‘Real’ fiction: Cecily V., David L., Lauren M., Meg C.
This New York Observer story referenced my little site here, and so of course I ended up reading it.
It’s interesting, I must say.
My first reaction was, “There are monthly drinks parties??? Where is my invitation?”
My second reaction was a huge eye-roll at the idea of “real” books versus YA. You know how I feel about this. I have a manifesto.
I will tell you this: In my experience, YA authors prefer writing YA to writing adult fiction. They prefer it because their YA readers are just … cooler. And because they get to be more experimental. The young adult audience isn’t so detached, so, “Well, from a literary stance I would say that …” (Imagine that last quote in a snooty voice, coming from someone holding a martini and trying to sound smart at a book club meeting.)
I once got to interview Meg Cabot, who OMG linked me today, but alas, the interview was never published and my notes were lost in corporate hell. But I can tell you this: I distinctly remember her saying that she prefers writing YA specifically because her audiences are so much more fun. They’re more enthusiastic, more willing to tell you exactly what they think, and more free with the death threats. (Get Mia and Michael back together now, or suffer my wrath! Or, in Libba Bray’s case, you did what to Kartik?)
It’s true, many of the YA authors with whom I’ve corresponded have other jobs, other sources of income, but it’s also true that YA is prospering while other parts of the publishing industry seem to be going “whoosh” in a bad way.
Okay. First things first: Cecily von Ziegesar is a publishing phenomenon for a lot of reasons. We don’t need to get into them all, but she is. The fact that she was offered seven figures for a book? Probably not so much because it was a book for grownups.
Second, I LOVE these quotes from David Levithan and Lauren Mechling:
David: I think the envy factor and the black sheep factor are low right now because what we’re doing is so successful and we have such a thriving community. The bottom line, honestly, is that our books are being read by adults, and people we bump into at parties are reading our books, so I don’t think there’s as much a feeling that we’re in a ghetto.
Lauren: If someone is good at writing YA, I don’t think it’s a necessary next step to take the training wheels off and go write a ‘real’ novel. They’re two different sports.