Over the last couple of years, a new type of book has emerged. Not a traditional adult book and definitely not a YA (young adult) book, these books, deemed “NA” (New Adult) are taking the publishing world by storm across both the traditional and indie landscapes.
So what is a NA book? Well, it’s aimed at readers aged 18-24 and its characters are usually of that age range as well.
That’s all.
Notice that I missed something?
I didn’t say anything about what these books are about.
That’s because NA is a category of books, not a genre.
Categories of books include NA, YA, novels, and nonfiction, because they don’t communicate anything about the book’s content other than whether it’s true or not, and sometimes the age range it’s meant for.
Genres of books say something about what the book is about. Sci-fi/fantasy, romance, memoir, biography, history, and mysteries are all designations that tell you on a basic level what a book is about.
If you want to an amazing elevator speech, you need to know both your book’s category and it’s genre, because stating both is the easiest way to communicate the content and audience of your project.
Perhaps even more importantly, when it comes time to market and sell your book, filing it under the right genre and category will make it easier for right readers (the ones who love the kinds of books you write) to find and buy your book.
So know the difference, and use your book’s category and genre to your advantage!
Categories and designations are becoming even more important as they are used with online search engines instead of where the books were shelved in stores or libraries.
I have been calling the New Adult category, a genre for a few weeks, but after reading your blog post, I think we do need to categorize it accurately since this category is swinging up in online bookstores.
Also, I found a webpage on harlequin.com discussing the age range of New Adult books and there were a few conclusions:
-The age range of the characters are roughly between the ages of 18-30(there is a small debate about the age of “30” however it is an age of change as well or when people just finish college or thinking of going back).
-It is more “emotionally” intense”
-More sensual/sex scenes, although this is not the aim of the category.
-The POV tends be more in first person and we usually get the male perspective as well.
So far I have read a few books in this category and they are quite intense and are alright to me. Now that I look back, I realize plenty of books I have read, are New Adult.
Thanks for the post!