MG, YA, or Adult Fiction

[Beach Bunny]

(I hope this makes sense.) No matter which genre one is writing in, the universal advice is to read the books that have been published in that genre. I have several different areas that I would like to write in. So, I go to the bookstore and browse around through the Middle Grade children's books, the Young Adult section, the Fantasy section, and a couple of others looking for books to read. And I noticed something rather interesting.

Philip Pullman's books (The Golden Compass, His Dark Materials, etc.) are shelved in the MG section, in the YA section and the Fantasy section.

Brian Jacques books (The Redwall series) are shelved in the MG, YA, and the Fantasy sections.

JK Rowling's Harry Potter series is ONLY in the MG section.

Tolkien's The Hobbit and LOTR were in both MG and Fantasy.

I don't remember all the authors, but there were quite a few fantasy authors whose books were also in the YA section. Since I am primarily interested in writing Fantasy those authors jumped out at me. I do wonder if the authors in other genres are also mixed up like this.

I'm feeling rather confuzzled about this. Anyone have any thoughts about this phenomena?

[ishtar'sgate]

I haven't the faintest idea how they decide where to shelve books. My historical is listed under 'historical', 'young adult' and 'literature'. I also found it under Canadian Chic Lit which it definitely is not.
Linnea

[Beach Bunny]

Yeah, makes it kind of difficult on this end when I'm trying to follow the advice to become current in the genre I want to write in. Maybe I should just read everything in the bookstore and cover all my bases. :rolleyes:

[TPCSWR]

Most place I know simply shelve where they think it will sell. Doesn't matter if it's aimed towards teens, if they think it will sell to teens, it'll be in YA (and probably also in the adult section).

[Fillanzea]

I think age boundaries aren't as rigid in fantasy as they may be in other genres. My peer group in high school was more likely to be reading adult fantasy than YA - Dragonlance and Robert Jordan and David Eddings, authors who are now being marketed at YAs.

Fantasy doesn't tend to involve the minute examination of emotion that characterizes some literary fiction, so I think younger teens may be emotionally ready for adult fantasy before they're ready for Alice Munro or John Updike. At the same time, I think there are adult readers who don't want to read books that are just about fitting in at school or falling in love for the first time, but will read YA fantasy for the Big Themes of good and evil and justice and etc.

There are also young teens who might gravitate towards MG books because they're weaker readers, but wouldn't be caught dead in the children's section. Or maybe they started on Redwall when they were younger, and want to stay with the series... but, again, wouldn't be caught dead in the children's section.

Pullman's Dark Materials series is YA, but sufficiently philosophical and complex that it has a big adult readership. Pullman has also written a good deal of MG - "I Was a Rat!", and I think the "Ruby in the Smoke" series.

Brian Jacques is solidly MG. I haven't heard of him having much readership among adults.

Harry Potter is solidly MG, but popular with everybody, and can indeed be found in the adult section of many bookstores - at my library we shelve it in YA and MG, and at the library before that books 1-5 were MG and 6-7 were YA.

I think of Tolkien's books as adult books, but I'm continually surprised by the number of geeks I know who were reading The Hobbit at 7 or 8.

[timewaster]

I think of Tolkien's books as adult books, but I'm continually surprised by the number of geeks I know who were reading The Hobbit at 7 or 8.[/quote]

I did. It was regarded as a children's book in the UK actually it still is regarded as a children's book. I disliked it enough not to read the Lord of the Rings until I was an adult.

[Nakhlasmoke]

...
Brian Jacques is solidly MG. I haven't heard of him having much readership among adults.

...

Interesting. i know a fair amount of adults who read the Redwall books. A large Christian following, oddly enough.

[Toothpaste]

There is a difference. But it is tricky. It all comes down to people desperate to categorise things. I just love the emails I get from adults who say things like, "Even though your book is for children, I still really enjoyed it." Well maybe that suggests the book was for you too.

A book is for whomever enjoys it, but we still need these annoying categories.

So how do you deal with it?

I guess you have to decide what kind of story you are telling. Maybe instead of writing MG, YA or Adult, write a book akin to His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings. Choose what sort of book interests you and then write like that.

However, there are distinct differences between genres:

MG: shorter than the others. Usually the protagonist is no older than 14. The themes of the work are more external, solving a crime, moving to a new place etc.

YA: for teenagers. The characters are usually 15 +, but you don't want to go too old, ie past 19 because things get tricky. It's really annoying because I still think there are many college based stories that read distinctly YA. In this the story focuses primarily on self discovery, on one's own sexuality, on one's own independence of thought.

Adult - emotions get more complex, messy. The character (and this is just great) can be any age. The topics and themes? Anything. I tend to look at adult as less straightforward. Also if the MC is an adult, well that really helps distinguish the category.

Of course, as you already know, these categories can overlap. In this thread alone people have called His Dark Materials both MG and YA. I would have called it MG for the journey the characters go on, but some might think it YA for the content and message.

In the end you have to choose what to write and whom you wish to write for. Just remember, as we talked about in that other thread, MG's can be dark, YA's can be light, and Adult books can feature children.

I will say that while as authors we need to understand our genre, there is only so much analysis we can do. In the end you also just have to feel it in your gut. In the end you also just have to start writing. Maybe you think you are writing MG at first but it changes. There is nothing wrong with that.

Keep reading. But start writing. Trust your instincts and your talent.

[Beach Bunny]

Thanks for all the responses.

As I sat here pondering them, the thought occurred to me that maybe in Fantasy fiction the lines are even blurrier then they are for other genres. When the main characters are adult non-humans (hobbits, mice, dwarves, faerie etc.) the age guidelines don't apply. But, when the main character(s) in the story are human, then the age guidelines do apply.

I find it rather astounding that Nancy Drew, The Saddle Club, the Redwall series, The Hobbit, et al. are shelved together. There is just no comparison in terms of plot, characters, themes, complexity of languange, etc between them.

Thanks all, I will think about what you have said as I continue building my worlds and planning my stories. :)

[Danthia]

Don't worry so much about where it'll be shelved, focus more on who your reader is. Use the shelf technique more as a general "what genre" am I? tactic. Some books have a wider appeal and the stores have accommodated that based on past sales. Many publishers have re-released popular series like Redwall in the YA section because YA has really taken off the last few years and they feel they can capture a new market.

It's more important that you understand what makes a book MG YA or adult so you can target yours properly. Harry Potter may appeal to readers 8-16, but if you said your book was for readers 8-16 an agent/editor would laugh at you. What an 8 year old wants to read (and what is approproate for that age) is different from a 16 year old. Trying to please both will likely create a mish-mash no one wants to read. Exceptions to that rule are exceptions for multiple reasons, none of which you can count on for your novel. It might appeal to a wide range of folks once it's out, but you can't plan on that from the start.

Write a great story that will appeal to whatever age you choose. Stay true to that age group, and if it has wider appeal, rejoice ;)