New adult fiction is a developing genre of fiction whose protagonists fall in the eighteen to twenty-nine age bracket, formally recognized by the publishing industry when St. Martin's Press coined the term in 2009 while seeking material bridging young adult and traditional adult fiction. Its recurring themes include the transition to independence, romantic and sexual development, and navigating education and early career, and the category has grown substantially in recent years, driven largely by self-published bestselling authors.
Facts
Place of OriginUnited States trade publishing; St. Martin's Press coined the term in 2009 through a special writing contest calling for fiction similar to young adult fiction that could be published and marketed as an older YA or new adult category. 1 Notable ExampleColleen Hoover's Slammed (2012), one of the early self-published new adult novels acquired by a major publishing house as the category moved into mainstream sales. 1 Defining TraitA developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18 to 29 age bracket, positioned to bridge young adult and adult fiction through stories about leaving home, developing sexuality and negotiating education and career choices. 1 Typical Audience Defining Trait FAQs
Why has new adult fiction been controversial?
Critics called it a marketing scheme and doubted its readership; self-published authors proved the market.
The genre originally faced criticism. Some viewed it as a marketing scheme, while others claimed the readership was not there to publish the material. Many agents and large publishing houses have yet to recognize the category, so authors have turned to self-publishing as a way to reach readers. The success of those authors has led many independent publishing houses and agents to open up to the category.
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Source New Adult Fiction (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. New Adult Fiction (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
New adult (NA) fiction is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18-29 age bracket.
Lead paragraph
coined the term in 2009
Lead paragraph, defining sentence
New adult (NA) fiction is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18-29 age bracket.
Lead paragraph, sentence naming the readers
Martin's Press coined the term in 2009, when they held a special call for "fiction similar to young adult fiction (YA) that can be published and marketed as adult-a sort of an 'older YA' or 'new adult'".
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