~ The Problem with Labels ~
Publishing markets have undergone radical changes over the past four years. Things are constantly evolving with the emergence of self-publishing and the popularity of eBooks at such a rapid rate that waters are murky on where books truly belong.
Everyone, from publishers to authors to readers, defines Young Adult and New Adult differently. As the birth of the new target audience of NA takes flight, the line of what constitutes as an NA novel is slowly being drawn, and it is coming down to the age of the characters more so than content.
Character age has always been a determining factor in where books are placed on shelves. And because of this, for the longest time books about characters 18-25 years of age were considered a no-no in traditional publishing. The growing popularity in NA disproves this notion and shows there is a need for books to bridge the gap from YA to Adult fiction and fill in those missing years. After all, why can’t a 21 year old be the one who saves the world!
The problem with the ‘age defined’ categories is that is terribly limiting to an author. Movies aren’t rated on the age of the characters—they are rated on content. And the amount of explicit language, sexual situations, and graphic violence are what the rating board takes into consideration when determining the rating a movie receives.
So where do my books fit into this tangled mess of Target Audience Labels?
Somewhere in the gray area between YA and adult which is why I'm choosing to market the book as an Mature Ya and adult novel. Why not just place the book in the NA category then? The short answer- because Fawn Hollow isn't a romance. Currently, NA is being lumped into a subgenre of Romance for better or worse. Even if I wanted to place my book in the newest growing audience label I could't because many now consider the NA category for those years beyond high school. (Though there are exceptions to this rule~ Colleen Hoover’s Hopeless and Penelope Douglas’s Bully, which both feature a story still in a High School setting.)
When I sit down to write, I do so without regard to genre rules and regulations. My ONLY goal is to write the best book I can while staying true to my characters and the story I’m telling. And I can’t do that if I’m trying to go by some kind of checklist or marketing formula that places each book into tiny little color-coded boxes.
To me, life is not meant to be categorized into neat little boxes where one size fits all. That’s boring and bordering on the line of censorship. I don’t believe any entity should be given the power to censor creative works, whether on the screen or in books.
However, I firmly believe in offering content warnings to help readers and parents decide if a book is right for them or their teen.
I aspire to live in a LFS (Label Free Society) where individuals (parents, readers, viewers) are the ones who say where books belong or how movies should be rated because what is right for one person may not be right for another. I will always do my very best to disclose the content to help the individual decide if my books are right for them or a love one.
With that said, an author walks a fine line when giving content warnings as they can give away too much about what happens in their novel. If a parent or person is ever unsure, always check the reviews of a book for additional information on content and trigger warnings. You can also reach out to the author personally or the authors fans on social media. Good Reads is a great place to find comprehensive reviews with a wide range of opinions from reviewers and professional book bloggers.
Warnings
The FAWN HOLLOW Series features explicit language, dark themes, and material that may be disturbing to readers under the age of sixteen.
Everyone, from publishers to authors to readers, defines Young Adult and New Adult differently. As the birth of the new target audience of NA takes flight, the line of what constitutes as an NA novel is slowly being drawn, and it is coming down to the age of the characters more so than content.
Character age has always been a determining factor in where books are placed on shelves. And because of this, for the longest time books about characters 18-25 years of age were considered a no-no in traditional publishing. The growing popularity in NA disproves this notion and shows there is a need for books to bridge the gap from YA to Adult fiction and fill in those missing years. After all, why can’t a 21 year old be the one who saves the world!
The problem with the ‘age defined’ categories is that is terribly limiting to an author. Movies aren’t rated on the age of the characters—they are rated on content. And the amount of explicit language, sexual situations, and graphic violence are what the rating board takes into consideration when determining the rating a movie receives.
So where do my books fit into this tangled mess of Target Audience Labels?
Somewhere in the gray area between YA and adult which is why I'm choosing to market the book as an Mature Ya and adult novel. Why not just place the book in the NA category then? The short answer- because Fawn Hollow isn't a romance. Currently, NA is being lumped into a subgenre of Romance for better or worse. Even if I wanted to place my book in the newest growing audience label I could't because many now consider the NA category for those years beyond high school. (Though there are exceptions to this rule~ Colleen Hoover’s Hopeless and Penelope Douglas’s Bully, which both feature a story still in a High School setting.)
When I sit down to write, I do so without regard to genre rules and regulations. My ONLY goal is to write the best book I can while staying true to my characters and the story I’m telling. And I can’t do that if I’m trying to go by some kind of checklist or marketing formula that places each book into tiny little color-coded boxes.
To me, life is not meant to be categorized into neat little boxes where one size fits all. That’s boring and bordering on the line of censorship. I don’t believe any entity should be given the power to censor creative works, whether on the screen or in books.
However, I firmly believe in offering content warnings to help readers and parents decide if a book is right for them or their teen.
I aspire to live in a LFS (Label Free Society) where individuals (parents, readers, viewers) are the ones who say where books belong or how movies should be rated because what is right for one person may not be right for another. I will always do my very best to disclose the content to help the individual decide if my books are right for them or a love one.
With that said, an author walks a fine line when giving content warnings as they can give away too much about what happens in their novel. If a parent or person is ever unsure, always check the reviews of a book for additional information on content and trigger warnings. You can also reach out to the author personally or the authors fans on social media. Good Reads is a great place to find comprehensive reviews with a wide range of opinions from reviewers and professional book bloggers.
Warnings
The FAWN HOLLOW Series features explicit language, dark themes, and material that may be disturbing to readers under the age of sixteen.