Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Rebranding for Teens

Via Bookninja, check out this article by Andre Mayer on Canadian publishers marketing adult fiction for the hot YA market.

The trend, at least in Canada, began with Lori Lansen's The Girls. After Lansen met a young fan, she suggested to her publisher (Knopf) that they market the book to teens. Mayer writes,
  • "There’s no fail-safe formula for winning over teens, but The Curious Incident, Life of Pi and, to a certain extent, The Girls provide hints as to what it is in adult fiction that engages young readers. All three narratives feature youthful protagonists, are told in the first person and exhibit a healthy scepticism about grown-up behaviour."

I wonder, in the end, if there is even a line between Young Adult and "adult" fiction? I find certain books appeal to younger readers, teens and young adults, than others. Dickens and Dostoevsky's novels, for example, are more appealing to younger readers, than say novels by Tolstoy or James. Interesting article.