Kidlitchat Transcript – October 20 (part 1)

8:00 pm kidlitchat: TOPIC: Do we need to worry about age and audience when we write/edit? Does it matter if we think it’s MG or chapter book or YA? #kidlitchat
8:00 pm debbieohi: @skodobah I just bought SPEAK but haven’t read it yet. #kidlitchat
8:01 pm gregpincus: TOPIC: Do we need to worry about age and audience when we write/edit? Does it matter if we think it’s MG or chapter book or YA? #kidlitchat
8:01 pm thaliachaltas: @gregpincus YAY! Our fearless half leader! (The other is Bonnie.) #kidlitchat
8:01 pm Scribblerati: @EgmontUSA Btw, for those who don’t know me as Scribblerati, I’m usually @LiaKeyes when I chat with you! #kidlitchat
8:01 pm srjohannes: Hi guys! #kidlitchat
8:01 pm EKokie: Love them – very sharp – RT @elanaroth: Did everyone here hear about the CANDOR podcasts? Check out the first episode… #kidlitchat
8:01 pm LJBoldyrev: @PattyJMurphy It made me look at the steak I had for dinner differently. #kidlitchat
8:01 pm thaliachaltas: @EgmontUSA Hey, Egmont! #kidlitchat
8:01 pm _rachelsimon: TOPIC: Do we need to worry about age and audience when we write/edit? Does it matter if we think it’s MG or chapter book or YA? #kidlitchat
8:01 pm PattyJMurphy: Clever RT @jeanie_w: @EgmontUSA Oh, so youre tweeting for two. Then you get to eat an extra cupcake. #kidlitchat
8:01 pm debbieohi: Great topic. #kidlitchat
8:01 pm EgmontUSA: @jeanie_w Yes, please! #kidlitchat
8:01 pm skodobah: Ooooh, that’s a good one. #kidlitchat #kidlitchat
8:01 pm happybluejess: Hi guys! I’ll try to keep up this time! #kidlitchat
8:02 pm LJBoldyrev: @debbieohi I can’t wait to read SPEAK #kidlitchat
8:02 pm thaliachaltas: RT TOPIC: Do we need to worry about age and audience when we write/edit? Does it matter if we think its MG/chapter book/YA? #kidlitchat
8:02 pm carolgrannick: I think we need to write the story that is in our hearts (and heads), then think about category afterwards. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm EgmontUSA: Ok, down to business. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm CynthiaCWillis: Hello everyone! I’m soooo glad it’s #kidlitchat night! *smiling big* #kidlitchat
8:02 pm skodobah: Why do I have double the kidlitchat hashtag? #kidlitchat #kidlitchat
8:02 pm bonnieadamson: TOPIC: Do we need to worry about age and audience when we write/edit? Does it matter if we think it’s MG or chapter book or YA? #kidlitchat
8:02 pm LJBoldyrev: IF I STAY was another good one I read recently. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm srjohannes: virtual cupcakes??? r they fat free? #kidlitchat
8:02 pm Becky_Levine: Popping in and out for a few minutes while I finish getting son’s dinner ready. But I’m here! #kidlitchat
8:02 pm gregpincus: #kidlitchat This topic is partly inspired by Teen Read Week and partly by the David Small NBA controversy. Does it matter what we think?
8:02 pm elanaroth: Yes, you need to think about audience. #kidlitchat
8:02 pm marjorielight: Looking forward to hearing what writers have to say about age/audience when we write/edit MG or YA? #kidlitchat
8:02 pm srjohannes: i think the voice is critical to the audience #kidlitchat
8:03 pm LJBoldyrev: I’d say yes. You don’t want to talk down to your audience, but you don’t want to use pop culture ref. from 1983 either. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm sarahockler: I think we need to have a rough idea as we write, but age can mean diff. things. Maturity level varies. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm thaliachaltas: @skodobah You don’t need to put the hashtag in if you are on TweetChat – it’s automatic #kidlitchat
8:03 pm gregpincus: RT @carolgrannick: I think we need to write the story that is in our hearts (and heads), then think about category afterwards. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm kcclyburn: Write first, start to think about whether it fits here, there, or anywhere another time. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm JessieHarrell: I think it does matter in the sense that I’m not going to put profanity in MG, but *probably* would in YA #kidlitchat
8:03 pm skodobah: @LJBoldyrev So much to read!#kidlitchat #kidlitchat
8:03 pm maggiedana: We all have to keep readability in mind. If you’re writing MG, not good to use words that would baffle a mid-grader. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm sharifwrites: @_rachelsimon Yes. I watch my vocabulary and sentence length–I ask myself if the target audience can comprehend it. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm Becky_Levine: I just read Fire, and I thought Cashore showed total trust and belief in her kid/teen audience. All worked with the story, too. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm EgmontUSA: And I say yes. It’s so important to know your audience. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm thaliachaltas: I figure that I write what I write and an editor decides where it goes in terms of age group. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @carolgrannick: I think we need to write the story that is in our hearts (and heads), then think about category afterwards. #kidlitchat
8:03 pm skodobah: With YA, you can’t talk down to the audience/preach. It is imperative to follow this. #kidlitchat #kidlitchat
8:03 pm inkyelbows: #kidlitchat is on NOW. Follow @kidlitchat for topic: when we write/edit, do we need to worry about age/audience?
8:04 pm tehawesomersace: Hi all. I think you need to think about audience w/regards to content. Some things are just not appropriate. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm jeanie_w: RT @elanaroth: Yes, you need to think about audience. #kidlitchat OK, next question.
8:04 pm bonnieadamson: @elanaroth–do you help clients decide? #kidlitchat
8:04 pm thaliachaltas: Like I was surprised that FURNITURE was put out for 12 yr olds – that was the publisher, not me. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm _rachelsimon: RT @thaliachaltas: I figure that I write what I write. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm EKokie: Topic: When writing I need to know/focus on characters/plot – For me, that is a concern for when revising more than when writing #kidlitchat
8:04 pm RebeccAgent: yes and no. Let your agent and publisher worry about category BUT #kidlitchat
8:04 pm PattyJMurphy: @gregpincus We’ve got to constantly ask ourselves…”Who are we writing this for?” And, then follow suit. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm skodobah: @sharifwrites Good evening! Good point. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm LJBoldyrev: @skodobah And so little time. *sigh* #kidlitchat
8:04 pm catesfolly: I can’t write without knowing who I’m writing for. Age of protagonist, etc. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm kcclyburn: RT @skodobah: With YA, you cant talk down to the audience/preach. It is imperative to follow this. #kidlitchat #kidlitchat
8:04 pm AnnaZiska: This is a great topic. I worried about this while writing. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm srjohannes: i think the age 13/14 is hard to write for b/c it is on the cusp of MG/YA #kidlitchat
8:04 pm Becky_Levine: I think we need to know both what our readers will feel is a fit for them and, yes, what fits with the genre as market sees it. #kidlitchat
8:04 pm EgmontUSA: It kills me when I have to pass on something that has an amazing middle grade voice, but the content is clearly YA. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm carolgrannick: I suppose it matters how each of us writes a first draft.I am willing to change details, and even bigger issues like age, later. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm sarahockler: @skodobah I think you can’t talk down to the audience at any age level – MG and kids, too. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm RebeccAgent: you should know your characters and their age group enough to sound authentic and depict believable experiences #kidlitchat
8:05 pm tehawesomersace: @Becky_Levine I liked Fire, and thought Cashsore handled Fire’s sexual history and appeal well. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm Becky_Levine: And then, shut those guidelines away and write the story we’re in love with. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm catesfolly: But also sometimes the story unfolds unexpectedly. A PB becomes a midgrade before you know it. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm sharifwrites: @skodobah thanks #kidlitchat
8:05 pm _rachelsimon: @EgmontUSA Can you suggest to agent/writer that it should be MG? #kidlitchat
8:05 pm skodobah: I’ve figured out the two-fer hashtag situation. #kidlitchat
8:05 pm debbieohi: RT @EgmontUSA: It kills me when I have to pass on something that has an amazing middle grade voice, but content is clearly YA. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm kcclyburn: @skodobah Talking AT your audience in YA gets you nowhere. You have to talk *to* them otherwise you insult their intelligence. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm elanaroth: @bonnieadamson Sometimes, but clients should know when they come to me who they are writing for. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm EngridE1: @gregpincus I bought a lot of MG aged books & I find them “different” than YAs #kidlitchat
8:06 pm skodobah: @sarahockler Absolutely. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm gregpincus: So, is there a difference between knowing your AUDIENCE and thinking about AGE? #kidlitchat
8:06 pm Scribblerati: #kidlitchat is on NOW. Follow TOPIC: when we write/edit, do we need to worry about age/audience? #kidlitchat
8:06 pm Georgia_McBride: Yes, it does matter. Be true to the character, story and reader will respect you. Write from passion, not fear. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm AnnaZiska: Or YA? RT @_rachelsimon: @EgmontUSA Can you suggest to agent/writer that it should be MG? #kidlitchat
8:06 pm CynthiaCWillis: The topic, subject matter often sways the placement, like it or not. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm AudryT: @EgmontUSA Do you tell the author they have a middle grade voice when you pass? #kidlitchat
8:06 pm gregpincus: @skodobah There’s no age at which you can talk down to the audience, imo. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm happybluejess: Depends what goal is. Could just write then decide what it is, but if you’re trying to write a certain age, write accordingly. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm Scribblerati: RT @CynthiaCWillis: The topic, subject matter often sways the placement, like it or not. #kidlitchat
