YA in the UK, some thoughts. By Keren David.

I have a new book out. Go me! And as I’ve got a new book out, I’ve been hanging around a lot in bookshops. You know what it’s like. First you find the section, in my case teen or Young Adult. Then you look for your name. You find your shelfmates, who are often your friends in real life. And then you count your books, rearrange them face out, stroke them and try and use mind-melding techniques to get any browsing shoppers to pick them up and buy them.  

Is the answer more self-promotion? 

That’s if there are any books, and if there are any shoppers.

I visited a big bookstore the other day. It’s one I go to every now and again, as it’s in a city I visit maybe once a year. I love it. It’s got a huge range of books, comfy chairs, hand-written recommendations and there are always lots of people browsing and buying.

In the last few years it developed a teen section. It was brilliantly positioned, right by the adult fiction, somewhere to showcase a wide range of books that might appeal to readers of various ages. 

But on this visit, that section had disappeared. I walked around the shop and could not find it. In the end I found a separate room marked ‘Children’s section’. I walked past Gruffalos and Peter Rabbits, past early readers and Lewis Carroll, past Roald Dahl and David Walliams…and more Walliams…. And there I found the teen/Young Adult section. Tucked away in a corner. 

There were no teenagers there. There were no twenty-somethings there. There was no one there except me. 

I checked for my books -  they had several (the new one wasn't out yet). I looked for the books written by friends and found many. I saw a lot of great books that  people would love to read.  I did a little rearranging. I did no invisible mind-melding, because there was no one to meld with.

I left for  adult fiction. As I looked around there I noticed that one YA book had escaped from exile. Multiple copies were piled onto a table in a  prominent spot. Its very own table.  There was a  hand-written recommendation, proclaiming it an important book. And yes, it is a good book.I was glad to see it promoted to readers of all ages.

 But where was the nudge in the direction of other, quite similar, books? Where should readers go who want to read more books like this? No nudge, no suggestions, no context. The marketing ploy for YA in this particular store seemed to be to make one  YA book look special and different by hiding the fact that there are a whole load of other books which also have important themes and capture a young person's viewpoint. 

At the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) last week, there was a fabulous atmosphere. There were many teen readers, often accompanied by parents. There were many 20-something readers and older adults too.  But it also seemed  - despite the enthusiasm, despite the energy, despite the general wonderfulness of the whole event - that the market for YA in the UK is pretty small. Niche was the word that sprang to my mind. 

 Blame it on our crazy exam system, blame it on kindles and Youtube, blame it on library cuts, whatever you want, Young Adult is still a small market in the UK. We have the talent. We have amazing publishers. But where are the readers?  

This week I had a conversation with a work colleague. He’s 26. He loves reading Young Adult books, he assured me. The coming of age themes resonate throughout your twenties, he said. Other colleagues of a similar age agree. But by YA they means the books that make it into the mainstream media, or are heavily promoted by publishers and booksellers. John Green. Rainbow Rowell. Veronica Roth. Sarah J Maas. They’re not looking further. They couldn’t name any British YA writers. 

This made me sad. And it also made me feel like a bit of a failure. A few years ago I , alongside fellow authors Keris Stainton (who did all the work) and Susie Day set up a website and started promoting UKYA. We wanted to raise the profile of British authors and British books. We succeeded, up to a point. #UKYA is a hashtag to be reckoned with. There are regular #UKYAchat sessions on Twitter. Lovely bloggers set up #UKYA events and shout about #UKYA books. And many more British YA authors are being published. 

But has the market for YA in the UK grown? Not that much, I suspect. 

 Authors that I know are asking themselves whether they should  age down, go for that popular ‘clean teen’ market? Or is the answer to age up a bit and leave the children’s section behind? Maybe we need to think less about the ‘young’ bit and more about the ‘adult’? After all, John Green’s  massive hit The Fault in Our Stars was published as an adult book in the UK. 

