It must have started with Judy Blume. Somewhere around that same time when Forever came out and adults were in an uproar from its frank sexual content. From that point on, books marketed for a young adult audience have been slowly increasing their range of content and subject matter and tackling all kinds of controversial, albeit relevant topics.
Everything from homosexuality, rape, abuse, self-mutilation, mental illness/suicide, eating disorders and any kind of addiction imaginable became plots or sub-plots of YA novels.
Parents at first became worried at what their tweens and teens were reading, however it was only a matter of time until adults became bored with their targeted fiction selections and wandered inconspicuously into the YA section of their local bookstore to find out what the fuss was about. Curiosity led the way to a new trend of adults indulging in the guilty pleasure of YA novels.
YA Book Sales Increasing Despite a General Decrease in Overall Book Sales
From a publisher's standpoint, it is clear that YA books are selling better than their adult counterparts. According to the Book Industry Study Group, sales of YA books have increased by 23 percent since 1993 while adult book sales have decreased in the same time period by one percent. Clearly there are a lot of people reading and buying YA books, and for the publishers this is a good thing.
YA Books are the New Chick Lit
It was only a few years ago when the genre of 'chick lit' (novels geared toward 20-something females) was all the rage. It was difficult to pass a bookstore or turn on the television without hearing about Bridget Jones' s Diary, The Devil Wears Prada or Sex and the City.
Once the genre took off, it became inundated with chick lit. It became inescapable, to the point where readers became bored. How many books about single women looking for love, escaping a hellish employer or a play-by-play of their sexual conquests could be read before the target demographic got bored and moved on? Interestingly, at around the time that chick lit hit its plateau, YA books were beginning their incline.
YA's Appeal to Adult Readers
So what is it about the YA genre that has adults and teens alike flocking the shelves for the latest book in the Gossip Girl series? Mainly because it fills a gap that ex-chick lit readers have been hungry for.
Consider the subject matter disclosed in a large majority of popular YA fiction, most of it resembles at its core, the things that made chick lit and other adult fiction so popular: a mix of social and societal trends and a light, easy-reading appeal. Factor in the steamy R-rated scenes and it's easy to understand the appeal YA has on a large audience.
The bottom line is that YA is more a point-of-view as opposed to a particular age demographic. They are fun, light and easy to digest. As for the racy content, it's just one more reason adults can indulge in these books without the lingering feeling of being a literary pedophile.
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