8:06 pm DDHearn: Sendak has said that he doesn’t think about audience. He writes the book that is in him and they happen to be for kids. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm catesfolly: RT @srjohannes: i think the age 13/14 is hard to write for b/c it is on the cusp of MG/YA #kidlitchat
8:07 pm srjohannes: ive heard that shelving at B&N is pretty set – if your protag is in high school it is YA – in middle school it is MG. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm EngridE1: My WIP is geared to MG, honestly never thought to make it “older” #kidlitchat
8:07 pm RebeccAgent: @elanaroth clients should be reading in their chosen genre/for their chosen age group which will help them categorize #kidlitchat
8:07 pm thaliachaltas: (Man I am slow at this tweetchat stuff while I’m eating!) #kidlitchat
8:07 pm susan_marie: Re thinking about audience in writing. Perhaps question is *when* in the process do shape the work for a particular audience. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm kcclyburn: RT @Georgia_McBride: Yes, it does matter. B tru 2 the character, story and reader will respect you. Write frm passion, not fear. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm thaliachaltas: True. RT @CynthiaCWillis: The topic, subject matter often sways the placement, like it or not. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm loniedwards: Me too! RT @CynthiaCWillis: Hello everyone! I’m soooo glad it’s #kidlitchat night! *smiling big* #kidlitchat
8:07 pm sarahockler: Also tough when YA is labeled “12 & up” but is clearly for 14/15 & up. Then again, some 11 y/os are mature – depends on the kid #kidlitchat
8:07 pm Georgia_McBride: It’s hard to know your audience when it is your first book out of the gate–u are finding your way then. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm Becky_Levine: @tehawesomersace I agree. She wrote to an intelligence that she credits her readers with. Problems to struggle with/think out. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm maggiedana: @EgmontUSA How about crossover MG/YA. I see a need for that. Like clothing that doesn’t fit little kids or older one, either. #kidlitchat
8:07 pm jessicaleeander: Checking out #kidlitchat
8:08 pm EKokie: @catesfolly When writing I’m only focused on characters/story. Make story organic and then agent/editor can decide #kidlitchat
8:08 pm _rachelsimon: Same w/studying!! :-) RT @thaliachaltas: (Man I am slow at this tweetchat stuff while Im eating!) #kidlitchat
8:08 pm EgmontUSA: @_rachelsimon Of course you can make that point, but then it’s down to the awriter to make some big choices. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm catesfolly: Yes! RT @gregpincus: @skodobah Theres no age at which you can talk down to the audience, imo. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm thaliachaltas: Yes! RT @susan_marie: Perhaps question is *when* in the process do shape the work for a particular audience. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm jeanie_w: RT @RebeccAgent: clients should be reading in their chosen genre/for their chosen age group which will help them categorize #kidlitchat
8:08 pm elanaroth: @RebeccAgent Agreed. Though I have had “tween” complications, where a book was solidly on the fence and we had to pick a side. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm bonnieadamson: RT @susan_marie: Perhaps question is *when* in the process do shape the work for a particular audience. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm dawnmetcalf: Story comes first (audience) — let marketing figure out the rest (age)! ;-) #kidlitchat
8:08 pm elanaroth: I have to say that I absolutely do not believe tween actually exists. #kidlitchat
8:08 pm thaliachaltas: Initially, just write. Then edit to make sure it is going to the age you want it to. Yes? #kidlitchat
8:08 pm tehawesomersace: @Becky_Levine Yes! I loved that about both books…made the MCs very authentic, even tho it’s fantasy. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm skodobah: @gregpincus It’s called eat and tweet! :-) #kidlitchat
8:09 pm Scribblerati: There are exceptions like The Golden Compass – Lyra was 11 but classified as YA because of themes and sophisticated story #kidlitchat
8:09 pm RebeccAgent: hi all btw #kidlitchat
8:09 pm srjohannes: @DDHearn i think it was different for his era – there was only a kids section & it was not as divided so it didnt matter as much #kidlitchat
8:09 pm EngridE1: RT @Georgia_McBride: Its hard to know your audience when it is your first book out of the gate–u are finding your way then. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm EgmontUSA: And of course, one of those is whether others will feel differently. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm PattyJMurphy: @gregpincus: I think you have to think about your audience and protagonist’s age, make the right choices, and pray:) #kidlitchat
8:09 pm debbieohi: RT @elanaroth: I have to say that I absolutely do not believe tween actually exists. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm _rachelsimon: @elanaroth What is “tween”? What is considered to be? #kidlitchat
8:09 pm kcclyburn: @thaliachaltas Bingo. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm bonnieadamson: What is “tween” anyway–pre-teen? early teen? #kidlitchat
8:09 pm sarahjanestudio: great topics tonight #kidlitchat
8:09 pm debbieohi: RT @gregpincus: There is no age at which you can talk down to the audience, imo. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm srjohannes: @RebeccAgent hi! #kidlitchat
8:09 pm _rachelsimon: @RebeccAgent Hey! Welcome to the chat! :-) #kidlitchat
8:09 pm tabithaolson: @gregpincus Yes and no. Knowing your audience means knowing what’s typical behavior at that age. #kidlitchat
8:09 pm DDHearn: I guess for me I would probably start with the first draft, write what is in me, and in rewrites gear it toward age. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm skodobah: @thaliachaltas That is what I do -ultimately it ends up being older teen. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm catesfolly: I feel like there’s a gap in stories about the high school to college transition time — huge life moment, leaving home. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm carolgrannick: @elanaroth Re: tween not existing, can you say more? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm Georgia_McBride: @thaliachaltas I recently advised someone to consider aging MC younger for potential YA crossover. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm RebeccAgent: @elenaroth to me, tween means commercial fiction with 7th or 8th grade characters, maybe tame freshman #kidlitchat
8:10 pm jeanie_w: RT @thaliachaltas: Initially, just write. Then edit to make sure it is going to the age you want it to. Yes? #kidlitchat Yes
8:10 pm PattyJMurphy: RT @dawnmetcalf: Story comes first (audience)-let marketing figure out the rest (age) <I think it’s what the right for story!> #kidlitchat
8:10 pm elanaroth: @_rachelsimon That vague area between MG and YA, especially for girls. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm joiedelire: Can you really separate audience and age in the writing process? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm tehawesomersace: @elanaroth So for you tween=MG? Or YA? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm dlschubert: RT @dawnmetcalf Story comes first (audience) — let marketing figure out the rest (age)! ;-) #kidlitchat
8:10 pm srjohannes: @debbieohi i think it does it is 10-14 is tween, MG is 8-12 right? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm maggiedana: @_rachelsimon Tweens? 11-13 maybe? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm Becky_Levine: @elanaroth–tween doesn’t exist. Do you think that ’cause younger kids are reading YA? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm thaliachaltas: @RebeccAgent Hi Rebecca! #kidlitchat
8:10 pm EngridE1: @bonnieadamson The kids in my WIP are 11-12. Would YA kids want to read about an adventure that 11-12 yr olds are on? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm skodobah: @sarahjanestudio Better than symbolism! #kidlitchat
8:10 pm elanaroth: I’ve had editors ask for tween and then turn things down saying it wasn’t MG and it wasn’t YA. Tween is fake. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm loniedwards: I agree! RT @elanaroth: I have to say that I absolutely do not believe tween actually exists. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm bonnieadamson: RT @RosemaryMarotta: @BonnieAdamson the best books are books that are organic to the writer they transcend age. I think so, too! #kidlitchat
8:10 pm marjorielight: Before I start writing, I plan setting/plot/characters to fit either MG or YA category #kidlitchat
8:10 pm debbieohi: @susan_marie Good question. At what point do -you- shape your work for a particular audience? #kidlitchat
8:10 pm kcclyburn: @grepincus When you get hung up on trying to convey a moral and it starts to resemble an after school special, I think you can. #kidlitchat
8:10 pm EgmontUSA: “Tween” is really hard for Publishers because bookstores don’t have this category. We have to make a choice. It can be hard. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm DDHearn: That’s a good point about the Golden Compass. It’s unusual for a child protagonist to be younger than intended readers. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm Georgia_McBride: RT @thaliachaltas: Initially, just write. Then edit to make sure it is going to the age you want it to. Yes? #kidlitchat
8:11 pm srjohannes: @bonnieadamson i think it is 10or 11-14 – midde school where MG goes a little lower (maybe?) #kidlitchat
8:11 pm RuthanneReid: RT @dlschubert: RT @dawnmetcalf Story comes first (audience) — let marketing figure out the rest (age)! ;-) #kidlitchat
8:11 pm laurielyoung: Hi all–great topic! Unfortunately, I can only stay a short while, so I guess I’ll be catching up with the transcript! #kidlitchat
8:11 pm LJBoldyrev: @EngridE1 I think it depends. Look at Harry Potter. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm elanaroth: Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm catesfolly: Isn’t tween old mid-graders? Gregor the Overlander series. Pullman’s His Dark Materials… #kidlitchat
8:11 pm AudryT: Teens don’t often read books about protags younger than them. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm DDHearn: @srjohannes That’s a good point. Also, he is a picture book author/artist, and that may be different, too. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm mollymom103: Wise author Kathryn Galbraith once told me the picture book is the smooth stone in your palm. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm kcclyburn: Tween’s just a funny word the TV came up with to describe what was formerly known as being a pre-teen. #kidlitchat
