The big buzz at London Book Fair was the emerging market for New Adult fiction. New Adult is a term coined by St. Martin’s Press in 2009, and later adopted by readers on the social review site Goodreads as a means of categorising fiction for books that appeal to an audience a little older than the coming of age high school tales. But with the 50 Shades hype last summer the genre momentum has really picked up some steam…if you’ll pardon the pun. And publishers are paying attention.

On Tuesday, LBF featured New Adult & Steamies: Reinventing Teen Fiction panel and on Wednesday booktrust presented New and Opening Markets: Young Adult, Teen, New Adult and Crossover. The titles would suggest that New Adult is purely a marketing term, a reinvention of an existing genre to give it more spice. Publishing expert Brenda Gardner from Piccadilly Press suggests that New Adult is a marketing ploy in terms of packaging, see the numerous front covers that look like watered down mimicry of the monochrome E.L. James covers, but the content itself is hitting a fresh nerve by simply fulfilling a demand from readers for more mature narratives. Simon & Schuster representative Ingrid Selberg said that self-publishers are enticing to publishers, with established fan base readerships and PR skills, developing buzz & connections that are good for ebooks sales.

The authors on the panel, Alabama born Abbi Glines from Hot Key Books and Liz Bankes from Piccadilly Press, are published examples of the trend. Abbi read an extract of her Western New Adult romance While It Lasts to a rapt audience and Liz read from her first novel Irresistible. Both have had huge support from online fan bases, Glines building a steady base of self-promotion on her twitter feed and websites, teasing her readers with extracts from The Vincent Boys and hints about future books in the series. Her self-published New Adult novel, Never Too Far sold 30,000 ebook copies in the US in the first three days, whilst Simon & Schuster sold 10,000 ebook copies in the first three days of publication in the UK.

New Adult is not, they insist, erotica. It is the middle ground between young adult and romance.

New Adult, according to Glines, is the second coming of age. Modern day Judy Blume Forever tales exploring the time of life after first school crushes and relationships, where young protagonists are actively engaging in sexual relationships and figuring out love on the cusp of adulthood. It is a world, according to her, where anything is possible and the future awaits. Tanya Byrne, author of Follow Me Down and Heart Shaped Bruise, laughingly admitted to not initially knowing what the genre referred to, assuming that New Adult would mean paying bills, doing laundry and figuring out flat shares for first year university students. The panellists agreed that they didn’t set out to write ‘New Adult’ books. 

Glines noted that at her signings she has seen readers from anywhere between 16 and 60, suggesting that New Adult appeals not only to those readers who are heading into the adult world, but also those who enjoy reminiscing.

On Wednesday Byrne wondered if categories such as Middle Grade, Young Adult and New Adult were in fact the concern of parents and reactionary media, not readers. She cites self-publishing as a response against the gatekeepers of traditional publishing expectations contained as they are by the market age banding from booksellers and parents. She also expressed concern with the trend in books such as Twilight where sex is unequivocally linked with bad consequences for the protagonist. 'Get pregnant and die' or be shamed, or contract a disease, or simply feel guilt. It is common for scenes of violence to make their way into young adult books and even younger, yet sex remains a taboo. New Adult gives readers the opportunity to reclaim sex as a topic that is talked about responsibly and without blushes. 

Liz Bankes explained that the content in these books aren’t a new phenomenon, and in fact the publishing industry is slow to catch up with a genre that is well established in television for teen audiences, with shows from the U.S. such as Dawson’s Creek, The O.C., 90210, and in England, Skins, Hollyoaks and Made in Chelsea. Liz and Tanya also noted the recent popularity of films such as Pitch Perfect and childhood franchises such as Toy Story and Monsters Inc that are making the move into college era. Besides the Twilight origin of Fifty Shades of Grey, none of Tuesday’s panellists admitted to knowing much about fanfiction, the term given to works of homage fiction written by fans of an existing Intellectual Property such as a book, TV show or movie. This is a huge proportion of content online, offering free content to internet savvy readers that span up the rating system. Publishers should be aware that writers are honing their skills within pre-existing fan networks and gatekeepers should be aware that teens are capable of seeing more 'shocking' content online than in their book shops. As the epub phenomenon proves, new adult content is out there; authors and traditional publishers repackaging it for the consumer allows the stories to become mainstream.

