novels.

Am I the only one who sees the problem here?

Lately, finding a good, solid YA novel has become nearly impossible. I'm not saying they don't exist, but half the time you have to root around on the very bottom or on the very-high-up-over-your-head shelves before you find anything worthwhile.

Now, this isn't meant to be a question or discussion of what these books are about, why they exist or why they annoy me so much. I don't mind if it takes that turn though...

This is about what's being promoted. Think about it. Because of the-vampire-novel-that-must-not-be-named, the same vein (pardon the pun) of teen fiction is being shoved right onto the eye-level shelves.

 

Do you think this is reducing the amount of quality literature that could be offered to readers?

Is this consistent theme ok because it might promote healthy reading habits? (I doubt it.)

What about the values presented to the young girls who read these novels? I say girls because they are obviously the target audience.

Isn't it weird how YA fiction trends change based on one popular series?

Am I over thinking this?

Discuss.

 

EDIT: I'm not saying that I think ALL teen paranormal fiction is terrible. There are actually more than a few that I like. I'm saying that it seems like you have to sift through a lot of junk before you find something worthwhile. Though I suppose that's the case in any genre...

[Paulsifer]

As a person who plans on trying to break into this great industry, I've learned a few things. 

1. Houses are interested in profits, not in "good literature," or promoting "ethics."

2.  The best way for a house to be profitable is to get one author really popular, and then publish books that ride on that author's fame.

I don't agree with the industry on the ethical standpoint, but I understand that they are a business and need to turn a profit.

As for the hurt that this may do on young girls, it is no more hurt than television, movies, and other books have been doing for the last twenty years.

[Lucy]

I was trying to make that point, but you say it much better than I could.

[Paulsifer]

Or I just really suck at reading comprehension... just sayin'.

[Kenny]

What do you see in the YA Fiction section?

 

An immense amount of annoying, idiotic, pointless nonsense written by middle age men and women who fallaciously think that they're still in touch with their "inner child" enough to write realistically from the point of view of an angsty teenager.

 

As far as Twilight goes, as much as I hate the series, I'm optimistic about it's effect the same way I am about Harry Potter's.  Eventually, these people are going to grow up, realize how ridiculous that series was, but still want to experience something similar, and go to the bookstore and pick up some legitimate fantasy.

[Clover]

Yes, there are a lot of paranormal romances in the YA section at the moment, but who really cares?  It's a phase and YA goes through a lot of phases.  It'll soon be taken over by something else, just like paranormals took over whatever was hot before it. It's already mutating and we're seeing less standard Twilight-esque vampires/werewolves into YA authors that are changing how we see paranormal romances by doing different things with it, different supernatural beings and so on. 

 

I don't see how paranormals are reducing the amount of quality literature at all.  Unless you're being snobby about books and think of only high-brow literature as the only books worthwhile of reading.  There are a lot of paranormals in the YA section at the moment, because it's what's selling.  People are still reading it.  Why complain when people ARE reading? Especially in this economy where bookstores are under threat of closing. 

 

I don't quite get what you mean about promoting healthy reading habits? You don't think that readers who read and love Twilight will read anything else?  Again, if they're reading only paranormals and are enjoying it, why wouldn't they continue reading within the genre? I don't think there's anything wrong with it. 

 

The values question always makes me a little uncomfortable. I think that books either confirm one's own already held beliefs or it doesn't.  I think you give too much credit to books for swaying the values of readers.

[Abreo]

Last year at my high school all the teenage girls who read twilight always talked about how that was the only book series they ever read because they hate books or something. In my experience most twilight fangirls only read twilight.

[Clover]

I think from a different perspective, you'll see things differently.  I worked in a bookstore when Twilight was first published and lots of readers came in looking for recommendations for what to read next. Same as they did when Harry Potter hit the shelves and they wanted more children's fantasy.  When The Hunger Games was published I had people asking for more books featuring kick-ass heroines.

