Yes, marketing plays a part. But it’s a oversimplification to characterize a whole field of literature to “just marketing”. The category isn’t a recent tag of publishers. I took a course in ya and children’s literature in university 45 years ago. And the survey of published works reached back centuries.
So it’s one thing to say you don’t enjoy ya or find the term useful in helping you select a book. But generations of authors have specialized in ya, as many still do today. And achievements in the field are recognized through highly respected awards. So dismissing ya as just a marketing ploy is a bit of an overreach, I think
