Young Readers Drive ‘New Adult’ Literary Trends, From Romanticism to Dark College

From romance to dark college, legions of young readers are delving into eclectic new literary subgenres in a trend fueled by social media.

At the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, fans gathered at colorful booths displaying “new adult” literature that filled an 8,000-square-meter hall.

The trend has been fueled by authors and publishers posting on social media and readers giving feedback, especially under the hashtag BookTok on TikTok.

“The new adult brought me back to reading,” Julia Kendall, a 30-year-old teacher, told AFP at the book fair, the largest in the world.

“I hadn’t read anything for a while, then I held my first Mona Kasten book in my hands and loved it,” she said, referring to a popular German romance author – a neologism for romance and fantasy.

New adult literature is generally aimed at readers between the ages of 18 and 25 and often contains more mature themes, such as explicit scenes or drug use, that may be considered off-limits to younger audiences.

Some authors have assumed near-rockstar status, with legions of fans who will line up for hours at events to meet them and get autographs.

Stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 17, 2024. — Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP

Breaking limits

One such popular author is Jane S. Wonda, who has written successful “dark romance” books that fuse elements of traditional romance with eroticism and darker subjects, such as violence or drugs.

The 33-year-old self-published artist told AFP that she believes her works “break boundaries” and represent a shift away from “excessive social correctness… towards something more morally gray”.

For Wonda, her readers are “very close” and their responses – especially on social media – influence her writing.

“I pay a lot of attention to the feedback readers give me: so what do they write to me in messages? What do they respond to most?”

Astrid Ohletz, who runs the Germany-based independent publisher Ylva, which focuses on lesbian romance books, said the purchasing behavior of young adult readers, driven by social media, was “changing the industry”.

“The big publishers are conservative. They know they need to change – but they actually don’t like it,” she said.

Ohletz established his own relatively small company 12 years ago and sells mainly e-books, in German and English, domestically and abroad.

‘Reading fever’

Flashy appearance and style are key in “new adult” literature.

Readers want attractive books that stand out on social media, and publishers strive to produce increasingly elaborate covers.

“For many new adult readers, the book is more than just reading material,” said Jeannette Bauroth of Second Chances, a publisher that translates books into German that she feels have been passed over by the local market.

Many want “pretty books” to go on so-called “bookshelves” — photos of their bookshelves that they post on social media, she said.

Bauroth gave the example of a series of books they published in the “queer sports romance” subgenre, with the edges of the pages splashed with colorful patterns.

But there are concerns in some quarters that the new adult genres “dumb down” literature and encourage young readers to opt for less serious works.

Some romance books have also faced criticism for being too dark, especially when it comes to how they portray relationships.

“I wish some of the books were healthier in their relationships,” Ohletz said. “I don’t understand why they tend to be a little misogynistic.”

However, she and many other industry figures at the book fair were largely positive about a trend they believe is encouraging more young people to buy books.

Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, president of the German Association of Publishers and Booksellers, said there was “an absolute fever for reading” among younger adults.

“They are finding a boost in reading online… This generation naturally transitions between analog and digital,” she said. –AFP