What is "New Adult?"

jhempel24 · 02-22-2013, 04:27 AM

I saw this from B&N on my facebook feed.

"New Adult is the hot new thing in Romance."

What the heck is "New Adult?"

I'm not a romance reader, but still would like to know.

HarryT · 02-22-2013, 04:29 AM

I'd guess it's stuff aimed at 18-year-olds.

Ripplinger · 02-22-2013, 04:38 AM

I would have guessed along with HarryT, but:

Quote:

Emerging 'New Adult' Book Genre Puts Smut Fiction on Bestseller Lists

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ry?id=18550587

Turtle91 · 02-22-2013, 04:38 AM

Those who grew up with sparkly vampire romance, moving up to Non-sparkly vampire romance??

HarryT · 02-22-2013, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I would have guessed along with HarryT, but:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ry?id=18550587

I don't see that this contradicts my guess? Of course "romance" aimed at 18-year-olds is going to be thinly-disguised porn. What else are 18-year-olds interested in other than sex?

jhempel24 · 02-22-2013, 04:46 AM

Ah...okay....so mommy porn

tubemonkey · 02-22-2013, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'd guess it's stuff aimed at 18-year-olds.

...females. 18 yo males will watch it on the net.

tubemonkey · 02-22-2013, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhempel24

Ah...okay....so mommy porn

very good

HarryT · 02-22-2013, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

...females. 18 yo males will watch it on the net.

Yes. Romance is a genre predominantly aimed at female readers. Not exclusively, though; I'm a big "Jane Austen" fan myself. But her books are an awful lot more than "romance".

meeera · 02-22-2013, 06:39 AM

New Adult encompasses a lot more than smut. YA has drifted down a little over time, now mostly focusing on characters who are in minors in high school or even middle school. If they are romances, they're often first romances. New Adult focuses on characters who are maybe 18-25, who are dealing with quite different challenges and opportunities in their life - tertiary education, finding and dealing with their first full-time job, travelling overseas for the first time, share-housing, first serious/committed romance, etc. There is room for more smut because it's not so aimed at a child audience, but there's a lot more than that in the genre.

DiapDealer · 02-22-2013, 08:07 AM

Young Adult, New Adult, Reluctant Adult, Full-On Adult... they're all just silly marketing labels that often have very little to do with degrees of "adulthood" or even a book's content. It's just about which raccoon they want to dangle the shiny bauble in front of.

Juvenile, adolescent, adult: any other age-oriented label is silly and often just plain misleading... as in this case.

fjtorres · 02-22-2013, 08:17 AM

New Adult is Young adult with explicit sex.
Because explicit sex is easier to market.

Ravensknight · 02-22-2013, 08:21 AM

I think it used to be called "trash". new words, same stuff...

Joykins · 02-22-2013, 10:31 AM

YA is aimed at middle school and high school students, New Adult is aimed at college students and young people starting out in the workplace. Both have coming of age/growing up themes. Because New Adult is aimed at over-18, there is a higher level of spice but I expect that will even out in the end because there are better ways to get pure smut.

In the pursuit of language purity, YA should really be called "teen" and New Adult should be called YA, but the marketing categories are what they are and therefore my 11-year-old can feel proud that he is reading "Young Adult" books as he gobbles down the Hunger Games.

Joykins · 02-22-2013, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhempel24

Ah...okay....so mommy porn

No...trust me, mommy porn is aimed at the 30-85 age group. This is trying to suck in a younger audience. This is some sort of hybrid of chick lit/YA with a touch of erotic romance (i.e. mommy porn)

02-22-2013, 04:27 AM	#1
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	What is "New Adult?" I saw this from B&N on my facebook feed. "New Adult is the hot new thing in Romance." What the heck is "New Adult?" I'm not a romance reader, but still would like to know.

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02-22-2013, 04:29 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'd guess it's stuff aimed at 18-year-olds.

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02-22-2013, 04:46 AM	#6
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	Ah...okay....so mommy porn

02-22-2013, 06:39 AM	#10
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,862 Karma: 68407974 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	New Adult encompasses a lot more than smut. YA has drifted down a little over time, now mostly focusing on characters who are in minors in high school or even middle school. If they are romances, they're often first romances. New Adult focuses on characters who are maybe 18-25, who are dealing with quite different challenges and opportunities in their life - tertiary education, finding and dealing with their first full-time job, travelling overseas for the first time, share-housing, first serious/committed romance, etc. There is room for more smut because it's not so aimed at a child audience, but there's a lot more than that in the genre.

02-22-2013, 08:07 AM	#11
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,883 Karma: 207000000 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Young Adult, New Adult, Reluctant Adult, Full-On Adult... they're all just silly marketing labels that often have very little to do with degrees of "adulthood" or even a book's content. It's just about which raccoon they want to dangle the shiny bauble in front of. Juvenile, adolescent, adult: any other age-oriented label is silly and often just plain misleading... as in this case.

02-22-2013, 08:17 AM	#12
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	New Adult is Young adult with explicit sex. Because explicit sex is easier to market.

02-22-2013, 08:21 AM	#13
Ravensknight Serpent Rider Posts: 1,123 Karma: 10219804 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony 350; Nook STR; Oasis	I think it used to be called "trash". new words, same stuff...

02-22-2013, 10:31 AM	#14
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,612 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	YA is aimed at middle school and high school students, New Adult is aimed at college students and young people starting out in the workplace. Both have coming of age/growing up themes. Because New Adult is aimed at over-18, there is a higher level of spice but I expect that will even out in the end because there are better ways to get pure smut. In the pursuit of language purity, YA should really be called "teen" and New Adult should be called YA, but the marketing categories are what they are and therefore my 11-year-old can feel proud that he is reading "Young Adult" books as he gobbles down the Hunger Games.