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London Times on "edgy" YA
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From: Steve Viggiano <SVIGGIANO>
Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 14:31:21 -0400
Good afternoon,
The London Times article certainly covers a lot of ground. A question came to my mind, which was addressed, partially, in the article with the following:
"It?s simply a matter of the market recognising the sophistication of teenagers and not assuming that they are all one homogenous group reading the same sort of thing. Children want different kinds of books in just the same way that adults do ? it?s just taken publishers a while to catch on to that, but now we have."
My question is this: How do publishing houses determine what teenagers want to read? As librarians, as information providers trying to fill a community need, we have our own method of gathering information. We read reviews, analyze our communities, and talk to our patrons. Publishing houses, on the other hand, are businesses looking to make a profit. Do publishing houses produce edgy YA books because there is a demand for them? Or do teenagers read edgy YA books because that's what publishing houses produce?
Teenagers have a good deal of disposable income, and businesses go to great lengths to determine what they're interested in. How does one do market research on reading interests and habits? Any ideas? Perhaps I'm missing something obvious, but I'm interested in hearing somebody's take on this.
Steve Viggiano Manchester City Library
For those who are interested, there's a timely London Times article related to our subject this month.
I received this link from an SCBWI email newsletter:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7f5753,00.html
The article discusses the short-listing of two novels with explicit material for the Carnegie award and what this development bodes for the future of children's publishing.
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Received on Mon 05 May 2003 01:31:21 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 14:31:21 -0400
Good afternoon,
The London Times article certainly covers a lot of ground. A question came to my mind, which was addressed, partially, in the article with the following:
"It?s simply a matter of the market recognising the sophistication of teenagers and not assuming that they are all one homogenous group reading the same sort of thing. Children want different kinds of books in just the same way that adults do ? it?s just taken publishers a while to catch on to that, but now we have."
My question is this: How do publishing houses determine what teenagers want to read? As librarians, as information providers trying to fill a community need, we have our own method of gathering information. We read reviews, analyze our communities, and talk to our patrons. Publishing houses, on the other hand, are businesses looking to make a profit. Do publishing houses produce edgy YA books because there is a demand for them? Or do teenagers read edgy YA books because that's what publishing houses produce?
Teenagers have a good deal of disposable income, and businesses go to great lengths to determine what they're interested in. How does one do market research on reading interests and habits? Any ideas? Perhaps I'm missing something obvious, but I'm interested in hearing somebody's take on this.
Steve Viggiano Manchester City Library
For those who are interested, there's a timely London Times article related to our subject this month.
I received this link from an SCBWI email newsletter:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7f5753,00.html
The article discusses the short-listing of two novels with explicit material for the Carnegie award and what this development bodes for the future of children's publishing.
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mailto:ccbc-net-unsub at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Received on Mon 05 May 2003 01:31:21 PM CDT
