tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post8336507269730738489..comments2023-04-14T09:42:44.809-04:00Comments on Hannah Moskowitz: What Are We Doing to YA?hannah moskowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02347576280638165266noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-32304468372906050042010-09-28T16:20:28.141-04:002010-09-28T16:20:28.141-04:00As far as I can tell, the adult SF/fantasy communi...As far as I can tell, the adult SF/fantasy community is online and talking amongst themselves at least as much as the YA community, since at least the late 80s, and at cons before that. So I don't think this is unique to YA.<br /><br /><i>We give each other biased Goodreads reviews because we don't want to piss anyone off. We tell people we love books we haven't read just because we're friends with the author.</i><br /><br />I can honestly say I've never done either of these things. I don't think they're at all universal.<br /><br />I'm a little dismayed, actually, that there are places where these things are taken for granted.<br /><br />But the thing is: if things are feeling too insular, I think the answer is to get out and meet new people, and not limit oneself to whatever circles one is most comfortable interacting in. YA intersects adult fantasy and mainstream, as well as middle grade and younger books--and then there are all the non-writing focused communities on the Internet, too (and off the Internet, for that matter).<br /><br />I think we only live in a bubble if we let ourselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-81252399807205827892010-09-21T15:48:31.361-04:002010-09-21T15:48:31.361-04:00Some of us adults really want to relive our teenag...Some of us adults really want to relive our teenage lives without the mistakes. A YA provides a viable daydream, while not shirking our adult duties. So you're selling your YA to adults. At least you are still selling it, and to a receptive customer. On the other hand, the introspection and struggle of a teen is personal and intimate. They are battling within themselves and against themselves. No teen I know is going to divulge those feelings to me. Times may change, but the human condition doesn't. So I can only rely on my own memories. Which means I can't rely on yours. That is why I don't twitter with other YA authors. I have to pull it out of myself. Maybe that alone is what will give my character the oppurtunity to be believable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-39872030513287981852010-09-14T23:18:25.968-04:002010-09-14T23:18:25.968-04:00Emily, respectful is the name of the game here. Yo...Emily, respectful is the name of the game here. You're seriously not catching any flies that way.hannah moskowitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02347576280638165266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-82626346313026994392010-09-14T11:45:49.945-04:002010-09-14T11:45:49.945-04:00If your question is whether or not on-line interac...If your question is whether or not on-line interaction between YA authors has overwhelmingly impacted what is being written and published for YAs, I think you have it a little bit backwards and it would be helpful if you had a better understanding of the history of the genre. <br /><br />The YA market has never been LESS driven by librarians and authors. Pre-Harry Potter/Twilight (and yes, there was YA pre-Twilight), YA was primarily aimed at the school and public library market. As those budgets dwindled and "blockbuster" YAs caught on, publishers became aware of teens with their disposable income as their primary target. The YA market is now more reader driven than it has ever been. <br /><br />And this is directed at many of your commenters here. Learn the history of YA, people. You all act as though the genre only came into existence when you noticed it or when you started writing. That's like saying that green beans didn't exist until the first time you ate some. <br /><br />YA has existed as a defined genre in bookstores and libraries since the sixties. Do a little research.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04214109311427070139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-25862673156275382152010-09-12T13:37:56.108-04:002010-09-12T13:37:56.108-04:00I love this thought-provoking post and all the com...I love this thought-provoking post and all the comments here! I'm just getting into the whole YA community as I'm working on my first YA fantasy novel, so I haven't seen the clubbiness yet. Now that I've read this post, it makes me wonder just how much the blog and website will help me connect with readers one day. But it has been fun to start meeting other writers, seeing what people are working on, what books are being queried, and what's coming out in YA. I love it, and it's all part of making connections in our niche of the writing community. So that in itself is relevant. I do think it's possible to also be relevant for our readers as well, at least the ones who are into keeping up with their favorite authors or discussing their favorite stories online. <br /><br />I agree with Christina that if the book is good, people will read it. And I also think if the book is really good, people will get online and be part of fan forums, and fanfic, and find all sorts of creative outlets. Or maybe the Harry Potter fandom is a rarity...Lora Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07702358015660658859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-76484845895687081732010-09-12T04:36:51.559-04:002010-09-12T04:36:51.559-04:00Regarding