In Parts I through III of this series, I discuss how age and law, minors’ rights, and popular opinion can impact writing content for young adults. In today’s post, I discuss authorship and publishers.
I’ll speak to the little I know about the ever-changing and slightly psychotic publishing industry. Conventional publishers are not afraid to include sexual content in young adult literature, particularly given that the ebook boom is impinging on their profits. They are, however, much more conservative and cautious when it comes to young adult literature for GLBTQIA youth than they are heterosexual youth. Conventional publishers have no alternative but to develop a dramatically different perspective and they will take various stances with respect to said content. This is happening as you read. They’ll edit the content, of course, but they’ll be more open-minded than they are today. I also expect to see a Supreme Court case over this very issue arise in the not-too-distant future.
While I am aware that adults comprise a large part of the revenue stream for young adult books, I write for young adults. Period. I do so for ages intended to be twelve to eighteen, I deal with tough issues, I want youth to learn from my books, and want them to walk away from my stories feeling good. Whether my books resonate with adults or transcend the young adult marketplace, I can’t say. I can say that I receive many emails from adults complimenting my work. Sometimes it is because they have read my books. Sometimes it is because they are pleased to have something to recommend to the gay teen in their lives.
Let’s be realistic. How ignorant do we, as authors, appear when we pretend that a young adult’s imagination is not graphic? The tweens and teens I know can set my cheeks aflame in seconds. Not to mention, sexual urges are a moment-by-moment plight for teens, particularly male teens. The traitorous body has a mind of its own and we would be foolish to think that teens don’t imagine explicit sexual content when they see or meet someone who they think is hot. In my novel Slaying Isidore’s Dragons, Declan wants to all but kill his [] upon seeing Isidore for the first time and is terrified he will not make it out of the classroom without someone seeing his wood.
But what is definitely out for young adults? It goes without saying that the usual exclusions apply, (rape, incest, bestiality, etc.). Toys and anything BDSM related are also unacceptable to me. I won’t write in dental dams, but will write in condoms. I won’t write in fluids that may be used in lieu of lubricant, but will write in lubricant and soap. I try to follow what is taught in our Abstinence Plus Sexuality Education and adapt it to same-sex relationships. The bottom line: use common sense and if you’re unsure, error on the side of restraint.
We also know that several classic works have been banned from time to time only to become mandatory reading for tweens and teens in school (About Banned Books). As an author, I ask myself: Do I want my literary works banned or challenged? I smirk at self and answer no, but am quick to qualify it. I am willing to risk having my books banned or challenged in order to write a good story. If sexual exploration and activity is integral to the story, then it will be in there. Each author must make this decision for him or herself.
It is no secret that girls read more and more often than boys do. Boys also learn at a different rate and in different ways than girls do. In recent changes to education policy, boys were left behind. If our novels and stories inspire boys to read, then we have done a good thing.
In close, I believe young people should read about life as it is lived. Similarly, I don’t believe poetic license is a license to scribe recklessly. On a more personal note, I don’t write to be popular or sell more books. I write to give GLBTQIA youth hope.
