I’ve been seeing articles and blog postings pop up with a bit more frequency in recent week regarding the emergence of the New Adult genre, so I figured I’d have to take a swing at it myself.
Then again, when USA Today is writing stories about it, it becomes rather hard to ignore.
As it has been explained, New Adult is apparently the genre that bridges the gap between traditional young adult and older adult fare. From what I’ve read, New Adult sounds exactly as advertised, tackling subject matters that would be a bit mature for YA, such as going to college, drugs and alcohol and sexuality, yet would be a little young for the adult crowd.
Evidently, this genre has taken a little bit of time to get off the ground. But, thanks to the romance side of the new genre, New Adult is taking flight. And there are even blogs dedicated to the genre, including the widely-cited NA Alley.
Of course, this leads me to my own question: Is this where Flagrant Foul and Dilemma have belonged all this time?
The short answer? Yes!
Now, as I browse through some of the more popular New Adult titles (And no, folks, 50 Shades of Grey is NOT in this genre!), the subject matter tends to be on the more romantic side, and the author demographic seems to lean in one direction (Hint: not mine). But despite all that, I can make the argument that both Flagrant Foul and Dilemma fit the New Adult bill.
Both books are set in college, a key component of the genre, and the subject matter certainly falls within the guidelines of being a bit old for the teenage crowd. This tends to happen when a good percentage of scenes in both books involve the copious consumption of alcohol.
I should say, though, that my primary self-publishing outlets are a little slow on the uptake with New Adult. For example, there’s no such category for me to choose from at Smashwords. So, with that said, if New Adult is legitimate now, sign me up, and self-publishing site, get with the program!
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