In Which Maggie Debates the Meaning of Crossover Fiction

bookshelf
While I was at the ALA conference this past week, I was asked to be on a panel about crossover fiction, i.e., fiction that appeals to both teens and adults. Because this is something that is getting discussed more and more in the YA world, I figured I'd post NOW what I said THEN and see what y'all have to say on the matter. So. Here it is, fairly verbatim from my talk at ALA.
I have really complicated feelings about this topic. Because when you say something has cross over appeal, it means that you’re saying some things DON’T have cross over appeal, and that means that you’re saying that some books are definitely adult and definitely young adult, and that means that really, you need to decide what you think those definitions mean.

Like I said, complicated.

It’s not like you’re deciding if a book is for a child or for an adult, after all. We are not debating whether or not an adult and child would derive equal pleasure from DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS (although I think I know a few adults who might give Thing 2 a run for his money in his Mo Willems fixation). You’re deciding if a book is more interesting to an adult or a young adult, and when you do that, you run the risk, first, of stereotyping, and second, of underestimating teens.

Here’s the thing: some teens are that stereotypical teen. They go to the mall. They are up on celebrity gossip. They know their brands, they have to be persuaded to read something longer than magazines, and they sing Friday Friday!

Here’s the rub, though: some adults are the stereotypical teen, too. They love pop culture, they’re reluctant readers, they love to shop and gossip. I would argue that if you looked at the percentages, the number of those sort of readers are identical for ages 16 and 60. Age has nothing to do with it.
That’s who these readers are.

And on the other side of the coin, you have the readers who love historical fiction, those that love sci-fi, those that love big, dense family sagas, those that love prose poems. I’ll bet your bippy that love was already there when those readers were teens. By the time you’re a teen, you’re becoming the person you’re going to be for the rest of your life.

So what does this mean for crossover titles? Well, I think it means that the real power of a crossover title isn’t a novel’s ability to appeal to both teens and adults. I think the real power of a crossover title is a novel’s ability to appeal to a wide range of humans.

Everyone likes to look at Twilight as an example of a perfect cross-over title. Women and teen girls both like to read Stephenie Meyers’ books. But that fact alone is true of every single young adult book I’ve ever read or written. I’ve always written young adult fiction, and I’ve never had a signing that wasn’t equally split between adults and teens. Adults have been reading children’s books, and vice versa, for much longer than I’ve even been alive. The thing that makes Twilight’s success special is not that both women and teen girls read it. It’s the number of women and teen girls who read it.

OK, this: another example of crossover is the Harry Potter series. This series is impressive because it not only crosses age lines but it also crosses gender lines. To me, the gender divide is a far more impressive one than the age divide. The age divide is crossed all the time. The gender divide is well nigh immutable. And this, I think, is the secret to a cross-over title. The thing is, Harry Potter breaks all the rules for what should commercially viable. The narrator is a boy, and everyone knows girls don’t read boy books. And the narrator is a child, and everyone knows adults won’t read books with child narrators. And it’s set in the UK, and everyone knows Americans only want to read books set in America.

But. Harry Potter’s secret weapon is its world. The depth of the world that Joanne Rowling wrote is stunning, and more importantly, it has something that speaks to nearly everyone. The broader your world, the more nuances you’ve stuffed into it — the more people you’re going to appeal to.

Many folks believe Harry Potter is not just a children’s book because it does not only concern itself with the matters of children. It’s not an adult’s book because it does not only concern itself with the matters of adults. It is, like our real world, concerned with many things, and so therefore, many different sorts of people can be concerned with it. I don’t think that’s it. That theory requires you to believe that people only want to read books about people who are like them. Children only want to read about children. Adults about adults. Single women about single women. That’s just not true. Otherwise the market for Silence of the Lambs would be entirely comprised of serial killers.
As gatekeepers — and every adult in any segment of the book business, from author to librarian to teacher to bookseller is a gatekeeper — we have to give teens the credit they deserve. They are young adults. ADULTS. That means that they are as varied in their reading tastes and abilities as adults are. They don’t need watered down versions of adult books — unless you acknowledge that there are adults, too, that also need watered down versions of those books.

Once you think about it this way, that adults and teens are very often identical readers, the word cross-over becomes a bit useless. I think the real word here is "commercial." And that’s an entirely different debate.
48 likes ·   •  18 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on June 28, 2012 06:15
Comments Showing 1-18 of 18 (18 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Cat (new)

Cat This is really good. I imagine that I'd enjoy hearing it as much as reading it. You Maggie have really explained to me the meaning of so called 'cross-over titles'


message 2: by Kaitlyn (new)

Kaitlyn I like your reasoning. Some people must have been surprised at this.


message 3: by [deleted user] (new)

My mom reads almost all the young adult books that I read. She normally reads them before me and then tells me to read them. Its kinda funny. She read all of the Mercy Falls books, Twilight, etc.


message 4: by Xyra (new)

Xyra Just fabulous! [Although, I have a feeling marketing deprtments all over are reeling at this as their main purpose is to separate and pigeon-hole people.] Thank you very much for this explanation.


message 5: by Jocelyn (new)

Jocelyn Love the way you've answered this! Me personally as a teen I would read anything I could get my hands on, as and adult I am slightly more selective, but still read ... almost everything :)


message 6: by Tiffany (new)

Tiffany You really nailed it in this description. I agree that the gender gap is far harder to cross and that it really exists. I am almost 40 and read almost exclusively adult books from the time I was in 6th grade until I was about 21-22. This is when I read "The Golden Compass." Since then, I have read a wide variety of books, both adult & young adult. I agree that is is more about the genre than the age it is geared for that draws me. As a librarian, I am helping others to see that it is not shameful to enter the "other" areas of the library. A good book is a good book no mater where it is shelved.


message 7: by Rachel (new)

Rachel This is really interesting! Thanks


message 8: by Drakonflight (last edited Jun 29, 2012 09:07PM) (new)

Drakonflight I'm a teenager and I love all sorts of books. I'm aware (since I volunteered at my school library) that different people like different books, but I've always loved a wide variety of books. I read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and I read Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. I enjoy both immensely. I will admit that I'm a huge fan of fantasy and sci-fi, but I also love to read plays (especially Shakespeare!) and poetry (I'm reading a collection by Pablo Neruda at the moment). What my deciding factor is when I think about picking up a new book is not WHAT the book is about, but HOW WELL IT IS WRITTEN.

