What? Another new genre?

One of my crit partners posted this to the Passionate Critters forum, today.  


The Agency Gatekeeper Blog and Georgia McBride's site let me know about this new contest by St. Martin's Press. Previously, we've talked about the emerging genres of cyberbilly, elegant erotica, and quagmire fiction.  Now it's "New Adult."  (By the way, I love subgenre categories - I find that stuff fascinating.)

Here's the gist: " St. Martin’s Press is actively looking for great, new, cutting edge YA with protagonists who are slightly older and can appeal to an adult audience. Since twenty-somethings are happily reading YA, St. Martin’s Press is seeking YA that can be published and marketed as adult; kind of an 'older YA' or 'new adult.' " Writer Jodi Meadows has a good look at the new genre and why it's cool.

Here is everything you need to know about the rules.  The contest ends quickly! - Nov 20, 2009


http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/PermaLink,guid,a9ca31e9-029e-474f-b7e5-e134ccc173c1.aspx


Let's just write books for every age. Young adult, not-as-young-adult, slightly-older-than-young-adult, older-young-adult, older-older-young adult... This is what happens when marketing people who aren't writers get involved. They're trying to find the niche for their product. But I can't believe that readers are so ego-centric that they'll only read and buy books based on the age of the protagonist. I know when I was a "new adult", I read books based on the story.


Seems to me it's always been about the story. Can you imagine if Chaucer, Hawthorne, Twain, Austin Fitzgerald, Hemingway or Vonnegut or any other great writer of the canon wrote to the age of their readers instead of the story?


I don't know if you had the same educational experience as I (at least, if you live in America), but those are the authors I had to read in high school and college. They have protagonists of all ages. Yet those books ring true throughout the generations. And why?


It's the story, folks. The plot, the story line, what it's about. Story. And if your story's no good, no one will read it no matter what their age.


The End.