8:11 pm maggiedana: Shelving Tween books is as hard as finding racks for tween clothing. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm bonnieadamson: @srjohannes So we’ve pushed MG down a notch? #kidlitchat
8:12 pm thaliachaltas: LOL! Glossy lipstick! RT @elanaroth: Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm srjohannes: @elanaroth i like that! :) #kidlitchat
8:12 pm Scribblerati: In the first draft, you write the story that is in you to write, while it’s hot; during edits you analyze target age/approp POV #kidlitchat
8:12 pm Georgia_McBride: RT @EgmontUSA: “Tween” is really hard for Publishers, bookstores dont have this category. We have to make a choice. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm Becky_Levine: MY WIP’s MC has to make big choices, life decisions that wouldn’t work in a MG. It’s YA. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm dlschubert: Love it! RT @elanaroth Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm kcclyburn: When’s the last time you heard a “tween” identify themselves as a tween? #kidlitchat
8:12 pm Georgia_McBride: RT @AudryT: Teens dont often read books about protags younger than them. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm bonnieadamson: RT @elanaroth: Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm debbieohi: @srjohannes I’ve heard conflicting opinions about tweens, so I’m curious about what people here think. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm thaliachaltas: Very true. RT @AudryT: Teens dont often read books about protags younger than them. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm sarahockler: @kcclyburn Any time an author tries to convey a moral, kids see it coming. Just tell the story. There may be a moral… or not. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm EgmontUSA: @elanaroth I like that explanation. I think I agree. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm Becky_Levine: @catesfolly Pullman may be being read by lots of tweens, but it felt VERY YA to me. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm maggiedana: Great description. RT @elanaroth: Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm auntieflamingo: @bonnieadamson change in icon reminded me about #kidlitchat
8:12 pm PattyJMurphy: I don’t think you’ll see TWEEN at libraries or bookstores…It’s either MG or YA. #kidlitchat
8:12 pm Shelltex: So upper midgrade is now tween? #kidlitchat
8:12 pm srjohannes: @AudryT what about harry potter? exception to the rule. :) as always #kidlitchat
8:12 pm AudryT: RT @elanaroth: Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm EKokie: LOl – that is it, isn’t it – MG with more attitude RT @elanaroth: Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm _rachelsimon: LOL: RT @kcclyburn: Whens the last time you heard a “tween” identify themselves as a tween? #kidlitchat
8:13 pm tehawesomersace: @catesfolly Leaving home books used to be in the adult section, but now are cropping up in YA section. YA is getting older #kidlitchat
8:13 pm elanaroth: @EgmontUSA Thanks :) #kidlitchat
8:13 pm debbieohi: RT @elanaroth: Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm dlschubert: Whatever age your protag is, that’s what determines if your book is YA or MG. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm Georgia_McBride: RT @sarahockler: Also tough when YA is labeled “12 & up” but is 14/15 & up. Some 11 y/os are mature – depends on the kid #kidlitchat
8:13 pm maggiedana: Never. They’d die first. RT @kcclyburn: Whens the last time you heard a “tween” identify themselves as a tween? #kidlitchat
8:13 pm sharifwrites: @debbieohi I look at some things I’ve written & think about changing characters’ age, lengthening, more plot twists, etc. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm bonnieadamson: @auntieflamingo That works! :-) #kidlitchat
8:13 pm mollymom103: MG is a boulder out in the middle of the river, and YA , well , that is the river. The idea of scope resonates with me. #kidlitchat
8:13 pm happybluejess: @elanaroth MG with makeup ? love that! #kidlitchat
8:13 pm briaquinlan: Loved this: RT: @elanaroth Tween is really just MG with a little lipstick. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm JessieHarrell: I think the age on YA is lowering as kids read up. Where does YA really start now? #kidlitchat
8:14 pm sarahjanestudio: @ what pt do -U- shape your work for an audience? #kidlitchat My acting career taught me AFTER following thru w/ story instincts. edit later
8:14 pm catesfolly: @Becky_Levine I think Pullman like Rowling in transcending age of reader. A rare thing. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm literaticat: Hello there. What’s the topic? #kidlitchat
8:14 pm AudryT: @srjohannes A phenomenal book w/a lot of word of mouth will overcome just about any obstacle. Re: Harry Potter & teen readers #kidlitchat
8:14 pm carolgrannick: @PattyMurphy Some libraries separate Jr. High from YA. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm TrishDoller: @elanaroth Tween might be MG with a little lipstick, but as a bookseller I say we need more. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm debbieohi: @sharifwrites So you edit for this -after- you’ve written and during the writing process? #kidlitchat
8:14 pm tabithaolson: @debbieohi I shape my work to my intended audience from day one, when I start planning and getting to know my characters. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm Becky_Levine: @dlschubert I think it has to do with some of the MC’s focus, too–what’s important to them, what’s threatening and how strongly #kidlitchat
8:14 pm dlschubert: No child ever refers to themselves as a “tween.” This speaks volumes. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm EKokie: I worry that if you are writing (1st draft) for a specific audience you might stunt story/character. Instead, leave for revision #kidlitchat
8:14 pm DDHearn: @srjohannes I felt Harry Potter started off as MG and ended as young YA. I’m glad my kids were older when last ones came out. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm bonnieadamson: The books I see identified as tween are very chick-lit-y–is that mostly the case? #kidlitchat
8:14 pm jeanie_w: @Becky_Levine At Borders, Pullman is shelved both with MG and with YA. Different covers for each. #kidlitchat
8:14 pm srjohannes: its hard b/c middle schoolers want to read teen but some teen material is too old. they dont want to read what 10/11 yr old is #kidlitchat
8:14 pm _rachelsimon: @literaticat Hi, the topic is writing/editing with the audience in mind? #kidlitchat
8:15 pm kcclyburn: @sarahockler Exactly. Readers like to be talked to, and when they see the big Bill Cosby moment at the end coming, they shut dwn #kidlitchat
8:15 pm elanaroth: @TrishDoller I say we just abolish the tween category and be done with it. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm debbieohi: @literaticat See @kidlitchat for topic: whether you write/edit with a particular audience/age in mind. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm catesfolly: @tehawesomersace that’s encouraging (since my YA ms is in this category) #kidlitchat
8:15 pm kinksgem: Very true. RT@AudryT: Teens dont often read books about protags younger than them. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm Becky_Levine: @jeanie_w Different covers. Sneaky! :) #kidlitchat
8:15 pm joiedelire: @BonnieAdamson I feel like most YA books (or younger) are geared toward female audiences. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm SuePinto: @AudryT It is so interesting that younger like to read “up” and many adults prefer reading “down” so to speak. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm KatGirl_Studio: yay we have power again! Hope i didn’t miss that much #kidlitchat
8:15 pm AnnaZiska: @DDHearn would you say Harry Potter was YA because of violence? #kidlitchat
8:15 pm AudryT: Bookstores will shelve your book where they choose. Picking your audience is about how you write, not where you’re shelved. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm happybluejess: Always the case, though? RT @dlschubert Whatever age your protag is, that’s what determines if your book is YA or MG. #kidlitchat
8:15 pm jennymckmoss: *waves* I love these tweetchats #kidlitchat
8:15 pm gregpincus: So, should we be concerned about something like the David Small book being released for adults then awarded for YA? #kidlitchat
8:15 pm debbieohi: @literaticat Sorry–topic SHOULD we worry about age/audience when writing & editing. (See @kidlitchat for properly worded topic) #kidlitchat
8:16 pm maggiedana: @DDHearn re Harry Potter. Hell, I’m glad *I* was old enough when last one came out. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm RebeccAgent: tween is not a separate category in the chains #kidlitchat
8:16 pm bonnieadamson: RT @elanaroth: @TrishDoller I say we just abolish the tween category and be done with it.<–suits me. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm srjohannes: @jeanie_w wow that is intresting – different covers? #kidlitchat
8:16 pm tehawesomersace: @catesfolly You’re just in time to jump on a trend! #kidlitchat
8:16 pm writetoday: My first chat, How in the world am I supposed to keep up with reading this? #kidlitchat
8:16 pm sarahjanestudio: who is heading the discussion 2night? #kidlitchat
8:16 pm _rachelsimon: @jennymckmoss Hi! Welcome, Jenny! :-) #kidlitchat
8:16 pm Becky_Levine: @elanaroth So if we WERE writing tween, we should make a revision judgment call on one way or other to push it? Makes sense. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm tabithaolson: @srjohannes Yes, but it’s possible to write a YA without the heavier YA elements. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm kcclyburn: I think pre-teens and younger teenagers would be insulted and annoyed if they saw a section labelled “tweens” in book stores. #kidlitchat
8:16 pm RebeccAgent: @gregpincus don’t get me started #kidlitchat
8:17 pm literaticat: @gregpincus “Should we be concerned” Stitches seems to fall perfectly into “Young Adult INTEREST”, which is the award criteria. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm DDHearn: @SuePinto Good point. Kids are trying to grow up….are adults trying to grow down? :) #kidlitchat
8:17 pm maggiedana: Despite chains and their shelving issues, I still think kids need tween books. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm bonnieadamson: @RosemaryMarotta The number symbol with the name of the chat: #kidlitchat is the hashtag for this particular chat.
