Early Adult - New Genre?

[Beethovenfan]

I just read a blog post that mentioned Early Adult as a genre aiming at ages 18 - 22. Is this new or am I revealing my ignorance again? I've never heard of it before. My MS deals with this age group and am wondering if I should change my query letter. Right now I list it as fantasy. Hmm...

[cheekychook]

I have heard that age-group referred to as "New Adult" genre-wise. An agent recently reviewed a query geared to that genre. Don't remember who it was....maybe Kate Testerman in her Daphne blog?

It is a relatively new genre and I don't think votes are in as to whether or not it's going to take off, but it is definitely the place for books that take place during the college years but still have a more YA feel to them.

[Beethovenfan]

NEW Adult - yes, you are right. I'm glad to know it's relatively new, and that I'm not quite SO ignorant. :/
Thanks Cheekychook! :)

[polymath]

A point could be made that most if not all literature is about intitiation. Life stage initiation, initiation to negotiating larger-than life, life-defining problems. Early adult can be seen as the life stage where protagonists are legally responsible for their actions but still exploring boundaries and forming self-identity. Identity formation doesn't stop until the bitter end, by the way. Early adult is the age of youthful indiscretions, perhaps foregiveable, sometimes not, that influence initiation into full adulthood.

Primary grade readers, initiation to reading.
Middle grade readers, initiation to public social indoctrination with black and white social ideals, values, and mores.
Young adult readers, initiation to self-identity formation with grayer social ideals, values, and mores.
Early adult readers, initiation to full adult identity formation with multiple viewpoint social ideals, values, and mores.
Adult readers, initiation ongoing as life change circumstances arise. Initiation into full adulthood, midlife initiation, later life initiation, twilight life initiation, initiation to the end game; job and lifestyle and acquaintance and friend and family and love interest and habitat and etc., life changes.

A hint about older adult readers, we're a bit on the enlightened side when it comes to handling problems. We who are enlightened a bit by our age and experience tend to believe age shouldn't matter, but know why age can matter. A high magnitude crisis for a middle grader to us seems as difficult to navigate as a speed bump in a parking lot. We experience them daily, nightly, and twice as lightly because we have a regular diet of them.

Our wisdom comes from having been there and done that many, many times, many trials and errors. We understand, though. Knowing when best to intervene, advise, or let matters take their natural course on their own is where we run awry. Or we're conflicted by our cognitive biases and desires to save you-all some of the heartache we went through. Mostly, we really mean well, even if our self-serving agendas seem sometimes to get in the way.

[Down the well]

Hey Beethovenfan.

Someone asked about this in the Ask Nathan thread awhile back. Here's what Nathan said about it.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=4&start=610

[sierramcconnell]

If we're going to have new genres, can we have an adult child genre, too? XD

[saraflower]

I hope that new adult does become a full fledged genre. But I think the age group should go up to 29 or 30. People in their late 20's are definitely still in that youthful indiscretion, self-identity struggle phase.

[Beethovenfan]

Hey Beethovenfan.

Someone asked about this in the Ask Nathan thread awhile back. Here's what Nathan said about it.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=4&start=610

Thanks! I'll check that out right now. :)

[polymath]

I hope that new adult does become a full fledged genre. But I think the age group should go up to 29 or 30. People in their late 20's are definitely still in that youthful indiscretion, self-identity struggle phase.

Human physical brain development doesn't end until age 25 and is comparatively consistent across the board. Early midlife crisis onset starts in the middle thirties. Yeah, post college and job placements are still a learning curve well into the late twenties. I believe writer labeling and gatekeeper appreciation will adopt/has already adopted the early adult genre as an age appropriate grouping category. I first ran into the term early adult back a decade or so ago, though literature relevant for that age grouping predates it. Whether the marketplace adopts it wholeheartedly, I don't know. The big box bookstore era looks like it's waning, where shelf space hasn't been at a costly premium. Mom and pop bookstores are already miffed by all the latest many sub-subcatetorizations going on. Maybe online booksellers will adopt it. Amazon hasn't gotten there yet.

[saraflower]

Yeah it should be interesting to see how popular it gets - if it does.

[CharleeVale]

Speaking as writer smack dab in the '18-22' category, i like this age range for new adult. Because there really isn't alot of stuff written for our age range. Sure, we can read young adult books, but sometimes those are so short I can read them within hours. My view of new adult is that it should be the same subject matter as young adult (Plotwise, subgenres, characters), but more in depth with length and the details of the plot etc.

CV