your last question: Teenagers probably w...Regarding your last question: Teenagers probably want what all readers want: A good story. :P What that is is another question entirely. <br /><br />What I recall from my own teenage reading (years and years and years ago, well about 7 anyway) is this: I would read anything to find an author I liked and then I would read everything by that author that I could get my hands on. I never cared about genre, I chased voice and the ability to tell a good story. <br /><br />I don't think many teenagers read only YA, I don't think they particularly care if a book is considered YA or not. Most of the people who love your YA books will read your MG book, because they trust you to write something they would consider to be a good story. <br /><br />I don't think the route you take to writing a good story matters. If you write a good book people will read it. Even if it doesn't contain vampires.Christina Aurethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05717036758785519912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-27928621943108482572010-09-12T02:32:19.089-04:002010-09-12T02:32:19.089-04:00Ooh, awesome post Hannah! :)
Speaking as a teen ...Ooh, awesome post Hannah! :) <br /><br />Speaking as a teen who knows too much, I don't think the online community has much effect on regular teens. Last year, before I started getting into the YA community and before I started up my book blog, even though I was a really avid reader, I never did much online YA-wise other than read the occasional Amazon review or look up release dates for sequels to books I liked. I didn't visit author websites or blogs. I didn't know they existed. <br /><br />Basically, I just went into the bookstore and picked whatever-the-heck I thought looked interesting. I think almost all teens still do that, perhaps with their friends recs in mind. <br /><br />I love the YA blogosphere, but I do realize that a lot of the posts are really similar. Personally, I to just post about books I like (and I'll admit I have really particular tastes in books that don't always match up to the average teen.) <br /><br />I do sometimes have a dilemma when I'm approached for ARCs and blog promotion by publicists and publishers and authors. I end up saying no to about 80% of these emails. I know I should be saying no, because they're asking me to promote books I would never even read or if I did, wouldn't like that much, and I don't think it's honest of me to be promoting these books that I don't even love. <br /><br />However, it gets hard to say no sometimes. Publishers/publicists send out mass emails to about every blogger out there about posting trailers and teasers and such, which is why you sometimes see 20 posts on the same thing on the same day. Or they send out all their review copies at the same time, and you get a lot of hype for a particular book since that's the book that's getting the most ARCs printed, and all the snazzy online gadgets custom-made for bloggers. <br /><br />It is something that I'm increasingly having to decide between--post only what I like, or work more with publicists etc and develop a relationship. <br /><br />I feel that book blogs though, aren't supposed to be indicative of trends. They're supposed to be about what the blogger thinks about they books they're reading, and they books they like reading, because after all, who wants to spend hours per week on a blog about books they don't like? <br /><br />I think though, it's the community part in the YA blogosphere that's most important. I really doubt the YA blogosphere has that huge of an affect on regular teen writers, though. <br /><br />But maybe it does on writers.in which a girl readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12563423294648988362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-81435197088272639222010-09-11T23:31:19.145-04:002010-09-11T23:31:19.145-04:00As a teenager, I read thousands of books and never...As a teenager, I read thousands of books and never one of them came from a review. I would either go to the bookstore myself and patiently turn over EVERY single book to look at the back cover, or I would call up a reading friend and find out what she was reading. You'll get more sales from one phone call to a friend in Teen Land then you will from anything from Good Reads.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-23842229142959019882010-09-11T14:05:13.693-04:002010-09-11T14:05:13.693-04:00Love your answer, Janiel--thanks so much for your ...Love your answer, Janiel--thanks so much for your thoughts.hannah moskowitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02347576280638165266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-73943184357162933502010-09-11T00:56:49.404-04:002010-09-11T00:56:49.404-04:00Very impressed with your thoughts in this post - a...Very impressed with your thoughts in this post - and not just because you are the same age as my daughter and I could be your mother and holy cow I just freaked myself out. (Don't know how I got this old) I read YA. Used to be a closet YA reader. Now I'm out because everyone I know is out. Most of us read YA because it is simply better than a lot of the mainstream stuff on the shelves. Great characters. Imaginative plots and settings. Wonderful writing. Gets to the point quickly, hits it hard, ends well. Our lives are stressful. YA often relieves it.