What Teenagers Want to Read and Why They Aren’t Finding It
By: Teresa Grabs
Tags: Writer, Publishing, Young Adult Fiction, Teenagers, Writing

What Teenagers Want to Read and Why They Aren’t Finding It

Photo by Islander Images on Unsplash

It is harder than ever to land that elusive publishing contract as more people enter the manuscript market and publishers become less willing to take risks on new writers or build their midlist. The Middle Grade and Young Adult categories are having an identity crisis and suffering from growing pains as the gap between intended reader and most common reader’s age expands. New Adult has never taken off, despite years of public demand. One common complaint I hear from teenagers is: “There is nothing to read.”

NPD Bookscan shows that more than 750,000 print books sold in 2020, which begs the question, “Why can’t teenagers find something to read?”

I have not been able to find any hard surveys regarding what teenagers want to read, so I did the next best thing: I asked my sixteen-year-old son’s online groups (about 100 teenagers) what they were reading and what they were looking for. Their responses surprised me for a moment until I looked at the whole picture.

Without getting too personal, the teenagers I asked are from the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada. They range in age from fifteen to nineteen and have every aspect of the LGBTQ+ rainbow represented. In short, they are a diverse group of individuals who represent the world at large.

I asked my sixteen-year-old son’s online groups (about 100 teenagers) what they were reading and what they were looking for.

If we want to read romance, we’ll read Wattpad

As a writer and editor, I read trade magazines, keep a close eye on manuscript wish lists, am a very active reviewer on NetGalley (an advance reading copy service provider), and a common response surprised me. Nearly all the teens said they were tired of romance and soap operas — they have enough of that in real life. However, more than half of the traditionally published YA books in July 2021 are romance or have heavy romantic themes.

Wattpad, an online source for connecting writers and readers, was unanimously identified as the “go-to” when they wanted to read romance. As one teen said, “It’s real romance, not that fake made-for-tv crap that adults think exists in high school.” On the flip side, another teen called Wattpad a “cesspit of poorly written smut.” As the fourth rule of library science states, “Every book, its reader.”

Since the average reader for traditionally published Young Adult novels is a middle-aged woman, the teens’ responses made sense. Books are selected for traditional publishing because they are marketable, and the market is middle-aged women wrapped in a teenage protagonist’s body who want to revisit all the “feels” in a safe and secure package.

Books and stories on Wattpad, however, are not traditionally published. It is home to the self-publisher — the teenager who writes for themselves, the college student who wants to dip their toes into writing, the adult writing non-mass market themes and ideas, the writer listening to the reader’s demands and meeting them. Yes, some traditionally published books started out life on Wattpad (like The Martian) and other online writing sites, but the majority of books never make it to the mass market.

Teens seek connectable situations. They seek to escape from the world adults think they live in. They ache to be seen as free-thinking, multi-faceted people just like adults. They desire platonic relationships, friend groups that don’t revolve around sex, drugs, alcohol, or crime. They thirst for non-sappy adventure and worlds where adults haven’t ruined everything. They yearn for unity and normalization, not forced inclusion. They long to be seen as individuals and find themselves among the crowd. Traditional publishing is about compartments, checkboxes of inclusion to be ticked; self-publishing is about filling the void. As Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Online is best; physical books are for school

Since turning ten, my son hasn’t read a single physical book outside of required school reading. They have, however, devoured thousands of light novels, manga, and other books online — not on a kindle or electronic device — online.

Another common theme in the teens’ responses is that they hate physical books. It pains my heart to hear that as I love physical copies of books and the smell of old tomes sitting on long-forgotten library shelves, but times change. Physical books remind them of school… and assignments… and grades… and everything that ruins the reading experience.

I was slightly surprised that so many teens said they loved nonfiction as much as fiction. Topics were not light and included: World War II biographies and battle accounts, social history, race relations, mythology, and scientific research.

