Authors of young adult (YA) novels can take advantage of a growing market for their works and even get marketing help from schools and librarians, says best-selling writer Adrian Fogelin. Her award-winning, youth-oriented novels include Crossing Jordan, My Brother's Hero, Sorta Sisters, and others.
"YA is a growing genre," said Fogelin. "Sales of YA novels rose 20 percent between 1999 and 2005."
Young People Learn from Novels
"Young people don't have the wisdom to make wise decisions," said Fogelin. "They learn about ethics and fairness through books."
Writers, she added, can use their talents to help youngsters recognize dangers and learn to make better decisions through their formative years.
"Tell a story that fleshes out a problem that a young person might encounter," she said. "Danger stories and stories about unrealistic plans are popular with young readers."
An example she presented was of a young person choosing to spend a week hitchhiking with a friend without considering the possible consequences or dangers the youngster might encounter in such an undertaking.
YA Novels Require Certain Criteria
A successful YA novel must comply with certain criteria, said Fogelin.
"YA readers usually are two to three years younger than the novel's main character," she said. "When the story begins, choose a moment when the story's problem begins. Avoid using words that are in vogue for short periods of time, then disappear from young people's vocabularies. Keep the language clean, with no profanity and few slang terms, else your work may not be appropriate for inclusion on the Sunshine State reading list.."
YA Novels Selected for State Reading Lists
Books may be selected for the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association's recommended reading lists such as Florida's Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA), sponsored by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME).
"A long-term goal is to nurture lifelong readers who will continue to read for information and for personal pleasure," states the SSYRA on its website.
Fogelin's books have won several awards and are on reading lists of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and several other states. Another plus for authors, she said, is that novels for young readers have greater longevity than those written for adults.
"Books on the approved reading lists don't go out of print as quickly as adult novels," she said. "Some novels have been on the Sunshine State list for 25 years. Such longevity translates into repeated sales and author royalties."
Reading Lists Increase YA Novel Sales
"Getting your work placed on Florida's Sunshine State reading list means sales of 10,000 books," said Fogelin.
The reading lists feature books that teach kids something, such as a life lesson or how to deal with relationships or difficulties with family, friends, alcoholism, abuse, or other issues they may encounter in real life.
Fogelin was a workshop leader at the Florida Writers Association 9th annual conference held at the Orlando Marriott Hotel in Lake Mary, Florida October 22-24, 2010. The conference was attended by more than 420 published and unpublished writers in a variety of genres, according to FWA President Chrissy Jackson.
Fogelin is scheduled to speak at the Scribblers' Retreat Writers' Conference November 11-13, 2010 at the King and Prince Resort, St. Simon's Island, Georgia.
References:
Adrian Fogelin at Florida Writer's Association 9th annual conference
Adrian Fogelin website accessed October 25, 2010
American Library Association website accessed October 28, 2010
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