YA Books in Libraries—What’s Popular?
How do you know if the manuscript you’re pitching to a literary agent is marketable? How do you know if your idea hasn’t already been done?
Anyone can look at a bestseller list on Barnes and Noble or Amazon, but those cover recent books only. What about the books that end up long-lasting bestsellers? For this kind of comprehensive data, I consulted people in my own field: librarians.
I began by looking into library literature. When I couldn’t find anything concrete, I surveyed children’s and teen librarians myself. I also consulted a few colleagues of mine who worked in public libraries, where the popularity of books depends on how often they circulate (check-out).
A total of 34 librarians responded. I also gathered my own data, as I’m in charge of the YA collection in the academic library where I work, making a total of 35 respondents.
I was not only interested in what was checking out, but what librarians have recommended. Librarians are some of the highest consumers of books, and most selection policies are based on patron demand, so the titles they’re buying and recommending are likely to be popular.
Results:
35 Librarians
44 Series
94 Individual Titles
Titles and series were separated into two different categories: which were checking out the most, and which were the most recommended.
Both teen and children’s librarians responded, as well as some others, like me, who don’t fit into either category. Here’s a graph of the demographic surveyed:
Others that didn’t fit into those categories were readers’ advisory librarians.
What are librarians recommending?
Many librarians were forthcoming about their favorite YA titles, but the vast majority said recommendations depended on a patron’s interests. Age group, income, individual preferences, and geographic areas were all listed as factors. Genres listed included some I hadn’t heard of (e.g. steampunk, which involves Victorian era time periods with advanced steam technology).
Below are the top series, titles, and genres that were recommended. Individual titles are separated from series, and ** denotes books that were (or will be) made into movies.
Series:
| Popular Authors | Book Series | Genre | Librarians who Recommended Series |
| Suzanne Collins | Hunger Games** | Dystopian | 16 |
| Stephanie Meyer | Twilight** | Paranormal Romance | 3 |
| Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson** | Fantasy | 3 |
| Maggie Stiefvater | The Wolves of Mercy Falls | Paranormal Romance | 2 |
| J.K Rowling | Harry Potter** | Fantasy | 2 |
| James Dashner | Maze Runner | Science Fiction | 2 |
| Scott Westerfield | Uglies | Science Fiction | 2 |
| Eoin Colfer | Artemis Fowl | Fantasy | 2 |
| Brandon Mull | Fablehaven Series | Fantasy | 2 |
| Libba Bray | Gemma Doyle | Historical Fiction | 2 |
| Richelle Meade | Vampire Academy | Paranormal Romance | 1 |
| James Patterson | Maximum Ride | Science Fiction | 1 |
| Scott Westerfield | Leviathan Series | Steampunk | 1 |
| L.J. Smith | Vampire Diaries | Paranormal Romance | 1 |
| John Flanagan | Ranger's Apprentice | Fantasy | 1 |
| Maggie Stiefvater | Books of Faerie | Fantasy | 1 |
| Anthony Horowitz | Alex Rider | Spy Fiction | 1 |
| Claudia Gray | Evernight | Paranormal Romance | 1 |
| D.J. Machale | Pendragon | Fantasy | 1 |
| Cherith Baldry | Eaglesmount | Fantasy | 1 |
| R.L. LaFevers | Lowthar's Blade | Supernatural | 1 |
| Dan Waters | Generation Dead | Supernatural | 1 |
| Michael Grant | Gone | Science Fiction | 1 |
Titles:
| Popular Authors | Book Titles | Genre | Librarians who Recommended Titles |
| Markus Zusak | Book Thief | Historical Fiction | 3 |
| Lauren Oliver | Before I Fall | Character-driven | 3 |
| Stephanie Perkins | Anna and the French Kiss | Realistic/Chick Lit | 3 |
| L.A. Meyer | Bloody Jack | Historical Fiction | 2 |
| Neil Gaiman | Graveyard Book | Fantasy | 2 |
| Robert Cormier | I Am the Cheese | Spy Fiction | 2 |
| Robin McKinley | Chalice | Fantasy | 2 |
| Patrick Ness | Knife of Never Letting Go | Science Fiction | 2 |
| Jennifer Donnelly | A Northern Light | Historical Fiction | 2 |
| Jennifer Donnelly | Revolution | Historical Fiction | 2 |
| Paolo Bacigalupi | Ship Breaker | Dystopian | 2 |
| Kristin Cashore | Graceling | Fantasy | 2 |
| Kristin Cashore | Fire | Fantasy | 2 |
| Sarah Zarr | Story of a Girl | Realistic Fiction | 2 |
| Gayle Forman | If I Stay | Realistic Fiction | 2 |
| Ellen Hopkins | Burned | Coming of Age/ Realistic | 1 |
| Sara Dessen | Along for the Ride | Coming of Age/Realistic | 1 |
| John Green | Looking for Alaska | Coming of Age/Realistic | 1 |
| Walter Dean Myers | Monster | Realistic Fiction | 1 |
| Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen | The Compound | Psychological Suspense | 1 |
| S.E. Hinton | The Outsiders | Realistic Fiction | 1 |
| Laurie Halse Anderson | Speak | Realistic Fiction | 1 |
Which books are checking out the most?
