I traveled to my local Borders today to conduct some research. I wanted to know what teens were reading. The teen section was HUGE, way bigger than it was when I was a teen. When I was a teenager we had one shelf--no joke.
I started browsing the titles, picking up one book at a time to read the flap. The cover art on these books was amazing--way better than the BORING crap publishers tend to put on the cover of adult fiction. Wonder why that is?
Anyway, I found myself overwhelmed. There were just so many titles, so many books, so many authors! How did I discover what was being read and what wasn't? What books were teen readers looking at? Why? What authors do they like to read? What are their favorite books? I just didn't know.
So I decided to write this blog in hopes that teens who read it will be willing to leave me a quick comment. What kind of books do you like? What are some of your favorites? Are there any books in particular you think I should totally read right away ('cause I'll read them---I swear)? Do you have any favorite authors? What book do you want to read--but you haven't found one like it yet? Could you help me out here? I want to write amazing books for teen readers. I want to write what you want to read.
Also, don't forget to scroll down and take a peek at the contest. There's still time for you to win a $10 giftcard to your favorite bookstore!
You know that I personally love Neil Gaiman. He's not really a teen fiction author, but he's amazing for the fantasy. Um... As far as teen fiction authors, I have two favorites. One is John Green, who has written books such as Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. Katherines is really fun and quirky, while Alaska is more sad and thought provoking. I also like Kenneth Oppel, especially his Matt Cruse series. It's a period fantasy set in the early 1900s. It has adventure and romance and humor and both of the main characters are insane, but very realistic.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like fantasy books. But they have to have strong, likable characters (not Twilight). I also like a mix of mystery, adventure, romance, and humor. I'd say from what I've read so far, you've done a really good job mixing these elements and making them interesting.
I love Neil Gaiman! I'll have to look into Green and Oppel. Thanks for the suggestions and the comment. Also, thanks for being part of my teen reader panel for the book. I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteDarren Shan for sure. He wrote Cirque du Freak and the Demonata books that I love so much. NOT STEPHANIE MAYER... I do not care what people say about the books. She sucks. Um I'm with Katie on the Matt Cruise books. Those are awesome. Um I like the House of Night books. (more vampires. I know sue me) I also like Dragons and Elves and stuff like that. Im a fantasy girl.
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