Unfortunately, there isn't a genre for well-written books and a genre for badly-written ones, though that would make everyone's lives infinitely easier. Instead all genres are a mix of both, some leaning more towards a majority of one or another, and I think that scares some people away from certain genres. Therefore it can be said that some genres are better written than others, but that's not really true, since every genre has its own merits (and faults). With this huge mixture of books that makes up the sum of human species' writing, I don't really see how crossover from YA and adult is relevant. Books are books, and they should each be judged on their own individual style and quality. And crossover doesn't exist there; I've yet to come across a book that was written both badly and well.


message 9: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Dess I'm an adult and I've read books which are classified as YA and I love them.


message 10: by el (new)

el "I think the real word here is "commercial." And that’s an entirely different debate." I could not agree more. The publishing industry is scrambling....hustling for the next big seller. "Crossover" becomes a magic word. Publishers are trying to follow the popular trend instead of following the well written book. Note the increase of paranormal fiction and authors who suddenly are writing about witches and vampires. Into this mess is the fact that many publisher still have not figured out how to deal with ebooks. Some will not allow ebooks they publish to go to libraries. Many price an ebook at the same price as a hardcover book. Bookstores and small publisher are going out of business. In a bookstore you could be exposed to a lot of different book that looked interesting. In this business climate the term "crossover" becomes a magic life raft. I am 60.."crossover" always happened. Readers are always looking for new and interesting books to read.


message 11: by Elle (new)

Elle "And on the other side of the coin, you have the readers who love historical fiction, those that love sci-fi, those that love big, dense family sagas, those that love prose poems. I’ll bet your bippy that love was already there when those readers were teens."

I completely agree. When I was a teen I favored fantasy, Sci-fi and mythology. I would read anything that looked good and fit into one of those genres regardless of whether it was written for teens or adults. Usually they were written for adults.
As an adult my tastes in books have not changed much nor how I pick them out. The difference is now I seem to find more in the teen YA section then when I was a teen.


message 12: by Xyra (new)

Xyra el wrote: ""I think the real word here is "commercial." And that’s an entirely different debate." I could not agree more. The publishing industry is scrambling....hustling for the next big seller. "Crosso..."

I find it amusing that a reader would call out publishers taking more paranormal storylines on the blog of the author who created and wrote The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy...werewolves. Granted Maggie is among the cream of the crop, but it is still hard work to break into the world of books. Even those one would consider "skim" create a story that appeals to someone.


message 13: by el (new)

el I understand Xyra's comment. My comment was not meant as a criticism of paranormal fiction. My comment was based on the observation that "paranormal" fiction has in the last few year seems to have pushed other genre to the sidelines. I sense, maybe incorrectly, that publishers look for blockbusters and that books with possibly a smaller audience are either ignored or just can not get published. EBooks may well be the hope for new writers looking for an audience.


message 14: by Xyra (new)

Xyra el wrote: "I understand Xyra's comment. My comment was not meant as a criticism of paranormal fiction. My comment was based on the observation that "paranormal" fiction has in the last few year seems to have..."

:-D I was just "poking the dog" or "playing devil's advocate." We do seem to be in boom situation where characters have a secret of some sort. The booms cycle over the years just as fashion does. The late 80s and early 90s saw a focus on vampires and witches. The trend faded into the background for a bit then came back full force.
With the rise in epub formats and self publishing, the big companies are looking for what they hope will be the next big franchise to keep them going and their employees employed.


message 15: by Samiyah (new)

Samiyah I absolutely loved that post! You are probably my favorite author to follow on goodreads because you are SO engaging and thoughtful when you post! Thank you for sharing!


message 16: by Abigail (new)

Abigail Whether a book is YA or adult never factors into whether or not I want to read it, and I wish there were true for more people.

It is very limiting to care about the distinction between the two, and I always feel sort of sorry for the people who only want to read one little niche of all the books available in the world.

I love this blog post. I'm often told off for liking YA, and it makes me upset every time, because I feel that it is very unfair. Many of them haven't read all that much of YA and have hardly experienced how phenomenal it can be.


message 17: by Xyra (new)

Xyra Abbie wrote: "Whether a book is YA or adult never factors into whether or not I want to read it, and I wish there were true for more people.

It is very limiting to care about the distinction between the two, a..."


It's very sad when readers are teased for their choice of subject. I feel the same way when I hear someone saying, "That's a girls' book" to a guy. Hey, Kudos to the guy who reads and reads a broad spectrum of topics. Sometimes I realize that the naysayer is a non-reader and I feel bad for them missing out on such great works.


message 18: by Tori (new)

Tori I completely agree with Xyra. It makes me so angry that people think some genres are "lesser" because it's a "teenage girl" book. It also depresses me that being labled a "girl's book" means it's not a high quality book. I also agree with Stiefvater that it's not written for a certain age group but a certain reader.


back to top

Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater
I don't read blog comments here — it's a feed from my site at www.maggiestiefvater.com ...more
Follow Maggie Stiefvater's blog with rss.