<br /><br />I'm in the midst of raising teens and I work with teens a lot. I think it's a good bet that they don't care a bit what goes on between us on the internet. They're teenagers. They're going to do and say and read what they want. Our cliques, or whatever, aren't going to change that. It might be healthier for US if we change that, but as long as we are writing things YA's want to pick up, they are going to be happy.<br /><br />I have faith that young adult readers will be able to sift through the offerings and find the books that are written for them. And I have faith that the publishing industry still knows how to sell to the people who are buying - regardless of what we bloggers are saying.<br /><br />Mostly I think we need to take periodic fruit smoothie breaks and hang out by the pool for awhile. This whole world is too stressed out. <br /><br />And btw, it may be because I'm a newbie and am still working on my first novel, but I haven't seen the cliquishness or snarkiness. Mostly just really helpful, insightful blogs - like this one.<br /><br />Thanks for making us think. <br />To answer your question, I write for YA's because I love them. They're clear-eyed, excited, burgeoning, filled with possibilities and imagination, and loaded with power and goodness. It also helps that my inner 16 year-old is still alive and well.Janiel Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06602421917187944457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-8196983564909313452010-09-11T00:27:08.736-04:002010-09-11T00:27:08.736-04:00Jess--Absolutely BRILLIANT points.Jess--Absolutely BRILLIANT points.hannah moskowitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02347576280638165266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-10635912785568373252010-09-10T22:45:09.298-04:002010-09-10T22:45:09.298-04:00Ahh... (feeling a fresh breeze blowing through my ...Ahh... (feeling a fresh breeze blowing through my brain). Thanks for raising such worthwhile questions for us all to consider!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-62743276933422426942010-09-10T19:28:37.517-04:002010-09-10T19:28:37.517-04:00Wow. Those are some really great insights. (And a ...Wow. Those are some really great insights. (And a lot of comments, so if I'm repeating someone, please forgive me...) <br /><br />I was at the library the other day and specifically looked for some books written by the authors I have started to associate with online. I also picked out a few by people I've never heard of. When I got home and started reading, I found that I didn't like some of the books by authors I "know", but I LOVE some of the ones written by the authors I don't. Part of me felt guilty for not liking the books everyone else online has been hyping, and I felt that I would never be able to give a completely honest review for fear of hurting someone's feelings. <br /><br />But after reading your post, I realized some important things: <br /><br />-Paying so much attention to meeting authors online has caused me to overlook other books that are just as deserving of my attention. I wonder how many talented but "shy" authors we are missing out on by being so caught up in the online buzz trends. <br />-(like you said) "Hype" doesn't necessarily match "like". Just because the books are being tweeted about by the people who know the author doesn't mean that EVERYONE is going to like them. And that's perfectly okay. If we all liked the same things, life would be really really boring. <br />-Giving a biased review based on my worries about offending someone doesn't do anyone any good. Constructive criticism in the form of an honest, thoughtful review can help writers everywhere improve the craft.<br /><br />I don't know if any of that made any sense. Just my thoughts. <br /><br />Thanks, again, for such a great post!Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16496310224885631202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-13156485764237647862010-09-10T19:07:57.100-04:002010-09-10T19:07:57.100-04:00Wow! I just got linked here from a friend. Who are...Wow! I just got linked here from a friend. Who are you people? -I'm so out of the bubble...just a writer about to release a novel that has a 17 year old protagonist. I didn't choose to be called YA writer -it is what category I will be put into. I used to teach teenagers, I love teenagers and I wrote with them in mind-simple, honest. I am still that same teenager inside that I used to be, if you're not I don't know how you plan to reach out.I call it sharing and I hope they like the stories I tell. PS I only got on internet after I finished my book so I'm lost as usualA. Jacob Sweenyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13481027584347286745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-68042186933246985542010-09-10T18:30:57.344-04:002010-09-10T18:30:57.344-04:00I love this post. I love this post. I love this ...I love this post. I love this post. I love this post.GhostFolk.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10942600698461250382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-8455959471543473902010-09-10T15:05:21.847-04:002010-09-10T15:05:21.847-04:00Loved the de-rail, April! So freaking relevant.Loved the de-rail, April! So freaking relevant.hannah moskowitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02347576280638165266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-4538240668545401312010-09-10T10:42:21.101-04:002010-09-10T10:42:21.101-04:00Very fascinating post. I'm an adult reader of ...Very fascinating post. I'm an adult reader of YA, although I don't feel very much like an adult, as I am 23 and don't have a mortgage or children. I do remember in high school there were only two author blogs that I looked at -- Sarah Dessen's and Libba Bray's and that was mainly to see when/if they had a new book coming out. When I was a teen, honestly I could care less about the writing process or word count. I could have cared less about online presence of an author. I mean, right now, I read like two author blogs. I'm too busy reading great books to care about where an author is in their writing process. Whatever. Just write the damn book. I really don't think things have changed much from when I was a teenager.