8:17 pm srjohannes: @AnnaZiska I believe it was originally intended for 8-12 MG #kidlitchat
8:17 pm thaliachaltas: @gregpincus I think there is such a thing as maybe we try to categorize too much. Some jump several reading ages! #kidlitchat
8:17 pm jeanie_w: @gregpincus Publisher had to have submitted STITCHES as YA for that award. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm emilytastic: Hey thre, #kidlitchat
8:17 pm debbieohi: @writetoday Just catch what you can. :-) You can always browse the archive at leisure later. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm TrishDoller: @elanaroth I’m def. not in favor of a “tween” section, but I think more selection of older MG or younger YA is def. in order. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm Georgia_McBride: @SuePinto Adults are looking for yout, however they can get it–clothes, makeup, music, books. Nothing new. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm gregpincus: @elanaroth I’m up for abolishing the tween category… but advertisers aren’t. #kidlitchat
8:17 pm happybluejess: That makes sense. RT @EKokie Instead, leave for revision #kidlitchat
8:17 pm thaliachaltas: @sarahjanestudio Headed by @kidlitchat @gregpincus @bonnieadamson #kidlitchat
8:17 pm TessDickenson: Wonder if more tween authors are female…so create female protags? @BonnieAdamson: tween very chick-lit-y–is that the case? #kidlitchat
8:18 pm kcclyburn: When I was twelve, the only thing I wanted to be was a teenager. If someone called me a tween, I’d be fucking PISSED. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm Becky_Levine: @tabithaolson Wonderful Light YA–My Most Excellent Year. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm KateMessner: I write for myself — my current self and my ten-year-old self — and let publishers decide how to market. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm thaliachaltas: @emilytastic Hi Em! #kidlitchat
8:18 pm loniedwards: @DDHearn Gaiman said almost the same thing in a Q&A about the Graveyard Book He lets the editors decide what cat it fits in #kidlitchat
8:18 pm EKokie: @gregpincus in that the awards were created to encourage publishing for teens, yes – seems to defy the “rules” & “intent” #kidlitchat
8:18 pm susan_marie: Interested in writers who create work for different audiences. Examples: Kevin Henkes, Gary Soto, Louise Erdrich, Alison McGhee. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm DDHearn: @AnnaZiska To me Harry Potter got very intense and frightening, for some younger kids. Mine would have been terrified at 10. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm cbrett60: Does it really matter what the classification? A teenager, no matter what age will find a way to read the book they want to read #kidlitchat
8:18 pm dlschubert: @happybluejess Always the case, though? That’s what I’ve been told. RE: Protag age determines YA or MG. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm tehawesomersace: @gregpincus Perhaps this goes back to the audience categorizing books themselves. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm JessieHarrell: RT @kcclyburn: I think pre-teens and younger would be insulted & annoyed if they saw a section labelled “tweens” in book stores #kidlitchat
8:18 pm skodobah: @kcclyburn Wouldn’t be caught dead there if I was a tween (er, teen)! #kidlitchat
8:18 pm elanaroth: @TrishDoller This might be an area where more subtle cues are needed, like cover choices. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm debbieohi: @tabithaolson I do the same as you, being aware of my intended audience from planning stages. #kidlitchat
8:18 pm Scribblerati: Great chat going on NOW at #kidlitchat on tweetchat.com: When we write/edit, should we worry about age/audience? http://bit.ly/xoGCN
8:18 pm bonnieadamson: @gregpincus That’s because of the merchandising tie-ins, don’t you think? (re advertisers love for “tween”) #kidlitchat
8:19 pm literaticat: (I think I’m the only person alive who thinks David Small deserves the NBA, and is pleased by the Youth category.) #kidlitchat
8:19 pm sharifwrites: @debbieohi Yes, like things on the back burner that I revisit and realize I can tailor it to another age group. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm srjohannes: @KateMessner but doesnt it affect the age of your protagonist? #kidlitchat
8:19 pm Georgia_McBride: @dlschubert Tween is a marketing term created by marketers. I know because I’m a marketer that was ecstactic when it was. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm thaliachaltas: Agree on this. RT @elanaroth: @TrishDoller This might be an area where more subtle cues are needed, like cover choices. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm Shelltex: I don’t worry about audience so much once book is underway but I do think about it when I start. Can’t imagine not. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm bonnieadamson: @joiedelire I agree–where are boy tweens? :-) #kidlitchat
8:19 pm RosemaryMarotta: I think I will get this sooner or later #kidlitchat
8:19 pm emilytastic: I love tweens. And I think they’re a lot smarter than a lot of grown-ups think. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm tabithaolson: When I write a story, I know who I want to reach. And I remember what I could handle at that age, so that’s what I target. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm DDHearn: RT @KateMessner: I write for myself — my current self and my ten-year-old self — and let publishers decide how to market. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm Scribblerati: RT @cbrett60: Does it really matter? A teenager, no matter what age will find a way to read the book they want to read #kidlitchat
8:19 pm RuthanneReid: @dlschubert Actually, forgive me, but I disagree with that one. Age along isn’t enough to determine it. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm kcclyburn: @bonnieadamson Problem is most advertisers are reeaaally friggin’ dumb and out of touch. #kidlitchat
8:19 pm EngridE1: @writetoday Hiya! If you use TweetChat go up to “Refresh Speed” & slow it down #kidlitchat
8:19 pm JohansenNewman: Just checking in. Enjoying the discussion!#kidlitchat
8:19 pm RebeccAgent: @literaticat get out of my sight #kidlitchat
8:20 pm AudryT: Covers, I think, can have a great influence on what age groups pick up a book. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm dlschubert: @elanaroth I’ve read that protag age determines category (YA vs MG). Do you agree? #kidlitchat
8:20 pm kperry: most of the books considered tween are never taken from my middle school book shelves. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm jeanie_w: @srjohannes The YA covers were more like for adult paperbacks. MG editions were larger, trade size, with larger font inside. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm literaticat: @KateMessner Thank you Kate. (this topic makes me go berserk actually) #kidlitchat
8:20 pm RuthanneReid: @dlschubert It really has to rely on content. My protag is 12, but the book is so not MG. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm emilytastic: @literaticat (I think he deserves the NBA, but I can’t imagine it having appeal for teens) #kidlitchat
8:20 pm catesfolly: @loniedwards I think you get to do that if you’re Neil Gaiman. For a cold query, seems like A&Es want you to be explicit re: aud #kidlitchat
8:20 pm marjorielight: What if bookstore categories were Children, MG, Teen, and YA? #kidlitchat
8:20 pm sarahockler: @dlschubert @happybluejess Sometimes. Adult books w young protags – Bastard Out of Carolina, Lovely Bones, Tree Grows in Bkln #kidlitchat
8:20 pm mgbuehrlen: Yay, I made it to #kidlitchat! #kidlitchat
8:20 pm _rachelsimon: @JohansenNewman Hi, welcome! #kidlitchat
8:20 pm bonnieadamson: @literaticat But is HE okay with the category? I know he’s prob. happy w/recognition–but didn’t he intend adult? #kidlitchat
8:20 pm maggiedana: Playing video games. RT @bonnieadamson: @joiedelire I agree–where are boy tweens? :-) #kidlitchat
8:20 pm gregpincus: I think with the market fragmenting, people want to focus as much as possible on any small slice #kidlitchat
8:20 pm RosemaryMarotta: @BonnieAdamson signed up for it now do I still need to do #kidlitchat sorry for all the questions
8:20 pm AudryT: Unfortunate is the book that gets the wrong marketing strategy for the wrong age. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm Becky_Levine: One concrete decision I made after realized story was YA, that I’d probably need one or more love interests. Can I say GROAN?! #kidlitchat
8:20 pm susan_marie: @literaticat Oh, not the only one who thinks Small deserves it. There are at least two of us. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm KayCassidy: @debbieohi I do the same. I try to keep that reader in mind, especially as I edit. #kidlitchat
8:20 pm tehawesomersace: @bonnieadamson Boy tweens=fantasy/manga/graphic novel section #kidlitchat
8:20 pm PattyJMurphy: @TrishDoller I agree there should be early MG and older MG:) #kidlitchat
8:20 pm TessDickenson: @BonnieAdamson #kidlitchat I’ve never been able to write a male YA protag that even *I* could believe. Even with help from males…
8:20 pm EKokie: @literaticat Merit I think is different issue than intent of award…quality might make it legit, but still feels bit off #kidlitchat
8:20 pm bonnieadamson: @kcclyburn That would actually be hopeful–I despair when I see ads for kids these days! #kidlitchat
8:21 pm AudryT: I understand “writing for yourself” but the truth is, you’re not. If you want to be published, you’re writing for others, too. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm elanaroth: @dlschubert Absolutely. Very hard to do an MG with a 15 year old protag… #kidlitchat
8:21 pm EngridE1: @LJBoldyrev Having trouble with Tweetchat not letting me post. Going to reboot. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm literaticat: @emilytastic Are you serious? Teens I know love CHILD CALLED IT. RUNNING WITH SCISSORS. and any other abuse memoir. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm marilynpeake: RT @KateMessner I write for myself — my current self and my ten-year-old self — and let publishers decide how to market. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm DDHearn: @loniedwards The Graveyard book is unusual in that it starts with a baby and ends with a young man…hard to categorize. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm SuePinto: @DDHearn I think some adults including myself still get jazzed by 10, 14 or 17 yr-old stuff :) #kidlitchat
8:21 pm AnnaZiska: My 14 yo would still go to YA/Adult #kidlitchat
8:21 pm RosemaryMarotta: my sister is a writer and she says she writes for herself and does not try to form her writing into any age specific category #kidlitchat
8:21 pm emilytastic: @AudryT So true, re: covers. I think that’s part of the reason so many tweens pick up ttyl, and why it outrages parents. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm tabithaolson: @debbieohi Makes it easier. If I didn’t know who I was targeting, my story would flounder. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm JohansenNewman: @_rachelsimon Thanks! Glad to have made it tonight! #kidlitchat
8:21 pm sarahockler: RT @tabithaolson When I write, I know who I want to reach & I remember what I could handle at that age – that’s what I target. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm debbieohi: Didn’t the term “tween” first appear in Lord of the Rings? (hobbits in the stage between childhood & coming of age) #kidlitchat
8:21 pm bonnieadamson: @RosemaryMarotta TweetChat puts the hashtag at the end automatically. (Don’t apologize!) #kidlitchat
8:21 pm thaliachaltas: @gregpincus But as writers we don’t want to focus on small slice of market. We want to write and let the pub decide the slicing. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm srjohannes: which market gets more sales? YA or MG? #kidlitchat
8:21 pm MyraMcEntire: At what age does YA stop? Can you have an 18YO protag? #kidlitchat
8:21 pm RebeccAgent: this is a whole other topic but Stitches was submitted only to adult publishers is publisher by an adult only house. #kidlitchat
8:21 pm TrishDoller: From bookseller perspective MG is boy-heavy, YA is girl-heavy. Each needs more for opposite sex. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm emilytastic: @AudryT Agreed! If you’re writing for yourself is for your journal! #kidlitchat
8:22 pm AudryT: That’s true about tween boys and manga. All my male sibs read through the tween years — but only manga. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm KayCassidy: Wish I’d popped in sooner. Just had a discussion about tween w librarians & got conflicting opinions on where it falls around MG #kidlitchat
8:22 pm dawnmetcalf: @Becky_Levine Oh, I know THAT feeling! #kidlitchat
8:22 pm bonnieadamson: @elanaroth How about historiacals–simpler times: 15 not as sophisticated. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm KateMessner: @srjohannes I don’t choose a protagonist to meet a certain market, though. I choose b/c that’s the voice I have in my head. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm kcclyburn: @TessDickenson It’s not that different from writing girls, really. Not at all when you really think about it. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm EngridE1: RT @srjohannes: which market gets more sales? YA or MG? #kidlitchat
8:22 pm sarahjanestudio: @susan_marie RT Interested in writers who create work 4 different audiences. Ex: Kevin Henkes, Louise Erdrich, Alison McGhee. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm RebeccAgent: It has crossover appeal for sure, but it is an adult book and shouldn’t have been submitted in Young People’s Literature #kidlitchat
8:22 pm RosemaryMarotta: I think it is the purpose of editors to take a manuscript and try to figure out where it belongs #kidlitchat
8:22 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @gregpincus I think with the market fragmenting, people want to focus as much as possible on any small slice #kidlitchat — True!
