What qualifies as YA?

[DelActivisto]

Many people have a lot of different opinions on the matter. Recently I overheard someone decrying that pacing as "too slow," but this seems unfair, given that a certain type of pacing isn't really a determination of whether something is YA or not.

At the core it seems to be stories that have young protagonists. That only seems simplistic, and not like a genre description at all and more like a generic description.

Another interesting tidbit is the quantity of adults who read YA: 55%! Hmm... (That is, 55% of YA readers are adults.)

What do you think?

 

[R.T James]

As somebody who has a hard time wrapping their head around these things... I am going to be watching this as well because I have NO IDEA what YA even is.

Then again I'm crawling out from a rock to visit this place and hissing at the sunlight in the process.

 

[Cathbad]

I am going to be watching this as well because I have NO IDEA what YA even is.

Ditto.

 

[DelActivisto]

As somebody who has a hard time wrapping their head around these things... I am going to be watching this as well because I have NO IDEA what YA even is.

Then again I'm crawling out from a rock to visit this place and hissing at the sunlight in the process.

Is that why I'm always trying to talk to you in Slytherin?

 

[The Bluestocking]

As far as I know, YA books must have a teen protagonist (ages 13 - 17. 18 is pushing into New Adult.).

Most have no foul/strong language or sex though the edgier ones with protagonists aged 16 and above may have some.

The story always includes - in some way - a variation of growing pains/bildungsroman and transitioning from child to adult in its protagonist's character arc.

It's mostly a convenient marketing category for publishers to pigeonhole and sell books though...

Am I correct @Juliana @Hex ?

 

[R.T James]

As far as I know, YA books must have a teen protagonist (ages 13 - 17. 18 is pushing into New Adult.).

Most have no foul/strong language or sex though the edgier ones with protagonists aged 16 and above may have some.

The story always includes - in some way - a variation of growing pains/bildungsroman and transitioning from child to adult in its protagonist's character arc.

It's mostly a convenient marketing category for publishers to pigeonhole and sell books though...

Am I correct @Juliana @Hex ?

Yup. This confirms I can not write YA even if I tried hard. Heck even if I wrote about my teenage years it wouldn't be YA.

Damn. Growing pains and transitioning from adult to child. Try fighting back against gangs mugging you in the hallway and staring down people with knives.

My school years had me realize death was around the corner and at age 12 I came to conclusion that there was a high probability I would have to kill in self defense. Geez, no wonder why Im so screwed up. No wonder why I write such dark subject matter.

Boy while most people are worried about acne or if suzy likes them I'm keeping an eye out for people trying to stab me.

By jove.

Did I even have a childhood?

 

[DelActivisto]

Yeah... coming of age and growing pains I have a hard time with. To segue into a different issue... I think I have a YA novel. But I'm not sure. They main characters are young, but it's really just arbitrary. My MC has a perfectly fine homelife and is very emotionally stable. Buts he gets whisked into the world of magic and war against his will and has to start coping with that right quick! Really, he could be 20, or 25, or even 30, and it wouldn't make much difference. Oh well.

For another main protagonist, he is a bit more on the depressed side - parents got killed when he was young, so he's a bit sour because of that. Another main character had a fine home life and seems to exist in my story mainly for comedic relief - I really need to give him a better plot, because he's really likable (IMO).

So one of the main criticisms against my novel will probably be that my MC is too steady, mellow, and - mature. I can't help it though - it's who he is! And I'm so tired of the "poor orphan kid had really evil brutal parents and has mommy/daddy/other Freudian issues, and REALLY hate Kentucky Fried Chicken, but we won't talk about that" trope.

Yup. This confirms I can not write YA even if I tried hard. Heck even if I wrote about my teenage years it wouldn't be YA.

Damn. Growing pains and transitioning from adult to child. Try fighting back against gangs mugging you in the hallway and staring down people with knives.

My school years had me realize death was around the corner and at age 12 I came to conclusion that there was a high probability I would have to kill in self defense. Geez, no wonder why Im so screwed up. No wonder why I write such dark subject matter.

Boy while most people are worried about acne or if suzy likes them I'm keeping an eye out for people trying to stab me.

By jove.

Did I even have a childhood?

Were you young once? Well, that counts as your childhood!

 

[Cathbad]

Did I even have a childhood?

Don't fret. When you reach my age, you can start another one!

 

[The Bluestocking]

Yup. This confirms I can not write YA even if I tried hard. Heck even if I wrote about my teenage years it wouldn't be YA.

I, on the other hand, seem to keep tipping in YA. Even when I think I'm not writing YA, my writing group is like: "We thought it's YA?"

ME: GAH! Only ONE of my protagonists is a teenager!

Maybe I should make my characters a bit more sweary or something...

 

[The Bluestocking]

So one of the main criticisms against my novel will probably be that my MC is too steady, mellow, and - mature. I can't help it though - it's who he is!

