As I am going through the review area and looking at other's work I had a question. I am writing a children/young adult novel - ages 9-12 or so. It seems that the novel section is really geared toward adult novels and then there is the short story section where children's stories can be reviewed. I guess I am looking for something more geared toward the tween audience and i know that while anyone can review anything which is great it also might be helpful to see other peoples work that is specifically geared to this age group/reading level/understanding and content level, and if it is here I just don't seem to be able to find it. Can someone point me in the right direction or assist me? Thanks!
if it's a short story, it goes in the children's section of the short story forum... and if it's a novel, it goes with the novels, regardless of whether it's for the adult or YA market... neither section is heavily used enough to warrant a further division, so i don't see any problem... if you want members to know it's YA, just add that to the subject title, so they'll know what it is before opening the thread...
I'd recommend not saying it's a YA book, though. I've noticed that a lot of people have lower expectations for novels in that age group, even though they shouldn't. If you say that it's for a younger audience, some people might not give it the full review it deserves.
i don't see how that could make any sense, since if we don't know what market it's for, we can't assess its chances for success in that market... i should think you would agree that if you read a YA piece w/o knowing it's for teens and 'tweens, thinking it's meant for adults, you'll certainly take a dimmer view of the subject matter and 'voice' than if you knew it wasn't aimed at adults... and if some don't want to review YA work, that's their choice and you can't fool them into doing it by not telling them what it is and get a valid review...
I've always been told that they should be judged the same way. Besides, I personally think the way Charles de Lint does with regards to books for teenagers. He does not approach them any differently than he does with his books for adults. There is no reason to, when you consider that most teenagers can read books for adults too. If you can get the characters right, it will work.
Sounds like an excellent idea SarahN, I am pretty sure that the novel or short story section is welcomed for all ages. However, if there were enough people who are interested in writing children novels, then I guess its up to the admin to decide whether or not to make a sub forum. but... in the mean time, I suggest you place your novel/short story in the appropriate section (Novel, Short Story)
For the purpose of the Revew Rooms, it's a good idea to mention your target audience, if it's not a general adult audience. That way, if a reviewer sees something that is not appropriate for the target audience, or for some other reason could be improved with that ausience in mind, he or she can point it out.