8:22 pm Georgia_McBride: Tweetchat just broke. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm gregpincus: @tehawesomersace Yes, I think the audience does categorize books themselves. Readers find what they want to read. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm PattyJMurphy: @debbieohi I think TWEENS started as a marketing term… #kidlitchat
8:22 pm gavinobrown: @bonnieadamson I haven’t really heard “tween” used as a category. It’s just Picture books>MG>YA. Tween is more a state of mind. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm _rachelsimon: RT @TrishDoller: From bookseller perspective MG is boy-heavy, YA is girl-heavy. Each needs more for opposite sex. #kidlitchat
8:22 pm AnnaZiska: I enjoy my 14yo finds RT @SuePinto @DDHearn I think some adults including myself still get jazzed by 10, 14 or 17 yr-old stuff #kidlitchat
8:22 pm bonnieadamson: @tehawesomersace Ah, true. That’s the divide. Didn’t I read, though, that more girls are into manga now? #kidlitchat
8:22 pm TrishDoller: @MyraMcEntire Hope so! Mine’s 19. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm JessieHarrell: @MyraMcEntire good question. I think 18 years is going right up to the edge, but not over. Anyone else? #kidlitchat
8:23 pm thaliachaltas: I think that starts to be crossover. RT @MyraMcEntire: At what age does YA stop? Can you have an 18YO protag? #kidlitchat
8:23 pm mgbuehrlen: @MyraMcEntire My YA protag is 18! AND married! Whoa… #kidlitchat
8:23 pm Scribblerati: There is some debate about where YA stops. It is now being stretched into early college years. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm emilytastic: @literaticat SAME! I think that Stitches is awesome, but it has a reflective tone that is very adult. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm Shelltex: I always thought of Lovely Bones as YA. Just recently heard people referring to it as adult. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm Georgia_McBride: @RebeccAgent Very interesting. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm dlschubert: @RuthanneReid re: Age determining YA vs MG: @elanaroth says: Absolutely. Very hard to do an MG with a 15 year old protag… #kidlitchat
8:23 pm Becky_Levine: @dawnmetcalf I joined the new YA branch of RWA to get help! #kidlitchat
8:23 pm jessicaleeander: @Georga_McBride having major issues with Tweetchat too #kidlitchat
8:23 pm kcclyburn: If you focus on “what is going to be the thing that sells, and what section will it be in!”, you will never finish your novel. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @KateMessner I write for myself — my current self and my 10-year-old self — and let publishers decide how to market. #kidlitchat [Yes!]
8:23 pm bonnieadamson: @TessDickenson I grew one from 12 to 15. :-) #kidlitchat
8:23 pm KayCassidy: One lib said tween was young MG & another said it bridged the gap btwn MG & YA. Was v. surprised at the differing opinions. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm maggiedana: Didn’t ‘teenager’ start that way, too? RT @PattyJMurphy: @debbieohi I think TWEENS started as a marketing term… #kidlitchat
8:23 pm mgbuehrlen: @RebeccAgent Wait, what book are we talking about? I just joined in… #kidlitchat
8:23 pm dawnmetcalf: @Georgia_McBride You did it AGAIN?!? #kidlitchat
8:23 pm emilytastic: @literaticat PS, I’m the kids inventory mgr at BookPeople in Austin. I almost never think books are “too adult” for teens. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm tehawesomersace: @bonnieadamson Yes. In the past few years retailers have brought in more “magic girl stories”. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm LJBoldyrev: @JessieHarrell A lot of YA books have high school seniors for the protag. #kidlitchat
8:23 pm catesfolly: @debbieohi or was that “elevensies” ‘tween second breakfast and lunch? :-) #kidlitchat
8:24 pm AudryT: It’s not that only boys are reading manga; it’s that some boys only read manga. As for girls, they read both manga & YA. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm bonnieadamson: @gavinobrown Or of advertising, as some have pointed out. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm skodobah: @mgbuehrlen Wooo! Now that’s a young adult. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm JessieHarrell: RT @TrishDoller: From bookseller perspective MG is boy-heavy, YA is girl-heavy. Each needs more for opposite sex. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm PattyJMurphy: @TrishDoller What about all of young girl MG chapter books e.g. Clementine, Ivy+Bean, etc.??? #kidlitchat
8:24 pm dlschubert: I’m firmly in the YA reading and writing court. Not too interested in life before the age of 15!! #kidlitchat
8:24 pm kcclyburn: If you’re unpublished, I think priority one should be to WRITE, and to start worrying about what happens when ur published later #kidlitchat
8:24 pm sharifwrites: RT @AudryT: Covers, I think, can have a great influence on what age groups pick up a book. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm thaliachaltas: I think adults are finding that teen lit is excellent writing and are reading it more. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm Georgia_McBride: @Becky_Levine Didn’t know there was such a thing. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm CynthiaCWillis: I know lots and lots of adults who love YA. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm _rachelsimon: @mgbuehrlen Hi, welcome to the chat! :-) #kidlitchat
8:24 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @gregpincus @tehawesomersace Yes, I think the audience does categorize books themselves. Readers find what they want to read. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm DDHearn: If To Kill a Mockingbird had been written today, how do you think it would be labled? What age group? To me, YA. #kidlitchat
8:24 pm LJBoldyrev: @catesfolly Sounds like Tolkien terminology #kidlitchat
8:24 pm RosemaryMarotta: back when I was a buyer it was sometimes the buyer who fought harder for a book as to where it was placed #kidlitchat
8:24 pm emilytastic: @KayCassidy I think it bridges the gap. To me, a tween book is Margaret by Blume & Eleven by Myracle. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm skodobah: @LJBoldyrev Seems that’s the age when it becomes “easier” to have characters that are, shall we say, easier. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm LorettaNyhan: My 9yr old boy asked me the other day if he was a tween yet. I’ve never used the word around him. Hmm… #kidlitchat
8:25 pm gregpincus: Perhaps this is a case where writers just write and publishers/sales departments deal with the rest? #kidlitchat
8:25 pm mgbuehrlen: RT @catesfolly: @debbieohi or was that “elevensies” tween second breakfast and lunch? :-) << LOL #kidlitchat
8:25 pm RosemaryMarotta: @DDHearn I agree it would probably be ya #kidlitchat
8:25 pm debbieohi: Ok, here, I’m not TOTALLY crazy. :-) http://bit.ly/2ooiVD (Tolkien & tweens) #kidlitchat
8:25 pm emilytastic: @thaliachaltas For the most part, I agree! I have some naysayers come into the store sometimes, and I get all soapboxy. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm cbrett60: Write for the genre and your target audience and let the agents determine what age group. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm kcclyburn: @thaliachaltas Indeed; what they can’t find in a Dan Brown book, they may be able to find in a @scottwesterfeld novel. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm bonnieadamson: @PattyJMurphy I’ve heard Clementine skews older: third-graders willing to read, even though protag is younger. #kidlitchat
8:25 pm EngridE1: @LJBoldyrev Trying to post, again. Harry Potter fans grew from MG to YA with him. (adults excluded) #kidlitchat
8:25 pm EKokie: @TrishDoller Seems industry continues vicious circle of boys don’t read, so less pub for “boys”, but then less boys read… #kidlitchat
8:25 pm catesfolly: @uppington I don’t recall there being YA lit when I was a teen; didn’t we all read things like Stephen King at 14 back then? #kidlitchat
8:25 pm jennymckmoss: Think Queen’s Thief stretches from MG to adult. Wonder at MWT’s intended audience . . . #kidlitchat
8:25 pm dawnmetcalf: RT @kcclyburn If you’re unpubbed, I think priority 1 should be WRITE & worry about what happens when you’re published later #kidlitchat Yes!
8:25 pm mgbuehrlen: @skodobah For sure! ;-) #kidlitchat
8:26 pm dawnmetcalf: So many wise words, I have nothing to say. Just RTing! #kidlitchat
8:26 pm RebeccAgent: for the most part yes @gregpincus but you need to know what kids the age of your protag are like #kidlitchat
8:26 pm mgbuehrlen: @_rachelsimon Thanks! Glad I made it. What book is everyone talking about? #kidlitchat
8:26 pm Georgia_McBride: Grrr. forgot to write #kidlitchat on protag comment. she’s 17 then turns 18 during the book.
