tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post2286938425198590893..comments2018-03-06T22:45:03.764-05:00Comments on Bittersweet Trail: Dear BordersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03627629480720815352noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-50490018378604053382010-09-11T08:48:28.367-04:002010-09-11T08:48:28.367-04:00I'm going to put on my marketing and teaching ...I'm going to put on my marketing and teaching hat on at the same time. Why not do tie-ins. See, teens are going to run far and fast from the "literature" section on principle alone. They probably feel they read enough "literature" in school, literature that's been forced upon them. Sometimes rebellion combines with not knowing what's good for you, and you miss out on something really cool. They probably would love a lot of the "cross over" adult titles, like Prep for instance. So, what I would do if I owned Borders, I'd have "lug-on" holder things that take the hottest YA titles and attach them to the literature shelves next to the titles that are similar to them. Something like "If you liked [insert YA title here], you'll love. Or vice versa--stick literary titles on the shelves of YA. Mix 'em in but recognize they are different. And change the name from literature to just plain FICTION. How's that for sales genius and getting teens to open their minds.William Friskeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13892220496102673299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-18190862244614074382010-09-10T23:46:04.217-04:002010-09-10T23:46:04.217-04:00I agree with you and I don't. Okay, you have a...I agree with you and I don't. Okay, you have a point that probably the majority of young adults don't want the literary equivalent of liver shoved in their faces. But they're the ones who aren't going to be reading much more than pop fiction anyway more often than not, planting their tushes in front of the TV or computer screen. So, does that mean we to "dumb" the rest of them down, and not give them exposure to the great works of literature? It's like letting them eat chicken nuggets all the time instead of trying something new. Sure, edgy, current writing has a place, but it's not all there is. Young adults don't need any more coddling; take away the 'young' and that's what they'll be someday. There's a wonderful, wide world of reading out there. Either we expose them to it, or let them remain so ignorant of it, Harry Potter will one day be shelved in the Literature section.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-1714356708805042282010-09-09T17:42:09.078-04:002010-09-09T17:42:09.078-04:00It's possible to go around and around about wh...It's possible to go around and around about what constitutes a young-adult novel, and every time states the theory conclusively a book comes along to debunk it. Why is The Member of the Wedding not ya? What about A Prayer for Owen Meany? etc. <br /><br />As for Borders, I'm convinced they're not really trying to sell books. Compare notes at a B & N (or Indigo, if you happen to go to Canada) and independent bookstores. R.J. Julia, nearish you in Madison, is one of the finest, also Bank Square in Mystic. I wonder what their book buyers would say about your questions?Karen Romano Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17247467378375997627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-91713816248290207542010-09-05T08:19:39.187-04:002010-09-05T08:19:39.187-04:00I think now it's a service, at least from a sa...I think now it's a service, at least from a sales point-of-view. If it's got teens in it at all, I think, if sales is what you're worried about, you call it YA. It seems adults and teens just go to the YA section and ignore the rest of the store. Like I said, nobody wants to pleasure read "literature." At least not the average Joe not in academia. As far of the difference, the world may never know. My initial impression as I set out this semester to determine just that, YA is on average shorter, possibly written in more of a younger, hipper dialect, and has cooler, hipper cover art. But none of those are hard and fast rules. I THINK what I'm seeing, though, is that coming of age set in the past (back when the author was growing up) that have this intangible, hard to describe, retrospective or nostalgic feel for childhood, seem to be adult books; whereas, (if not set in a fantasy world) YA is taking place in a contemporary setting, with today's culture, not a past one, being the setting for the coming of age. Feels current--sometimes even present tense. So--IF my impression is right, we'd have to ask ourselves if (when they were first released) Catcher and Tequilla Mockingbird were written as in the now or retrospective. I think in today's marketplace, Catcher would be young adult (he's still a teen while narrating the story), but TKAM feels like a narrator looking back being an adult now. Not to mention, Scout was not a "young adult" at the time of the action. So, I say Catcher=YA and TKAM=adult. If I remember correctly, I think TKAM is a bit denser in language and just plain longer than Catcher. Catcher is written in teen dialect. That's my final answer.William Friskeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13892220496102673299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-29124851294781064422010-09-05T07:41:38.346-04:002010-09-05T07:41:38.346-04:00I'm curious - is just about all YA lit genre-i...I'm curious - is just about all YA lit genre-ically (not generically) "Coming of Age" stuff? Otherwise, what else distingushes it? Is there a better way of classifying it than by designating the age of its (supposedly intended) audience? I'd never call Catcher and TKaM YA - so is the YA label more a disservice ?Laura B. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11707267303403391146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-4039002688055556112010-09-04T20:40:46.395-04:002010-09-04T20:40:46.395-04:00Tried a different Borders with a huge YA section. ...Tried a different Borders with a huge YA section. What if Joe Borders at the other Borders was just stupid? Uh oh.William Friskeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13892220496102673299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-62111900556230138842010-09-04T11:30:20.440-04:002010-09-04T11:30:20.440-04:00Hey Bill! Why don't you tell us how you really...Hey Bill! Why don't you tell us how you really feel? I'm not sure about your position on this issue...hehe<br /><br />Actually, I think both YA and romance are among the highest selling genres. It's cool that YA has become so popular. I think the writing is becoming more intelligent, which is a good thing. Maybe that's why kids are reading it now...because it's finally worth reading.<br /><br />And like Angie, we actually have a Barnes and Noble here(imagine that, people in the Northern Plains actually read!) and they separated the YA section from the kids section here too. The YA section actually isn't too bad. They've got a couple of separate display tables plus at least 2 long shelving units full of YA. Of course, I couldn't find one of the books I was looking for (Incarceron, by Catharine Fisher), but otherwise they have a pretty good selection. <br /><br />Can't wait to see your book(s) on the shelves...M. Bailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12811654487507824088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214755599534126678.post-75412724826998286562010-09-04T11:07:39.254-04:002010-09-04T11:07:39.254-04:00I never go to Borders, but the Barnes and Noble ne...I never go to Borders, but the Barnes and Noble near us recently redid their whole YA section, moving it away from kids. It looks smaller, but that could just be cuz the shelves are shorter. Nevertheless, I noticed that all of my favorite authors are either not on the shelves or have their book spines sitting out - so you can't see the covers. I imagine that all the better selling books have arrangements with the store or something so their covers show. I'm tempted to go through there and re-arrange them to my liking. I mean how many vampire books do you need to promote? yeah, I wouldn't be a very good marketing manager either.Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12526875813399934443noreply@blogger.com