Questions from the audience raised concern with bricks and mortar sales points such as book shops and libraries, and ensuring that ‘steamy’ content doesn’t fall into young hands. But that, the panel replied, is the responsibility of the establishment. Finding a place for specialised content gives the books their own market corner. If parents are concerned about content then it is their prerogative to engage in what their child is reading, to actively take interest in the books and even read them themselves to get the low down on what content is being consumed. Publishers make the crucial decisions about packaging the books and giving just enough information away on the blurb to let consumers know what to expect and where to shelve it, covers enticing not explicit. The trend is here for now, making its presence felt mostly on ebook charts, so if booksellers and publishers want to ride the wave of the genre's popularity then they have to make the brave move into stocking and shelving the books.

Tanya Byrne insists that writers and publishers should not patronise or underestimate teens, asking if it is a bad thing if readers are shocked. As readers teens invariably know what they want through discovery via online recommendations and word of mouth. They are their own self-censors and are unlikely to buy or finish reading content that does not appeal to them. Most importantly, readers are aware that books are fiction, and being more honest about real life situations does not affect reader behaviour but might open minds to asking pertinent questions regarding safe sex. If the schools aren't providing education, then books such as these are methods of directing readers to websites and information that they aren't getting elsewhere. 

With this in mind I would also encourage authors and publishers to think carefully about representation in their novels. The Young Adult market is slowly getting to grips with inclusivity, with titles such as David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing, I hope that New Adult can likewise carve a space for an array of relationships and characters represented.

The one thing the authors insisted is that their stories are plot led, character explorations and not smut without purpose. I wonder whether the marketing and connotations of ‘steamies’ allow uninformed readers to be aware of story heavy books. Is New Adult in danger of falling victim to its own PR if booksellers are reluctant to stock them? Or will booksellers fall behind?

Either way, with the buzz from London Book Fair it looks like New Adult is here to stay. Oh my!


Abbi Glines latest novel Twisted Perfection, Tanya Byrne's Follow Me Down and Liz Bankes' Irresistible are available now.

After spending a week sightseeing in Italy, the sun shone more for London Book Fair than Bologna.The venue at Earl’s Court was buzzing with digital news, publishing plans and author events. Kobo adverts spread across the building in banners and the HarperCollins, Bonnier, Penguin and Random House stands prominently displayed their new titles. Whilst Bologna felt more personal, thousands of stands pressed close together in halls filled with friends and professionals discussing business for 2013-14.

Volunteering on Tuesday provided the perfect opportunity to sit in on a series of talks and learn about the current publishing climate. My duties for the day ranged from answering queries from the attendants, providing water for the speakers and greeting them to the room, and acting as microphone runner during Q&A sessions. 

I was situated in the Old Press Office with the Children's seminars which means I have a lot of exciting things to blog about! 

The first talk I was asked to help out with was the Booktrust Equal Measures panel, discussing inclusion and diversity in books for Children and Young Adults. Having attended the LGBT YA talk in February and then been lucky enough to have Beth Cox from Inclusive Minds come to talk to the Children’s Publishing class at Brookes, I was particularly excited to listen to what the panel had to say. The talk was introduced by Alexandra Strick who demonstrated the brilliant talking pen poster for Inclusive Minds. This gave voice to children’s experiences of seeing themselves represented in fiction and books. “Why are children like me always the sidekick and never the main character?”

The incredible Verna Wilkins delivered her key note speech, and gave the audience a short history of Tamarind Books, the publishing house she established to give black children like her son images of themselves in stories. Her message was that if you want to change something, you can, just be proactive and prepare to fight for your voice to be heard. Good teachers recognise that education is a widening of experiences so Tamarind books sold well in schools. And in response to booksellers saying that their customers didn’t look like her characters, Verna’s son recognised that her response was going to be “You got a lot of Gruffalos around here?” and promptly distracted her. Beth pointed out that the best kind of inclusion is incidental, not making a statement for the sake of “issues” or ticking off a box, but simply representing the world as it is. All children need to see diversity in books to provide a true representation of the world and learn to be open minded. Fen Coles from Letterbox Library listed some gaps in the current publishing landscape for inclusion: books representing transgender characters, diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, children with mental health issues and disabilities, and more. She posed the challenge of writing material that excluded use of gender pronouns full stop and simply explored children living their lives and pursuing their interests as individuals. She also warned against the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes for example villains portrayed as scarred. 

