New adult fiction

Marketing

This category is intended to be marketed to post-adolescents and young adults ages 18 to 29. This age group is considered to be the lucrative "cross-over" category of young-adult titles that appeal to both the young-adult market and to an adult audience.

Controversies

Publishing industry

Many agents and large publishing houses have yet to recognize the category due to various issues. Some view the category as a marketing scheme, while others claim the readership is not there to publish the material. Therefore, authors have turned to self-publishing as a means to get their books out into the market. The success of these authors has led to many independent publishing houses and agents opening up to the category. Publishers are now publishing these books with many of the bestsellers having deals with large publishers.

Sex

In 2012, new adult fiction saw a rise in the romance subgenre of contemporary when self-published titles such as Slammed by Colleen Hoover, Easy by Tamarra Webber, and Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire were acquired by major publishing houses. Some believe this jump in response to the category came from the release of the popular erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, which featured a heroine in college. Since new adult fiction tackles issues such as sex and sexuality and many of the categories' successful titles deal with those same issues the category itself and the single issue of sex have been stated as synonymous, and even been called over-sexualized versions of young adult fiction. In 2012 and 2013, both readers and authors of the category responded to the claim by stating that the category deals with the exploration of a character's life, and feel that sex is not ubiquitous in new adult titles.

2009 to present

Following the end of the St. Martin's Press contest, the new adult category has become increasingly popular through self-publishing. Major New York publishers are taking self-published authors of these titles and acquiring them for mass market sales. Some authors include:

• Cora Carmack for Losing It
• Sylvia Day for Reflected in You
• Colleen Hoover for Slammed and Point of Retreat
• Jamie McGuire for Beautiful Disaster
• Tammara Webber for Easy

Authors

Some noteworthy authors of the category include:

• Gemma Burgess
• Katy Evans
• Abbi Glines
• Sarah J. Maas
• Casey McQuiston
• J.A. Redmerski
• Sylvain Reynard
• Jessica Sorensen

References

References

1. Beckett, Sandra L. (2008). [https://archive.org/details/crossoverfiction0000beck/mode/2up ''Crossover Fiction: Global and Historical Perspectives'']. pp. [https://archive.org/details/crossoverfiction0000beck/page/110/mode/2up 111], [https://archive.org/details/crossoverfiction0000beck/page/118/mode/2up 119–126] {{Registration required.
2. Jae-Jones, S.. "St. Martin's New Adult Contest".
3. Chappell, Briony. (10 September 2012). "Would you read novels aimed at 'new adults'?". [[The Guardian]].
4. Donahue, Deirdre. (15 April 2013). "New Adult fiction is the hot new category in books". [[USA Today]].
5. Howison, Del. "Karl Alexander Interview Part 3".
6. (15 November 2012). "'New Adult' Fiction Is Now an Official Literary Genre Because Marketers Want Us to Buy Things".
7. Deahl, Rachel. (2012-12-14). "New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak Or Valued Subgenre?".
8. Kaufman, Leslie. (21 December 2012). "Beyond Wizards and Vampires, to Sex". [[The New York Times]].
9. (May 2024). "'New Adult' books growing up". [[Lansing State Journal]].
10. "Emerging 'New Adult' Book Genre Puts Smut Fiction on Bestseller Lists". [[ABC News (United States).
11. Berman, Dr. Laura. (2013-02-17). "Are your teens ready for New Adult fiction?". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
12. Lamb, Joyce. (2013-06-09). "Sexy-romance author Kendall Ryan gives New Adult a try". [[USA Today]].
13. Haley. (2019-05-13). "New Adult Favorite: Red, White and Royal Blue Review".
14. Beckett, Sandra L.. (2008). "Crossover Fiction: Global and Historical Perspectives".
15. (30 January 2013). "New Adult- Passing Trend or Legitimate Genre?".
16. "New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak Or Valued Subgenre?".
17. (15 April 2013). "New Adult fiction is the hot new category in books". USA Today.
18. Owen, Laura. (29 November 2012). "With new digital imprints, Random House taps self-published authors".
19. Kaufman, Leslie. (21 December 2012). "Young-Adult Authors Are Creating a Steamy New Genre". [[The New York Times]].
20. (23 February 2013). "Emerging 'New Adult' Book Genre Puts Smut on Top". [[ABC News (United States).
21. (25 December 2012). "New Adult: It's not about the sex (but don't be afraid of the sex either)".
22. Wetta, Molly. (September 2013). "What is New Adult Fiction, Anyway?".
23. Kaufman, Leslie. (14 November 2012). "Self-Published Author Signs a Three-Book Deal, Heralding New Adult Fiction". The New York Times.
24. (14 December 2012). "New Adult: Needless Marketing-Speak Or Valued Subgenre?".
25. (10 August 2012). "Atria Books Inks Deal With New York Times Bestselling Self-Published Author Colleen Hoover".
26. Deahl, Rachel. (11 July 2012). "Atria Inks Self-Pub'd Bestseller McGuire to Two-Book Deal".
27. "Penguin/Razorbill UK Announcement".