Your comments requested by an old codger

[Larry]

Hi Everyone. I'm FAR from being a young adult. Times have changed since the days when I was a YA (hint, 1960-ish). I've been a journalist, publicist and author for 45 years, but I have to admit to some big gaps in my knowledge. They include: a.) What age range constitutes a YA reader these days? b.) What genres do you prefer to read OTHER than vampires, werewolves, etc.? c.) What eras of historical fiction do you prefer: d.) At what point do you draw the line at explicit violence and/or sex in what you read? e.) Does the hero or heroine have to be in the YA age range?

I'm asking because my wife keeps insisting that one of my recent books would have been better as a YA book. While that may be true, I have lots of unanswered questions about writing YA. I could have asked other writers, but I figured you would know better than grumpy old men and women like me. Please, I promise to read all your answers and welcome as many as possible. Many thanks in advance for your candor.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I can answer the YA age range, that typically from 13-19. I like to read fantasies. For historical fiction I prefer medieval time period. It usually helps if the hero/ine is in the ya range. I work at a high school so I do read YA.

[Nanci]

I read a lot of YA books. 50 to 60 percent of what I read is YA. When I think about YA, I am thinking 12-17. However, in the library I work at, many adults read YA books because the language and sex and graphic violence in adult books go too far for their comfort. I know that many YA books have some pretty bad language and treat teen sex as a given but I think that when those elements are there, they should be labeled differently. Many of those in our library have been reclassified into adult. I don't think there should be any descriptive sex scenes. If you must include sex, maybe some hot and heavy kissing, and then the bedroom door is closed. When I think young adult, I want my 12-13 year old to be able to pick things up off the shelf and I don't have to worry about what they are reading. Anything that would be rated PG-13 to R should not be on the YA shelf, in my opinion. I have read several YA books in the last year that I have liked,BUT.... there is no way I could recommend them to any YA I know because of the language or casual treatment of teen sex. I really don't want my teen to feel like teen sex is the norm.
I read all genres in YA. I like good mysteries, great suspense, steampunk, romance, historical, fantasy,sci-fi, etc. I think if it is good enough, kids and adults will read it. For historical, I think anything pre-1960's works for me. Before my lifetime. I prefer books set before the 1930's but I read all eras.
I think kids prefer the main characters to be somewhere in the teen age range. Later teens tend to be the most interesting for the largest group. 15-17. I think they relate better. However, I don't think it is an absolute must. If it is a series and the character ages with each book, they can get into younger adulthood.
Those are my thoughts, for what it is worth.

[Larry]

Elizabeth and Nanci, many thanks for the input. Nanci, honest, I'm not historical even though I was born in the 1940s! I got a kick out of your personal definition of what's historical. :-) OMG seems like just a few days ago I was graduating from college (1964). Groan, now I feel old and historical or maybe hysterical at the thought.

Have a great day.