In preparing my new book for publication I ran into a dilemma when asked: What Genre is it?

I thought it could be a Young Adult contemporary romance, or maybe a paranormal romance. It has the content of a paranormal romance in that it is an unusual story.  It is set  in the modern world, with the protagonist a Twenty-Two year old  female college student, with issues focusing on leaving home; developing as a woman; becoming independent; considering different career choices, and could be classified as “ New Adult”  for aged 18-25.

I asked Google, and found that there is much on this subject.

In Molly Wetta’s Newsletter, she says New Adult was first  marketed by St. Martin’s Press in 2009, after asking for submissions similar to young adult but focusing on the 18-25 or 30, group still discovering who they are and what they want. Some believe it is the step between young adult and adult books. Some like it. Others think it is a foolish and absurd category.

Blogspot.com also addressed this subject. They say the YA target audience is teenagers.  The NA target is older and living in the present, trying to be independent after leaving home for the first time. They are juggling new adult experiences and attempting to  handle life in the present, and at the same time deciding how they fit into the adult world.

Goodreads lists New Adult fiction as focusing on the period in life where you are becoming an adult. The contents are more mature in that they may face a serious relationship and heartbreak.

However, there is a need for books about characters aged 18-25 . Many of the new novels are fast-paced, focusing on experiences in life beyond the teenage years, and the publishing world reports that more and more titles are being marketed as New Adult. A reason could be because they found that NA fiction is reader-driven, and popular with readers who prefer e-books.

This is such an interesting topic— you may want to read more. As previously stated, there are many opinions on this subject and I could not cover all the information I found. Listed below are the internet addresses of those I referred to.

Goodreads:           https://www.goodreads.com

Blogspot:   http://avajae.blogspot.com

Ebscohost.com: MollyWetta:https://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/what-is-new-adult-fiction-anyway

 Happy Writing, Paula