<br /><br />As for author review of books, I don't read them. When I seek out reviews, I want no-holds barred honesty, not a review rife with fear because god forbid you piss someone off. I won't lie, I see that a LOT among my fellow YA bloggers, because this fear of reprisal doesn't just seem to affect authors writing a review. I see people who give every single freaking book a glowing review and I often wonder if we read the same book. Heaven forbid the publishers don't send an ARC because someone reviews something honestly. I often see reviewers who are very, very buddy-buddy with some authors on twitter, which again, when I read the reviewer's post on said author's work, I get a little bit suspicious. <br /><br />Rock on for this post, and sorry for the slight de-rail on reviewers.April (BooksandWine)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15268544465552896599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-90600094234241920532010-09-10T08:40:13.335-04:002010-09-10T08:40:13.335-04:00Thought provoking post. I try and separate myself ...Thought provoking post. I try and separate myself from the blogging/twitter world when it comes to writing. Sometimes popularity blogging and on twitter comes from being agented and published. Or because you're a great blogger. <br /><br />But I think that book popularity is more about the writing. Two separate worlds. Just because b/c a writer is popular with other writers doesn't automatically put her on the best seller list. Writers have to blog b/c they love it not just to sell books. As LiLa pointed out today.Laura Paulinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06503090226508079501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-76697769745654991342010-09-09T20:01:18.539-04:002010-09-09T20:01:18.539-04:00Oops, I meant "And I don't want to STOP w...Oops, I meant "And I don't want to STOP writing."Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05327963472831533298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-72104540565835942312010-09-09T20:00:26.000-04:002010-09-09T20:00:26.000-04:00At this point in my writing life, I write for myse...At this point in my writing life, I write for myself. I don't have an audience, and I might never have an audience. But I can't stop writing. And I don't want to start writing.<br /><br />I want to be published one day, of course, but there's a pretty good chance I never will be, so I can't really say I'm writing for a specific audience at this point. I write YA because I still feel like a YA, and I really just can't imagine writing for adults right now (sorry, adults). <br /><br />Writing is a major stress reliever for me. I've shared some of it with a few critique partners, but most of it is on my hard drive, seen by my eyes only, and I'm honestly okay with that.Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05327963472831533298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-46707359052090462032010-09-08T22:47:10.629-04:002010-09-08T22:47:10.629-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.MelissaDavishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11699779262859852122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-75066286552453939932010-09-08T20:53:54.898-04:002010-09-08T20:53:54.898-04:00I hopped over from Valerie's blog too! I'm...I hopped over from Valerie's blog too! I'm just amazed by this post. I actually hadn't thought about this issue before, but now that you've brought it to my attention...I'm really wondering about the issues you've brought up. I just hope that adults can be in the YA genre and teens can still get what they want/need from it as well.BK Mattinglyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13758638245846622284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-7536654021834892492010-09-08T15:21:54.002-04:002010-09-08T15:21:54.002-04:00I hopped over from Valerie @ I Should Be Writing t...I hopped over from Valerie @ I Should Be Writing to read your fabulous post! Wow. :-)Shannon O'Donnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17299313309059235876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-25125936606548438422010-09-08T09:34:10.325-04:002010-09-08T09:34:10.325-04:00I hear what you are saying. I would say keep in m...I hear what you are saying. I would say keep in mind that since we are more immersed in the industry - we get the buzz sooner, get ARCs sooner. I think when you see the lines of kids at bookstores for signings - we are obviously touching them. The wave just hits us sooner.Shelli (srjohannes)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17123227845032402600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375524926817525353.post-3570264849887416402010-09-08T08:20:10.363-04:002010-09-08T08:20:10.363-04:00Great post! Thanks for saying exactly what I'v...Great post! Thanks for saying exactly what I've been thinking. (Well, not exactly, but pretty close) LOL<br />I've often wondered who the REAL target audience is for some of those YA books out there.Jennifer Shirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16970585847385511795noreply@blogger.com