The Redefintion of Young Adult

The Young Adult Library Services Association is the division of the American Library Association which focuses on

 "library services for teens, aged 12-18."

But is "Young Adult' the equivalent of "teen"?  Is the definition of a Young Adult someone only between the ages of 12 and 18?

The advent of Young Adult literature in its current form is still so relatively young, maybe twenty years since publishing divisions first started creating divisions for those readers between children and adults and libraries have created departments that seek to serve those readers. In its infancy Young Adult literature and its audience was defined narrowly as for teenagers.

I happen to think the time has come to revisit the initial definition of "Young Adult" and here are a few reasons why:

• As the genre has expanded and diversified, the audience has expanded and diversified. Those who are responsible for the majority of purchases of Young Adult literature for their own reading consumption (as opposed to gift giving) are over the age of 18.
• As the genre has diversified, so too have the characters portrayed in them. More characters in Young Adult literature are in their post-collegiate years, ages 18-20. It's become so diverse that an entirely new subgenre of literature has sprung up in recent years: "New Adult" defined as more risqué novels marketed to women in their early twenties, among others. Much of these "New Adult" titles are cataloged as Young Adult novels in libraries.
• The genre has gone on to produce not only rich novels, but cinematic novels. Movies based on young adult novels are not only being produced in greater numbers, but are being marketed to and attended by a more general audience that includes adults as much as if not more so than teenagers.

I propose a new, broader term to describe the audience between Children and Adult. And all I had to do was come up with a suffix:

 

Younger Adult

My definition of Younger Adult includes pre-teens and teenagers but expands to include later teens ages 18-19 and the audience and readers in their twenties: 18-30 years old.