As good news from the publishing abounds in both the print and digital realms, one area in particular is experiencing a full-fledged revival. Both the young adult and middle grade genres, tabulated in terms of sales in the children’s book category, are posting numbers that show a clear rise in sales.
One of the reasons for this popularity is the mass appeal of one series evolving into a full category, for example, the popularity of The Twilight Saga leading to a wealth of titles in the young adult paranormal category. In addition to a larger selection of titles within a genre thanks to the marketing appeal of key books, more and more adults are making the switch to YA titles, meaning there’s an even broader audience for these books.
Also, more and more YA titles are being made into film adaptations, which can lead to stronger sales for the remaining books in a series as moviegoers purchase books to find out what will happen to the characters from a popular movie.
Finally, it would appear that some of the original trends in YA ebooks are shifting. From the beginning, teen readers were the demographic that was least likely to adopt digital reading, opting to reserve their handheld devices for other social pursuits. But whether it’s the older audience or that teens are finally coming around to ebooks, more YA titles than ever are garnering better sales numbers in digital.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