Is the answer more self-promotion? Does social media make a difference? Or are we expending time and energy on reminding the same people again and again that they might like to read our books? Is it possible that the YA market in the UK is going to be entirely dominated by people who have become famous by making videos on YouTube?  Should I be writing a book that Zoella might like?

I love YA. I love writing it and I love reading it. I love the YA books that I read when I was young – books by Honor Arundel, KM Peyton, Joan Lingard. I love the books that I read now. I believe that books read as a young adult can change your life. I also think that it’s important that YA books should come from all over the world, reflecting young people’s experience and opening their minds to other cultures as well. 

But how can we find a broader audience? Any ideas?

Cuckoo by Keren David was published by Atom on August 4th. 

YA in the UK, some thoughts. By Keren David.

I have a new book out. Go me! And as I’ve got a new book out, I’ve been hanging around a lot in bookshops. You know what it’s like. First you find the section, in my case teen or Young Adult. Then you look for your name. You find your shelfmates, who are often your friends in real life. And then you count your books, rearrange them face out, stroke them and try and use mind-melding techniques to get any browsing shoppers to pick it up and buy it.  

Is the answer more self-promotion? 

That’s if there are any books, and if there are any shoppers.

I visited a big bookstore the other day. It’s one I go to every now and again, as it’s in a city I visit maybe once a year. I love it. It’s got a huge range of books, comfy chairs, hand-written recommendations and there are always lots of people browsing and buying.

In the last few years it developed a teen section. It was brilliantly positioned, right by the adult fiction, somewhere to showcase a wide range of books that might appeal to readers of various ages. 

But on this visit, that section had disappeared. I walked around the shop and could not find it. In the end I found a separate room marked ‘Children’s section’. I walked past Gruffalos and Peter Rabbits, past early readers and Lewis Carroll, past Roald Dahl and David Walliams…and more Walliams…. And there I found the teen/Young Adult section. Tucked away in a corner. 

There were no teenagers there. There were no twenty-somethings there. There was no one there except me. 

I checked for my books -  they had several (the new one wasn't out yet). I looked for the books written by friends and found many. I saw a lot of great books that  people would love to read.  I did a little rearranging. I did no invisible mind-melding, because there was no one to meld with.

I left for  adult fiction. As I looked around there I noticed that one YA book had escaped from exile. Multiple copies were piled onto a table in a  prominent spot. It's very own table.  There was a  hand-written recommendation, proclaiming it an important book. And yes, it is a good book.I was glad to see it promoted to readers of all ages.

 But where was the nudge in the direction of other, quite similar, books? Where should readers go who want to read more books like this? No nudge, no suggestions, no context. The marketing ploy for YA in this particular store seemed to be to make one  YA book look special and different by hiding the fact that there are a whole load of other books which also have important themes and capture a young person's viewpoint. 

At the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) last week, there was a fabulous atmosphere. There were many teen readers, often accompanied by parents. There were many 20-something readers and older adults too.  But it also seemed  - despite the enthusiasm, despite the energy, despite the general wonderfulness of the whole event - that the market for YA in the UK is pretty small. Niche was the word that sprang to my mind. 

 Blame it on our crazy exam system, blame it on kindles and Youtube, blame it on library cuts, whatever you want, Young Adult is still a small market in the UK. We have the talent. We have amazing publishers. But where are the readers?  

This week I had a conversation with a work colleague. He’s 26. He loves reading Young Adult books, he assured me. The coming of age themes resonate throughout your twenties, he said. Other colleagues of a similar age agree. But by YA they means the books that make it into the mainstream media, or are heavily promoted by publishers and booksellers. John Green. Rainbow Rowell. Veronica Roth. Sarah J Maas. They’re not looking further. They couldn’t name any British YA writers. 

This made me sad. And it also made me feel like a bit of a failure. A few years ago I , alongside fellow authors Keris Stainton (who did all the work) and Susie Day set up a website and started promoting UKYA. We wanted to raise the profile of British authors and British books. We succeeded, up to a point. #UKYA is a hashtag to be reckoned with. There are regular #UKYAchat sessions on Twitter. Lovely bloggers set up #UKYA events and shout about #UKYA books. And many more British YA authors are being published. 

