Assignment: Choose any two of the following teen imprints and spend some time on their websites. Blog about any trends you find in either current or forthcoming teen fiction.
My first thought as I look at the pages of teen imprints like Harlequin Teen and Teens at Random is that I prefer to read blogs and sites that are not affiliated with a publisher, simply because they offer broader coverage and less biased (possibly? hopefully?) reviews. Some books are just meh, but the publisher isn't going to say that! Also, I think it's more helpful, as I think I've said elsewhere in this blog, to see the books that are getting a lot of buzz or attention from a range of reviewers. That being said, there are always books that inexplicably don't seem to be "on the radar" but truly deserve more attention than they receive.
As far as trends that I pick up as I look at these sites...dystopian, zombies, and other paranormal fiction is still popular, without a doubt, as are books with fairy tale elements. Honestly, I find it hard to judge trends by looking at publisher sites. While you can see what's being published, that's not always the same as what kids are actually reading or asking for in the branch. If I want to really look for trends, I would not start with publisher sites, I'd look at independent reviews and blogs and bestseller lists.
No comments:
Post a Comment