When I asked why they preferred online books, the most provided response was: “Because it’s from the author and supports them.” They want to support the individual creator, not the company that created it (with exceptions made for light novels and manga, which have a different route-to-publication).

While traditional publishers maintain the lead in physical book sales, self-publishers flood the ebook market and online literary market. This creates competition for writers but is a windfall for readers who want “real” stories.

Cost was also a leading factor for why teens preferred online over ebooks or physical books. Many online sources for books allow for free reading. Most traditional publishers price ebooks the same or higher than physical paperbacks to try and control the market. The teens are more apt to leave a tip or pay the author directly for their work than they are to pay a company that makes, in their words, “too much profit already.”

I’m not a chosen one — or a princess — or magical — or paranormal — or dying — or anything else

One of the hardest things for some readers to do is say what it is they are looking for, and for this group of teens, it was no different. Aside from saying they were tired of “reality television” on the page, they couldn’t really tell me what they were looking for (the very thing that would help a writer). However, when pressed for things they were not interested in — what made them not pick a book to read — they unleashed a proverbial hurricane.

I couldn’t help but think of the Breakfast Club when they said, “We’re not all sports freaks, or prima donnas, or bad boys, or antisocial, or depressed, or sex-crazed.” Many were offended by the amount of “sex-crazed” main characters they see promoted in traditional publishing. As one said, “It’s okay to not have sex, ya know.”

What this group of teens want to read

Discovering what readers are looking for is a key component to a writer’s success. Sometimes, traditional authors have the advantage because, much like movie production companies, book publishers can guide the market toward desired results. This slow process ensures that there is a demand for the book that the publisher invested in. However, it is an awfully slow process that often leaves many readers feeling like they don’t belong. Readers want to find what they are looking for as individuals rather than being told what others want to read.

This is where self-publishing has the advantage. Though the ability to reach a larger market is limited, the self-publishing author can identify reader demands and respond quickly (or point the reader to a book already published).

The group of teens I have access to cry out for connection with the main character. Diverse characters in realistic settings and situations. Characters who have to go through the same thing they do — the ones who sit in the stands and watch the game, the ones who stay at home instead of going to the game, the ones who have to work to save money for their car or clothes. Characters who think and feel the same way they do. In short, they are looking for themselves on the page.

Solutions to the teen literary drought

At the time of writing, 90% of Amazon’s Teen & Young Adult ebook paid bestseller’s list included everything this group of teens does not want, 7% of the list is Harry Potter (not high on any of their reading interests), and just 3% of the list fit their interests. Several of the books on this list are self-published, but the majority are traditionally published. The Teen & Young Adult ebook free bestseller’s list tells a quite different story: 77% of the bestsellers fit into the undesired themes, while 23% fit what they seek.

Writers who seek traditional publication have little power over the market’s direction, but parents, other readers, and book buyers have a lot of power.

Teachers, librarians, and parents can change the way they view self-published books. Yes, many authors publish books before they are fully ready (one should never skimp on editing); however, if people listen to the intended reader, they are more often than not looking for authenticity, not perfection. As one teen in my son’s group said, “Reading perfect English is too much like school — life isn’t perfect.”

Editors and publishing houses can expand their midlist and take risks. By focusing on the market they created, they ignore the readers (and profits) sitting in the wings. As readers sit, they turn to nontraditional and off-market avenues to satisfy their reading needs. This is one area where some Japanese publishing trends outshines American publishers — if something proves desirable by readers, the company invests in it for full production. Having a system set up where teen readers — the actual intended reader of Young Adult literature — can have input into the trends and content will ensure that all readers have their desires known and possibly met.

Writers can solve this drought faster than any other agent in the process. By leaving the “Write for yourself” advice in the dust where all bad advice should be left, the writer can write for the reader — a reader, any reader — and bring that reader to life on the page. Writing for diverse readers brings diverse characters and an expansion of worlds and conflicts for readers to explore. An untapped market is dying for a writer to fill their demand; it is now up to the writer to make it happen.