 

I now write a book blog and read hundreds of other books blogs, a lot of them by teenage girls, all of them who've read Twilight and want more.  So I see many teenage girls who have expanded their interest in books because of Twilight.  I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm sure there's girls all over the world who limit the books they read, but I'd argue that they are just a small percentage of readers.

[Abreo]

Really? I don't know anything about the Hunger Games so I don't know how well written that is but I really just assumed that only 10% of non readers would continue reading after Twilight. Oh well, like I said it was just from my experience, I guess it's good to know they keep reading.

[Lucy]

It's not the paranormal aspect that's reducing it. It's the fact that authors are using paranormal activity to pump up what would otherwise be a pretty shoddy story.

Most of the time, I see a plot that goes something like this: Girl is new in town/school/teenage hot spot/summer camp /whatever. Enter mysterious/sexy/misunderstood/brooding boy whom no one can figure out. Girl meets boy. Drama. Passion. Betrayal. Drama. Reconciliation. Oh right, and one of them is a vampire/werewolf/ghost/wizard/alien/time traveler/zombie.

I know it's what is selling, but I don't find it any less disappointing.

I don't mean that they won't read anything else, but that they might only read what's in that very specific genre. They might think that teenage romance is the only thing that's good and never realize how many other great books they're missing out on.

Hmmm, maybe I assume that most people are influenced by what they read as I am.

 

[Clover]

So paranormal YA uses a formula? It isn't the only type of literature that does. Crime fiction, science fiction. Even Shakespeare used a formula. I would argue that it's what you do with your formula and how you make it different with characterisation, atmosphere, and suspense that makes you a good writer.  Charles Dickens wrote using a formula, as did Jane Austen.

 

I think if you don't want to read YA paranormals than don't.  Personally, I don't find it hard it all to walk into a bookstore and find good literature to read. Read a fantastic YA book just yesterday that made me weep, wasn't a single romantic aspect to it.  Having said that, I still think that there are fantastic paranormals out there.  Lots of bad ones too, but that's the same for nearly all books. 

 

I think if you want other people to read fantastic books that are NOT YA paranormals, than do something about it. Start a book blog, write reviews of your favourite books on Amazon, goodreads, Barnes and Noble's website or where ever.  Tell your friends, go on Twitter. 

[Abreo]

Do you think this is reducing the amount of quality literature that could be offered to readers?

 

No if it wasn't twilight it would be something else thats completely stupid. YA is mostly read by teenage girls, and teenage girls stereotypically speaking live for romance. I've also noticed that girls really don't care about form, which would explain why they still love twilight even if it's so poorly written.

 

Is this consistent theme ok because it might promote healthy reading habits? (I doubt it.)

 

Judging from my experience I don't think it will. Even if girls continue reading, if they stick to YA romance novels I hardly consider that healthy. 

 

 

What about the values presented to the young girls who read these novels? I say girls because they are obviously the target audience.

 

To value romance, everything marketed to girls has to do with love, even if it's just looking good so boys will notice you. 

 

Isn't it weird how YA fiction trends change based on one popular series?

 

Nope, YA fiction is dominantly read by girls, specifically teenage girls, and teenage girls tend to do whatever is popular.

 

Personally, I don't mean to bash a whole group of books because they're not all horrible, but YA novels have always seemed lacking to me in just about every way. Most adult novels suck too but there are more great and interesting novels for adults then there are for teenagers. Just my opinion, switch to adult literature if you want something intelligent 

[Clover]

What about Paper Towns? The Book Thief by Markus Zusack? I'd say they're quite literary, in fact. I think you've read the wrong YA books if you're judging them ALL as horrible. 

 

I'd say that YA isn't a genre at all but a perspective. And it's very similar to adult books in that there are many different genres included and levels of awesome/terrible.  Maybe what you meant to say was that you thought YA paranormals are horrible?  I don't agree.  But then I don't agree with a lot of your statements: that YA is only read by teenage girls, that to read YA is to value romance.

 

I think that there are incredible authors writing for YA at the moment. John Green, Meg Rosoff, Courtney Summers, Melina Marchetta, Justina Chen Headley, Markus Zusack, Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson and so many more that I can't think of just now.