But has the market for YA in the UK grown? Not that much, I suspect. 

 Authors that I know are asking themselves whether they should  age down, go for that popular ‘clean teen’ market? Or is the answer to age up a bit and leave the children’s section behind? Maybe we need to think less about the ‘young’ bit and more about the ‘adult’? After all, John Green’s  massive hit The Fault in Our Stars was published as an adult book in the UK. 

Is the answer more self-promotion? Does social media make a difference? Or are we expending time and energy on reminding the same people again and again that they might like to read our books? Is it possible that the YA market in the UK is going to be entirely dominated by people who have become famous by making videos on YouTube?  Should I be writing a book that Zoella might like?

I love YA. I love writing it and I love reading it. I love the YA books that I read when I was young – books by Honor Arundel, KM Peyton, Joan Lingard. I love the books that I read now. I believe that books read as a young adult can change your life. I also think that it’s important that YA books should come from all over the world, reflecting young people’s experience and opening their minds to other cultures as well. 

But how can we find a broader audience? Any ideas?

Cuckoo by Keren David was published by Atom on August 4th. 

An Enforced Rest by Keren David

Back in January I decided to go to my local children’s bookshop to see if they had my new book in stock. Maybe I could sign their copies? Luckily I managed to park just a few yards from their door.

But as soon as I got out of the car I was in agony. My knee was a mass of shrieking nerves. I could hardly walk the few steps to the shop door. I had to hold onto the windows of the neighbouring shops and hop (so determined was I to see my book on the shelves that I didn’t consider giving up). 

Once in the shop I was in so much pain that the kind staff had to get me a chair, and, once I’d signed their stock and bought a copy for my uncle, the owner insisted on accompanying me back to my car, which I could drive, fortunately, because it was my left knee and it is an automatic car.

Just under four months later, I am recovering from an operation on a badly torn cartilage. I am suffering less pain every day, doing my physiotherapy exercises, and looking forward to being able to walk for more than 15 minutes at a time. 

I wouldn’t say it’s been an entirely negative experience though. The enforced rest which comes after surgery or illness is an unusual experience in today’s busy world. It gave me a chance to reflect on my lifestyle, and how little time I spend away from computer or car.  As I read, watched Masterchef and Game of Thrones, listened to music, or just snoozed, I found ideas for my current book blossomed in a way that doesn’t happen when I’m actively trying to focus.

Convalescence and illness are at the heart of some of my favourite  children’s books. The long road to recovery for Katy after she fell off a swing in What Katy Did. The scary rocks with eyes in Catherine Storr’s Marianne Dreams. Harriet’s wobbly legs which need building up through ice-skating in Noel Streatfeild’s White Boots, Colin's mysterious illness in The Secret Garden.  As a writer I get impatient when I have to nurse a character through an illness or injury, because it slows the book down – I can completely understand why Sally Green plumped for self-healing as a magical gift in her debut Half Bad. But as a reader, as a child, I loved these stories of rest and recovery.   

Nowadays some of our most successful children's books are about illness, disability, mental illness and accidents requiring intensive care. Books such as John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and R J Palacio's Wonder have won prizes and become best sellers. 

Am I right to think that today's medical dramas are more dramatic than the tales of slow healing from the past? They are more likely to be about death and prejudice, than fresh air and gentle exercise.  Are there modern books about overcoming the tedium of not being able to do very much for a while? 

My dodgy knee has made me rethink my plans for a study in my house. I have decided to do without a desk and laptop in the room earmarked for me. I have other places where I can go to write - cafes, tables, other people’s houses. The internet is constantly entertaining and informative, and endlessly distracting. What I need is a room with no screens. A place for  reading and listening to music. A space to shut out the busy-ness of work and family, to let ideas and characters develop. Somewhere for  dreaming, resting, creative  thinking. A place to slow down and think. 

At the moment this room is full of boxes, and needs redecorating thanks to a leaking roof. But when it’s complete, I promise to report back and tell you if it works for me as I hope.