Bridging the Gap: An Inquiry into New Adult as a Viable Category of Fiction

Abstract

This paper serves as an investigation into the burgeoning fiction category known as “new adult”, a category conceived to appeal to the current post-adolescent age bracket. It traces the category's origins to November 2009 from a submission competition held by St Martin's Press and addresses criticism of new adult that has arisen in the literary community over the past three years. The paper next examines the perspectives of authors of new adult, through commentary by author Hannah Johnson, and the intended audience of new adult, through the commentary of three readers who fall within the relevant bracket. It concludes that the evident hole in the literary market demands the fostering of the new adult category, especially in light of the historical success of the young adult category and also in light of marked reader demand for new adult content.