Very interesting. I love to read and I know a lot of other young adults that do too…I just think people don’t market certain books well enough and it’s all about the latest “fade” or “trend” like vampire books, which I love, but they aren’t the only things out there.

But very true, adults like YA too and they often DO have more money to spend on books. I just wish YA would be pushed more…though I guess it’s getting there for certain books.

-lauren

I read YA. A number of the adult urban fantasy authors I read produce equally good books with younger protagonists for the YA market. I think that regular YA readers are just as demanding as adult readers and the genre lends itself to an adult audience as a result.

I too find myself reading a good few YA books – there’s something seductively appealing about the perspective for me – the main character finding out about the world: confident but stupidly naive – or variations on that theme. we can all relate to that adolescent perspective I think. they’re generally optimistic no matter how personally troubled the characters are. they also often make for ideal – intelligent easy reads for reading on the bus. although i tend not to hang around the young adult section at the library as that would seem wrong. unless wearing a large badge that says: “it’s okay, I’m a teacher. i’m looking for a book for my class.”
most recent YA books read: hard love by ellen willinger & holes by louis sacher – high quality. clever but unpretentious

Like Paul Raven, I work in a library. Or rather, unlike Paul Raven, I still work in a library. And I have to disagree with him. My own observations are that, with few exceptions, adult readers don’t give a toss about YA. If it’s Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Graveyard Book) or China Mieville (Unlundun), or one of the few other writers with crossover appeal, then they’ll read the YA book. But by and large? They’re not so interested.

Sure, it’s not to say there isn’t some effect. But I would say the effect is *not* large enough to have a significant impact on YA sales. Which is to say, take these adults out and you’ll still see the rise in sales. It really is because more kids are reading – or, at least buying more books – simple as that.

I’ve always thought that the YA designation is somewhat artificial and condescending. As a teenager, I read so-called adult fiction, and as an adult, I sometimes read young adult fiction. Good literature should not have to be categorized.

I coordinate the YA stage at the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival and it is one of the most popular venues of the day. The audience is diverse, with all age groups represented. The teens I recruit to read the featured books and introduce the authors are enthusiastic and avid readers. YA librarian friends tell me they have long waiting lists for new YA fiction, mostly teens. My own teens read broadly and select from the children’s section, the adult section, and from YA. Sure, adults are reading YA, but the kids are reading it too. Does it really matter who’s reading it more?