8:26 pm thegearheart: @debbieohi A tween is particularly important to my job- animation! #kidlitchat
8:26 pm Becky_Levine: I think, AS we write, we need to self-educate re genre. Don’t have to see it as negative market, but what kids/teens r reading. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm dawnmetcalf: @Becky_Levine oooOOOooo! Tell me more about that! #kidlitchat
8:26 pm LJBoldyrev: @catesfolly I remember reading THE TALISMAN and MISERY when I was in my early teens. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm skodobah: @dawnmetcalf Amen. Write to your soul’s calling first. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm kcclyburn: @gregpincus I think it is. Until you’re about to be published, I don’t think you should worry about it. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm lyonmartin: in YA section of Broders 2day. thr wr sum “classic” books shelved thr that I remember as being “adult” lit when I was a teen. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm maggiedana: If booksellers don’t like ‘tween’ then how about ‘prepubescent?’ That ought to get their knickers in a twist. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm susan_marie: @gregpincus No, not just about sales depts. About intent. Think of Gary Soto & Naomi Shihab Nye’s various projects as examples. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm AudryT: But why should writers just write? Why shouldn’t they choose target audience? Not marketing audience, but reading audience. #kidlitchat
8:26 pm Georgia_McBride: RT @gregpincus: Perhaps this is a case where writers just write and publishers/sales departments deal with the rest? #kidlitchat
8:26 pm RebeccAgent: age of protag defines category more than anything #kidlitchat
8:26 pm PattyJMurphy: BINGOOOO! RT @gregpincus: Perhaps this is a case where writers just write and publishers/sales departments deal with the rest? #kidlitchat
8:26 pm Delacroix710: @cbrett60 NIGGA I GOT 10 TOILETS I COULD SHIT ALL DAY #TAKINGASHIT #kidlitchat
8:26 pm TrishDoller: @cbrett60 Except when you get all the way through edits and then the bookstore chain says, “Make this MG & we’ll buy.” #kidlitchat
8:26 pm debbieohi: Wow, Tweetchat’s spewing a lot for me tonight. Pause, then SPEW. Pause, then SPEW. All good info spewing, tho. :-) #kidlitchat
8:26 pm writetoday: @thaliachaltas That’s how I feel about MG books too! #kidlitchat
8:27 pm KayCassidy: @emilytastic Yes! That’s where I’ve always put it too. When the one lib said early MG, I thought “wouldn’t that be 8-10???” #kidlitchat
8:27 pm LiaKeyes: First draft: write the story that’s hot to get out. 2nd Draft: consider market #kidlitchat
8:27 pm KatGirl_Studio: @catesfolly ya we read Steven King in my junior English class #kidlitchat
8:27 pm DDHearn: @AnnaZiska I was a late bloomer and if young today would probably be reading MG well into my YA years. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm Becky_Levine: Writing & revising an entire book, without learning re genre/age/content can too often lead to frustration/confusion. READ. :) #kidlitchat
8:27 pm RebeccAgent: with exceptions to the rule, of course #kidlitchat
8:27 pm thaliachaltas: R2 totally crazy! RT @debbieohi: Ok, here, Im not TOTALLY crazy. :-) http://bit.ly/2ooiVD (Tolkien & tweens) #kidlitchat
8:27 pm sarahjanestudio: @BonnieAdamson good point. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm clkblade5: @cbrett60 Your target audience would have an age group….baka^ni #kidlitchat
8:27 pm LJBoldyrev: @Georgia_McBride My protage is 17 and her love interest is 19. Considering changing it because of the whole statutory thing. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm emilytastic: I think of my audience when I’m writing, but only because my characters ARE my audience – melodramatic teens. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm jamieharrington: So, what’s the topic? #kidlitchat
8:27 pm dawnmetcalf: What do teens read? A compelling story with characters they can relate to. Write that. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm sharifwrites: @catesfolly I don’t recall YA, except for Christopher Pike (talking about the 90s). Yes, I read Stephen King in high school. #kidlitchat
8:27 pm debbieohi: @thegearheart Just a tween was important? Or all tweens? #kidlitchat
8:27 pm skodobah: It’s much more taboo to have a 15-yr-old that’s sexually active than one “of age.” #kidlitchat
8:27 pm TrishDoller: @EKokie I agree. IF there were books for boys, maybe they WOULD read. *shrug* Just a thought. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm LJBoldyrev: @LJBoldyrev Protag* #kidlitchat
8:28 pm Georgia_McBride: @gregpincus True but I think nowadays, writers need to be a little biz savvy to be successful. They need to know their market. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm gregpincus: There are also major differences across the country about what “age” reads (or watches) what. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm RosemaryMarotta: when Pullmans bks first came out the publisher wanted the adult trade dept to buy the book because kids couldn’t handle qty #kidlitchat
8:28 pm CynthiaCWillis: RT @debbieohi: Wow, Tweetchats spewing a lot for me tonight. Pause, then SPEW. Pause, then SPEW. All good info spewing, tho. :-) #kidlitchat
8:28 pm debbieohi: @thaliachaltas Hey, I heard that! And don’t think I forgot you buzzed at me at the last #kidlitchat. :-D #kidlitchat
8:28 pm skodobah: Then again, a lot of kids like taboo (and adults, too!). #kidlitchat
8:28 pm KayCassidy: My heroine is 16 in the series I’m writing now. In new YA trilogy, they’re 17-19. But also working on an MG with a 13yo heroine. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm DDHearn: @Shelltex I considered Lovely Bones an adult book when I read it, though it could also be YA. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm _rachelsimon: RT @dawnmetcalf: What do teens read? A compelling story with characters they can relate to. Write that. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm carolgrannick: But we also take risks, and write about issues happening to MG kids before we might like to believe those things happen… #kidlitchat
8:28 pm cbrett60: @TrishDoller that does burr the line #kidlitchat
8:28 pm dawnmetcalf: @thaliachaltas @debbieohi To be fair, you’re both a LITTLE crazy. And that’s why we like you! ;-) #kidlitchat
8:28 pm EngridE1: Interesting idea –> RT @LiaKeyes: First draft: write the story thats hot to get out. 2nd Draft: consider market #kidlitchat
8:28 pm catesfolly: @DDHearn Great question about To Kill A M’bird. I say mid-grade! The ? says a lot about how our ideas about lit have morphed #kidlitchat
8:28 pm kcclyburn: Question: is everyone that writes MG/YA actually *reading* MG/YA? Cuz I think you can tell when they don’t. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm Georgia_McBride: @LorettaNyhan Disney actively uses the word in its programming-oddly #kidlitchat
8:28 pm sharifwrites: @LJBoldyrev My freshman/sophomore years were about digesting SK. I would be like Y-WHO? #kidlitchat
8:28 pm skodobah: @LJBoldyrev It’s taboo (my word for the evening)! Go with it. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm srjohannes: shoot some of the YA books make me blush! #kidlitchat
8:28 pm PattyJMurphy: AMEN…RT @Becky_Levine: As we write, we need to self-educate re: genre…what kids are reading, etc. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm dawnmetcalf: @gregpincus …not to mention overseas. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm jessicaleeander: @gregpincus So true! #kidlitchat
8:28 pm mitaliperkins: RT @LiaKeyes 1st draft: write the story that’s hot to get out. 2nd draft: consider market #kidlitchat [including schools and libraries]
8:28 pm bonnieadamson: We read those very tame teen romance stories when I was in hs (as relief from classics). No YA, per se. #kidlitchat
8:28 pm JessieHarrell: @sharifwrites same here (reading Pike and King) – seems like I jumped from Sweet Valley High to Stephen King??? #kidlitchat
8:28 pm thaliachaltas: @debbieohi Bzzz bzzz :) #kidlitchat
8:29 pm marjorielight: My students read 2.5 – 12.5 level- ages 11-13. Life exp/mental age =8 to about 40. We need stories for all of them! #kidlitchat
8:29 pm LJBoldyrev: @CynthiaCWillis Same here. It’s nothing, then its 10 tweets. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm jeanie_w: RT @gregpincus: There are also major differences across the country about what “age” reads (or watches) what. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm Georgia_McBride: @LJBoldyrev that is an important consideration. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm debbieduncan: RT @Becky_Levine: Writing/revising an entire book, w/out learning re genre/age/content can lead to frustration. READ. :) #kidlitchat
8:29 pm tehawesomersace: @sharifwrites Me too. Late eighties/early nineties started “teen” section. Cristopher Pike, etc. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm EKokie: @gregpincus Even w/in communities..it’s really impossible to categorize what is “appropriate” for everyone’s child of X age #kidlitchat
8:29 pm srjohannes: @DDHearn yes I think teens read darker stuff more now #kidlitchat
8:29 pm thaliachaltas: And that’s educational for many teens! That’s good! RT @srjohannes: shoot some of the YA books make me blush! #kidlitchat
8:29 pm kcclyburn: My two MC’s in my #NaNoWriMo are 16 and 17, which would make them juniors, methinks. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm _rachelsimon: @DDHearn I consider Lovely Bones adult and I read that when I was YA (14). #kidlitchat
8:29 pm BellaStander: Hardly! Narrator of Kosinski’s very adult THE PAINTED BIRD is 8. @dlschubert Protag’s age determines if your book is YA or MG. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm skodobah: @srjohannes Blushing is best with the YA titles I read. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm KatGirl_Studio: @kcclyburn I am! Just read Fever 1793 starting Hush Hush tonight #kidlitchat
8:29 pm Georgia_McBride: RT @dawnmetcalf: What do teens read? A compelling story with characters they can relate to. Write that. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm Becky_Levine: @dawnmetcalf YA RWA site: http://www.yarwa.com/ Just getting started, but fun. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm MyraMcEntire: RT @srjohannes: shoot some of the YA books make me blush! <—–DUDE. Seriously. #kidlitchat
8:29 pm jamieharrington: @bonnieadamson yeah I read a lot of tame romance when I was a teen, so jealous of YA! #kidlitchat
8:29 pm debbieohi: RT @gregpincus: There are also major differences across the country about what “age” reads (or watches) what. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm sharifwrites: @RebeccAgent Yes, so reader can relate. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm JessieHarrell: @kcclyburn my Kindle is full of nothing but YA. If I ever lost it, the finder would be searching for a younger owner. :) #kidlitchat
8:30 pm jamieharrington: @srjohannes I think the darker stuff is a trend, and will change #kidlitchat
8:30 pm PattyJMurphy: @srjohannes Which can first…darker reads or darker readers? #kidlitchat
8:30 pm thegearheart: @debbieohi In my work, it stands for “in-between” the frames that exist between two keyframes. http://bit.ly/xewmV #kidlitchat
8:30 pm Georgia_McBride: RT @Becky_Levine: Writing & revising a book, w/o learning re genre/age/content can lead to frustration/confusion. READ. :) #kidlitchat