Join the club? My main protagonist is a pacifist who is calm and steady and... pragmatic. He is in no way, shape, or form boring though. Characters don't have to be Drama Queens to be interesting...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I think it's a combination of things including age, theme and voice.

Within my own work Inish Carraig tends to be classed as YA - but it's not just that simple as it has an adult protagonist as well as a teen. Which makes it hard to define. However thematically it deals with growing up, finding the person you want to be and trust. But that is as much for the adult characters as the teens.

Whereas Abendau, my sprawling Space Opera, it starts in YA territory (well after a bit of killing and maiming) but the bulk of it is adult themes and challenges - in this overcoming adversity, ownership of self and actions.

So despite both stories at first presenting as YA coming of age they have a different feel and theme - and crucially a different character focus.

Which makes what is YA hard to answer. In simple terms it is stories with young protagonists facing a time of challenge and overcoming it to grow in the process. In practice that's only path of what makes a book YA - an authentic teen voice is also important (which might be what @bluestocking is getting her feedback on).

In short - it's a tough one to call. But to know if you're writing it reading some YA authors is a must (Marcus Sedgewick, Peadar O'Guilin are my two favourites)

 

[Nick B]

I find the definitions restrictive, if not downright annoying. For instance, I am reading Revenger by Alistair Reynolds. I've seen it refered to as YA, but why? Simply because the protagonists are teenagers?

 

[Cathbad]

I've got a story with a 99 year-old elf, which is a year before her "Coming of Age": Would that count as YA?

 

[Juliana]

As far as I know, YA books must have a teen protagonist (ages 13 - 17. 18 is pushing into New Adult.).

Most have no foul/strong language or sex though the edgier ones with protagonists aged 16 and above may have some.

The story always includes - in some way - a variation of growing pains/bildungsroman and transitioning from child to adult in its protagonist's character arc.

I think it's a combination of things including age, theme and voice.

Yes to all of this!

Simply because the protagonists are teenagers?

Simply having teen characters doesn't make it YA, otherwise a good chunk of traditional epic fantasy where the MC starts out as a teen would be YA and isn't. It needs to be directed toward teen readers (despite the huge adult following for YA novels) in terms of themes and voice, so there is usually more focus on discovering your place in the world (even as you save it) than there might be with an 'adult' novel. So instead of telling a story about a teen protagonist (Ender's Game, for instance), it tells the story from the teenager's head/feelings/etc.

Upper YA can definitely have sex and darker themes, both in SFF and contemporary - look at the hugely successful Hunger Games, for instance. It ain't no fluffy bunny.

 

[Juliana]

(sorry for double post, the edit feature won't let me quote!)

I've got a story with a 99 year-old elf, which is a year before her "Coming of Age": Would that count as YA?

Only if she looks/acts like a 17 or 18 year old! (Think Twilight - dude was no spring chicken, but acted and looked like the teen he'd been when he was vampirized...)

 

[Cathbad]

Only if she looks/acts like a 17 or 18 year old!

Well, she may look that young, but she no longer has the opportunity to act that young.

 

[Juliana]

Well, she may look that young, but she no longer has the opportunity to act that young.

I know the feeling - I have a character in my series who looks 18 but is almost 1000, and he certainly doesn't get to act like a teenager! (But I have other POV characters who actually are teenagers, though, which is what edges mine into YA)

 

[Nick B]

I still think it would be better for everyone if books had a rating system similar to film, where a reccomended minimum reader age was suggested. I don't think many people here agree though.

 

[Juliana]

I still think it would be better for everyone if books had a rating system similar to film, where a reccomended minimum reader age was suggested.

The thing is, just because a book has a teen protagonist doesn't mean it's YA. Like I said earlier, I wouldn't consider Ender's Game or the first books in The Codex Alera, for instance, to be YA, because although they have teen protagonists, they were written with a general readership in mind. While something like the Hunger Games or the Maze Runner were written with teen readers in mind. So that's where theme and voice come in. I know, it's complicated! As @The Bluestocking said earlier, the label is mainly a marketing tool, a way of saying 'your teen reader may find they can relate to this book.'

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Yup. This confirms I can not write YA even if I tried hard. Heck even if I wrote about my teenage years it wouldn't be YA.

Damn. Growing pains and transitioning from adult to child. Try fighting back against gangs mugging you in the hallway and staring down people with knives.

My school years had me realize death was around the corner and at age 12 I came to conclusion that there was a high probability I would have to kill in self defense. Geez, no wonder why Im so screwed up. No wonder why I write such dark subject matter.

Boy while most people are worried about acne or if suzy likes them I'm keeping an eye out for people trying to stab me.

By jove.

Did I even have a childhood?

The Hunger Games is YA. I don't think you're ruled out.