PHD student Erica Gillingham researches LGBT* inclusive books and says that yes books are out there, despite the lack of awareness for mainstream business. She pointed out that when it comes to love and romance for LGBT* characters, the US is leaps and bounds ahead of the UK (as was discussed during the LGBT* YA panel in February) and that even then the majority of characters were cis!male white teens in America. The B and the T in the umbrella need a lot more exploration. She recommended Malinda Lo’s science fiction YA novel Adaptation for an excellent representation of a bisexuality, but could only name four trans* books for the young adult market. I've just finished reading LR Lam's YA novel Pantomime which features an intersex character and fluid sexuality, with a futuristic fantasy setting and scenes of circus life.

The key advice for the industry was “Be brave, little things make a difference, avoid negative stereotypes, think about language and be inclusive.”

The ‘New Demands On, and Support For, Writers’ panel chaired by author Justin Somper, featured many of the buzz words of LBF13. Author Sarah McIntyre (jabberwocks) championed blogging as a means of networking by building an author brand. She also discussed supportive initiatives such as SCWBI and Society of Authors to hone skills. Curtis Brown Literary Agent Stephanie Thwaites and Bookbrunch journalist Liz Thompson discussed the merits and pitfalls of writing courses. Although much of the audience seemed to appreciate the feeling of companionship and the advice offered, Liz warned that research is vital to finding suitable courses that provide reasonable advice. Sarah McIntyre suggested a compromise, requesting chunkable courses that focus on improving key areas such as social media writing and management. This would help publishers and authors manage the demands on writers to become brand names, generating their own PR and participating on the festival circuit. Another suggestion came from the audience who suggested booksellers are often happy to run events with authors not present if they are later contactable for feedback or competition judges for individuals.

In the panel discussing “What’s Poetry’s Problem?” the speakers suggested that digital routes such as YouTube and twitter provided an excellent route for engaging young readers in poetry as spoken performance. They noted that children love poetry and rhyme (The Gruffalo is in rhyme after all) and that it is parents and teachers who are uncertain and lack confidence in teaching the material, perhaps because Key Stage 3 poetry encourages writing and reading, whereas GCSE poetry becomes heavily analytical. Penguin have launched a Poetry by Heart app which gives an audio visual experience. This was also referred to during the digistories panel about enhanced books. PenguinUSA’s poetry app has received much fever after its recent release, making learning interactive. However drawbacks include the trouble with free apps with monetized stages embedded within, and the controversies surrounding hidden costs after point of purchase. The panel agreed that there is indeed a future in enhanced fiction, but the work at the moment is a constantly evolving process with kinks still to be worked out on a trial and error basis. Fellow OICPS student, Judith Paskin, has been researching the books/ebooks/apps popularity among children in the Oxfordshire area. Her research shows that older children are more jaded about the gadgets and need more enticing to consider them stories. But that they are more likely to choose their own books with the anonymity of online buying (parents credit card access aside!) The most important thing for publishers to do is ensure that interactivity is right, that digital isn't just a distraction from the flow of reading. A sentiment shared by the publishers on the panel.

Digital received a huge buzz throughout the fair, from the opening conference talk with Neil Gaiman asking publishers to take risks and think big and fail better, to smaller projects such as the Random House initiative sourcing teen authors in their Movellas competition. The final talk in the Old Press Office discussed the future of enhanced fiction. Sarah Benton demonstrated the utility of Sally Gardner’s Maggot Moon iBook which provides video and sound insight into the mind of a dyslexic reader as well as factual research surrounding the narrative. Hot Key Books have also been involved in an on-going online writing project Story Adventure for young children, in which they collaborate with author Fleur Hitchcock to write the sequel to her fiction book Shrunk!. Gaming developers suggested the epic world building around fantasy novels provided the most exciting opportunity for the end users, authors and gamers alike. The most important factor to separate gaming from publishing books was the involvement of authors and a clear narrative. Publishers are experts in story and need to bring those skills to the table when collaborating with the technical departments.

In all the experience of volunteering at London Book Fair was extremely beneficial. I met many industry insiders, was able to discuss areas of interest, research New Product Development by observing companies operate. Most of all it was fun and rewarding experience. Maybe next year I will get to attend as a professional publisher, rather than bookseller and student!

I shall be writing a follow up blog in the next few days on the two New Adult panels I attended, with author Abbi Glines, Liz Bankes and Tanya Byrne, so keep an eye out for "New Adult and YA and Steamies, oh my!" and in the meantime here's a sneak peek featured on the Oxford Brookes Publishing site.