8:30 pm kperry: @KatGirl_Studio Loved Hush, Hush. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm emilytastic: I often have customers ask me “do you have a section for 4th graders?” or “What level is this book?” But it’s dif. for each kid. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm LiaKeyes: In England there’s an uproar about putting ages on books – authors say let the readers decide what they’re ready for. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm CynthiaCWillis: @LJBoldyrev It’s driving me a little crazy, I must say. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm dlschubert: @kcclyburn How can you tell? re: is everyone that writes MG/YA *reading* MG/YA? Cuz I think you can tell when they don’t. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm srjohannes: @MyraMcEntire i dont see how younger kids ever read them. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm marjorielight: It is the girls in my 7th grade class who tread the YA waters…most boys aren’t interested! #kidlitchat
8:30 pm skodobah: Young characters in dark situations can be very appealing for readers on the lookout for something more than Audrey! Wait! #kidlitchat
8:30 pm debbieohi: @thegearheart LOL! Ok, I’m slow, but I get it now. :-D #kidlitchat
8:30 pm jamieharrington: @JessieHarrell haha mine too! #kidlitchat
8:30 pm Georgia_McBride: @debbieohi Sometimes, the spew is good. #kidlitchat
8:30 pm DDHearn: @EKokie I keep reading about less boy protags, yet so many popular books have them. HP, Percy Jackson, Part Time Indian…… #kidlitchat
8:31 pm bonnieadamson: @jamieharrington Yeah, and even more embarrassingly, I BELIEVED the tame/lame romance, lol! #kidlitchat
8:31 pm EKokie: @srjohannes They’re just reading darker pubbed specif for them. I was reading adult far darker by 13. Now 13yos have upperYA #kidlitchat
8:31 pm jeanie_w: @kcclyburn More writers need to read the kind of books they want to write. Good point. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm sharifwrites: @JessieHarrell Now I remember Sweet Valley High–read that in junior high. Yes, that is quite a jump going from SVH to King. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm thaliachaltas: Real life is darker than used to be written about. RT @PattyJMurphy: @srjohannes Which can first-darker reads or darker readers? #kidlitchat
8:31 pm srjohannes: @PattyJMurphy …..I think darker days came first? ;) #kidlitchat
8:31 pm debbieohi: @dawnmetcalf You’re our role model, Dawn. :-) Isn’t that right, @thaliachaltas? #kidlitchat
8:31 pm catesfolly: Bradbury and Vonnegut were YA when I was a kid. Seems like sci fi filled the gap for a long time. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm KatGirl_Studio: most of the books i own are YA or younger. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm brimeetsbooks: #kidlitchat It’s interesting to see where people assume certain books are, had somebody look for catching fire in mg today #kidlitchat
8:31 pm mitaliperkins: Double the chat! Now @readergirlz: Beyond Hardship w/ @LorieAnnGrover, Elizabeth Scott, and Lynn Weingarten http://bit.ly/14o5nf #kidlitchat
8:31 pm RosemaryMarotta: @gregpincus I have seen major arguments about where a book should be placed the writer sometimes was not asked #kidlitchat
8:31 pm happybluejess: @gregpincus More specifics on cross-country differences? That’s interesting…. (Forgot the #kidlitchat the first time!)
8:31 pm cbrett60: RT @LiaKeyes: In England theres an uproar about putting ages on books – authors say let the readers decide what theyre ready for #kidlitchat
8:31 pm PattyJMurphy: RT 2 @PattyJMurphy: @srjohannes Which came first…darker reads or darker readers? <can’t eat and type> #kidlitchat
8:31 pm kcclyburn: @dlschubert There’s a disconnect, and they seem a little bit more preachy. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm KatGirl_Studio: i think i own like 3 books that are actually for “adults” that are not non-fiction books. #kidlitchat
8:31 pm jennymckmoss: @marjorielight what titles are they reading lately? #kidlitchat
8:31 pm debbieohi: @Georgia_McBride Absolutely. :-) #kidlitchat
8:31 pm kcclyburn: @jamieharrington Dark and dreary can’t last forever. I hope. GOD do I hope. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm hatbooks: #kidlitchat on now till 11 am Tokyo time. Topic: do we need to think about age and audience of readers when we write?
8:32 pm TrishDoller: @emilytastic I have the parents who say, “I have a 4th gr reading at a 9th level…” It *would* be nice to have some older MG. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm KateMessner: @marjorielight Really? I have a handful of boys gobbling up Ellen Hopkins novels in verse this year. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm MyraMcEntire: @srjohannes I want a tease, not the whole enchilada. Even as an adult. You can’t go back once you cross a certain line. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm dlschubert: @BellaStander according to @elanaroth Absolutely. Very hard to do an MG with a 15 year old protag… #kidlitchat Guess there’s a ? on this..
8:32 pm jamieharrington: @kcclyburn oh me too… I love the bubbly stuff. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm srjohannes: @EKokie thats true – I used to sneak my moms stephen kings but they scared the crap out of me and gave me nightmares #kidlitchat
8:32 pm skodobah: @cbrett60 That’s like the Parental Advisory Labels on records. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm gregpincus: @happybluejess the coasts tend to “age up” faster, for example. Divisions between urban and rural areas, too. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm HeleneBoudreau: So tame teenage romance stories with MC 14/15. Where do they fit? Appropriate for MG, but too tame for YA? Tween to me? o_O #kidlitchat
8:32 pm LJBoldyrev: @KatGirl_Studio Same here. My Charlaine Harris collection is about all the adult I have. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm jamieharrington: @bonnieadamson haha yes me too! I was all about the romance novels! #kidlitchat
8:32 pm EKokie: @DDHearn Yup & I keep hearing “boys don’t read” but I see the contrary. We need to stop saying it & just pub good books ;} #kidlitchat
8:32 pm LiaKeyes: Dark YA is age appropriate because they stand on edge of the abyss, wondering if they’re wings will work… or not. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm srjohannes: @KateMessner that’s awesome! #kidlitchat
8:32 pm SuePinto: What is so interesting about many of today’s YA is this theme of 17 yr-old char. w/ century-old soul and wisdom; attracts girls. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm bonnieadamson: @kcclyburn The pendulum WILL swing back! #kidlitchat
8:32 pm kcclyburn: @PattyJMurphy Darker books have been around for a long time, but they very slowly came to the forefront. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm KateMessner: Yes!! RT @jeanie_w: @kcclyburn More writers need to read the kind of books they want to write. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm gavinobrown: I’m always amazed when I think about it how much violence and death there is in MG and YA both. You don’t always notice. #kidlitchat
8:32 pm thaliachaltas: @hatbooks Good morning, Holly! #kidlitchat
8:32 pm DDHearn: @LJBoldyrev I read Crime and Punishment at 14…(doesn’t mean I understood all of it). Teens read all kinds of books. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm AnnaZiska: My 11yo girls is ready Emily the strange. Not really mg. RT @jennymckmoss: @marjorielight what titles are they reading lately? #kidlitchat
8:33 pm jamieharrington: @TrishDoller yeah, but that’s a small audience to write for! #kidlitchat
8:33 pm Idaho_Laurie: @BellaStander Not many YA’s narrated by adults, though. Richard Peck’s MGs, but no YAs come to mind. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm sharifwrites: @PattyJMurphy I’d say darker readers, or darker society. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm debbieohi: RT @EKokie: I keep hearing “boys dont read” but I see the contrary. We need to stop saying it & just pub good books ;} #kidlitchat
8:33 pm Georgia_McBride: Think not only about ur MC’s age but level of maturity + life experiences. Age does not determine action/reaction. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm jamieharrington: @LiaKeyes yeah, but dark YA is so last year! #kidlitchat
8:33 pm KatGirl_Studio: @LJBoldyrev I think i may read those next. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm CynthiaCWillis: @cbrett60 authors say let the readers decide what theyre ready for. . . I love that! : ) #kidlitchat
8:33 pm skodobah: @LiaKeyes That’s awesome. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm bonnieadamson: @dlschubert Will say again: I think historical with 15 yo would very likely be MG #kidlitchat
8:33 pm thaliachaltas: RT @gregpincus: @happybluejess the coasts tend to “age up” faster, for example. Divisions between urban and rural areas, too. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm emilytastic: @TrishDoller I get that, too. I made a little “tween-safe YA” guide for non-kidlit booksellers to help customers with. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm cdragonwagon: HEARTILY AGREE @kcclyburn If u’re unpubl’d, priority 1 shd be 2 WRITE; worry abt what happens when ur publ’d later #kidlitchat #amwriting
8:33 pm LiaKeyes: @gavinobrown There was death and violence in BAMBI… #kidlitchat
8:33 pm BellaStander: You must know audience/age when submitt’g to agents. @dawnmetcalf Story comes 1st (audience). Let marketing figure out the rest! #kidlitchat
8:33 pm kcclyburn: @LiaKeyes Boys read all the time, just like African-Americans and latin americans and everyone reads. #kidlitchat
8:33 pm RosemaryMarotta: @emilytastic this is true which is why stores need informed staff #kidlitchat
8:33 pm skodobah: @sharifwrites Both. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm bonnieadamson: @jamieharrington The MC always had an older brother who fixed her up with his very cool (and gentlemanly) friends. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm kcclyburn: @LiaKeyes Only marketing boneheads think otherwise. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm EKokie: @TrishDoller See, I think there are books for boys – but we condition them to think there aren’t. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm Idaho_Laurie: Forgive me! I keep forgetting hash marks. Grrrr… #kidlitchat
8:34 pm marybrebner: @jennymckmoss Some of my 8th graders (guys & girls) are reading SHIVER, WICKED LOVELY, RAMPANT; passing along THE MAZE RUNNER #kidlitchat
8:34 pm mgbuehrlen: @HeleneBoudreau How can something be “too tame” for YA? #kidlitchat
8:34 pm cbrett60: @skodobah I don’t see the point in making a classification, teens will read what they want, I did and still do #kidlitchat
8:34 pm LJBoldyrev: @KatGirl_Studio I love them. Couldn’t put them down. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm LiaKeyes: The secret is that it should end with hope! RT @jamieharrington: @LiaKeyes yeah, but dark YA is so last year! #kidlitchat
8:34 pm LJBoldyrev: @marybrebner SHIVER is one of my favs #kidlitchat
8:34 pm TrishDoller: @CynthiaCWillis If it were *just* up to the readers, I’d say YES! But parents buy, too, and they’re tougher to please. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm Becky_Levine: @catesfolly Sci Fi Still fills the gap, I think. Son, 13, reading Pratchett, Bradbury, 1984. #kidlitchat
8:34 pm KateMessner: @emilytastic Would love to see you “tween-safe” YA list some day! #kidlitchat
8:34 pm catesfolly: Sorry to repeat for some but Nancie Atwell has great book that speaks to the “boys don’t read” myth: http://bit.ly/BrYit #kidlitchat
8:34 pm jamieharrington: @BonnieAdamson #kidlitchat yes!
8:34 pm crissachappell: @Idaho_Laurie it’s a marketing thing–editors think books about older teens won’t sell. I believe otherwise. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm EgmontUSA: We have a middle grade next summer w/ a 16 yo protagonist. Because of the subject matter, it doesn’t make sense as YA. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm MyraMcEntire: @LiaKeyes Not everyone agrees. But I’m all about hope! #kidlitchat
8:35 pm jennymckmoss: @marybrebner good selections; smart MG’rs :) #kidlitchat
8:35 pm jamieharrington: @LiaKeyes I agree, but I just want to read the whole book making me happy, and I did when I was a teen too #kidlitchat
8:35 pm srjohannes: @LiaKeyes is dark YA last year? really? #kidlitchat
8:35 pm KatGirl_Studio: @LJBoldyrev The original covers drive me nuts but the new covers a very pretty. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm maggiedana: Try TweetChat instead. It puts hashtag in for you. RT @Idaho_Laurie: Forgive me! I keep forgetting hash marks. Grrrr… #kidlitchat
8:35 pm jeanie_w: RT @kcclyburn: @LiaKeyes Boys read all the time, just like African-Americans and latin americans and everyone reads. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm skodobah: @cbrett60 Right! Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And if it’s defined, teens will always find a way around the definitions. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm LiaKeyes: Teen boys would read more if there were decent YA books for them to read. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm thaliachaltas: @cbrett60 I think classifications are for guidance. For someone choosing a book for someone else, mostly. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm TrishDoller: @EKokie Oh, there ARE. But when I look at my shelves, there are not ENOUGH. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm jamieharrington: @crissachappell who would read them though? #kidlitchat
8:35 pm gavinobrown: @LiaKeyes It’s largely a question not of what actually happens, but how much blood you show. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm RosemaryMarotta: @TrishDoller that is always the way it was always refreshing to hear someone say they have a low reader and wanted good books #kidlitchat
8:35 pm DDHearn: @srjohannes I’m sure you’re right about teens reading darker stuff. And more is available specifically for teens. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm emilytastic: @KateMessner I will try and remember to write it down for you! It’s older MG & YA without too much sex/drugs/rocknroll. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm thaliachaltas: RT @EgmontUSA: We have MG next summer w/ a 16 yo protagonist. Because of the subject matter, it doesnt make sense as YA. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm Georgia_McBride: Hanging out at #kidlitchat while watching the #Yankee game. What could be better?
8:35 pm _rachelsimon: I agree! RT @LiaKeyes: Teen boys would read more if there were decent YA books for them to read. #kidlitchat
8:35 pm KayCassidy: @EgmontUSA Really, Alison? 16? Girl or boy heroine? #kidlitchat
8:36 pm jamieharrington: @LiaKeyes I agree with that. Boys don’t read because we don’t give thema anything to read #kidlitchat
8:36 pm cbrett60: “Boys don’t read” is a myth. I have been reading 14 out of my 19 years of being alive #kidlitchat
8:36 pm maggiedana: @catesfolly Atwell? Any relation to Mabel Lucie Atwell? #kidlitchat
8:36 pm Becky_Levine: @bonnieadamson My historical MC is 15, and it will be YA. I know her choices/problems are YA–my struggle will be with voice. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm EKokie: If the subject matter concerns more MG issues than YA RT @mgbuehrlen: @HeleneBoudreau How can something be “too tame” for YA? #kidlitchat
8:36 pm CynthiaCWillis: @TrishDoller Ahh, yes, that’s a really good point. How much do you think what their darlings want influence parents? #kidlitchat
8:36 pm varianjohnson: @KateMessner The Texas Library Association’s Lonestar list has YA that’s tween friendly. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm srjohannes: @EgmontUSA will you try to cross market at all or no? what was the subject? #kidlitchat
8:36 pm thaliachaltas: Cookies? RT @Georgia_McBride: Hanging out at #kidlitchat while watching the #Yankee game. What could be better? #kidlitchat
8:36 pm PattyJMurphy: RT @LiaKeyes: The secret is that it should end with HOPE! <I have heard it said that is the difference b/t ADULT + kids’ books:) #kidlitchat
8:36 pm LiaKeyes: @srjohannes It was @jamieharrington who said that dark YA is so last year. I think it will always have a place. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm marybrebner: @LJBoldyrev SHIVER was so good-gave it to one student, who passed to another, & it’s now with another! YEA! Read, kiddos, read! #kidlitchat
8:36 pm crissachappell: @jamieharrington I think high school kids are curious about college..and want to read stories about characters who are older #kidlitchat
8:36 pm cbrett60: @skodobah Exactly #kidlitchat
8:36 pm lyonmartin: I read more MG and YA than my teen does. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm lynnekelly: @EgmontUSA That’s interesting; what’s the book about, your MG w/ a 16-year-old protagonist? #kidlitchat
8:36 pm dlschubert: Agree! RT @thaliachaltas I think classifications are for guidance. For someone choosing a book for someone else, mostly. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm KayCassidy: @EgmontUSA LOL. Boy heroine. Nice cross there, Kay. Boy or girl protag, I mean. :-) #kidlitchat
8:36 pm bonnieadamson: @HeleneBoudreau Well, I’d put in MG, because of that tween attitude thing–just don’t like the image of girls “tween” promotes. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm hatbooks: Batchelder award winning Moribito has MC in her 20s…other cultures don’t hold to age restrictions to extent US market does. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm _rachelsimon: @EgmontUSA MG with 16 year old protag? How does that work? I’m curious. #kidlitchat
8:36 pm EgmontUSA: @cbrett60 I agree. Strong readers will read up. Reluctant readers may (secretly) be reading “easier” books. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm jamieharrington: @LiaKeyes I think it will always have a plce, but I think there will be trends… #kidlitchat
8:37 pm jeanie_w: Around where I live, teenagers seldom read YA because they’re too busy preparing for SATs and AP exams. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm LJBoldyrev: @LiaKeyes I agree. I don’t think it will ever be “last year”. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm TrishDoller: @RosemaryMarotta Exactly. Lower readers like age-appropriate, and higher readers do, too. There IS a middle ground. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm marybrebner: @jamieharrington @LiaKeyes Have you all read THE MAZE RUNNER? I mean, it’s just one guy book but it’s good. Fast-paced, guy MC #kidlitchat
8:37 pm cdragonwagon: also agree @kcclyburn When I was 12, only thing I wanted 2B was teenager. If someone called me a tween, I’d be fucking PISSED. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm DDHearn: @PattyJMurphy One of my favorite books as a teen was Night of the Hunter. It’s pretty dark and adult, with very young protags. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm karianneholt: RE mktg boneheads: Sometimes they’re the ones at the pub house who can kill a manuscript. “There’s no market for this” etc. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm debbieohi: @LiaKeyes: re: hope being a difference between kidlit & adult — One of the reasons I prefer reading kidlit. #kidlitchat
8:37 pm jamieharrington: @EgmontUSA #kidlitchat that surprises me, why would kids want to read about someone that much older?
8:37 pm WeronikaJanczuk: Passionate about kid lit? Check out #kidlitchat! Wish I could chat tonight but there are too many things to do. Signing off for the night.
8:37 pm skodobah: @jamieharrington I’m working on a book with a boy’s POV. Challenging, but also a relief from the PMS I find with females. #kidlitchat

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