Results here indicate that though vampires aren’t as popular, they and their supernatural counterparts still have a firm place in YA. One librarian said, “Supernatural romances with a twist are staying steady (love interests are werewolves, angels, undead).” However, dystopias, post-apocalyptic worlds, and steampunk settings are elbowing their way in. The best example of this is The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. A whopping 27 out of 35 librarians listed it as circulating the most. As above, ** denotes books that were (or will be) made into movies, and *** denotes newly published works.
Series:
| Popular Authors | Book Series | Genre | # of Times Listed Among Most Checked Out Items |
| Suzanne Collins | Hunger Games** | Dystopian | 27 |
| Stephanie Meyer | Twilight** | Paranormal Romance | 23 |
| P.C. Cast | House of Night | Coming of Age | 8 |
| Sara Shepard | Pretty Little Liars | Realistic/Chick Lit | 8 |
| Cassandra Clare | Mortal Instruments | Urban Fantasy | 8 |
| Maggie Stiefvater | The Wolves of Mercy Falls | Paranormal Romance | 7 |
| Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson** | Fantasy | 6 |
| Rick Riordan | Kane Chronicles | Fantasy | 6 |
| J.K Rowling | Harry Potter** | Fantasy | 6 |
| Richelle Meade | Vampire Academy | Paranormal Romance | 4 |
| James Patterson | Maximum Ride | Science Fiction | 3 |
| Scott Westerfield | Leviathan | Steampunk | 3 |
| Alyson Noel | Immortals | Paranormal Romance | 3 |
| James Dashner | Maze Runner | Science Fiction | 3 |
| Cassandra Clare | Infernal Devices | Steampunk | 3 |
| Scott Westerfield | Uglies | Science Fiction | 2 |
| Lisi Harrison | Clique | Realistic/Chick Lit | 2 |
| L.J. Smith | Dark Visions | Supernatural/Gothic | 2 |
| L.J. Smith | Vampire Diaries | Paranormal Romance | 2 |
| Melissa De la Cruz | Blue Bloods | Supernatural | 2 |
| Michael Scott | Nicholas Flamel | Fantasy | 1 |
| Erin Hunter | Warriors | Fantasy | 1 |
| Eoin Colfer | Artemis Fowl | Fantasy | 1 |
| Christopher Paolini | Eragon | Fantasy | 1 |
| John Flanagan | Ranger's Apprentice | Fantasy | 1 |
| James Patterson | Daniel X | Science Fiction | 1 |
| James Patterson | Witch &Wizard | Fantasy/Wizards | 1 |
| Anthony Horowitz | Alex Rider Series | Spy Fiction | 1 |
Titles:
| Popular Authors | Book Titles | Genre | # of Times Listed Among Most Checked Out Items |
| Lauren Kate | Fallen | Paranormal Romance | 5 |
| Ellen Hopkins | Burned | Coming of Age | 3 |
| Sara Dessen | Along for the Ride | Coming of Age/Realistic | 3 |
| Jay Asher | Thirteen Reasons Why | Realistic Fiction | 3 |
| Becca Fitzpatrick | Hush, Hush | Fantasy | 3 |
| Ellen Hopkins | Crank | Coming of Age | 2 |
| Markus Zuzak | Book Thief | Historical Fiction | 2 |
| Sara Dessen | Lock and Key | Coming of Age/Realistic | 2 |
| John Green | Looking for Alaska | Coming of Age/Realistic | 2 |
| Stephenie Meyer | The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner | Paranormal Romance | 2 |
| Pittacus Lore | I Am Number Four** | Science Fiction | 2 |
| Ellen Hopkins | Identical | Coming of Age | 1 |
| Ellen Hopkins | Fallout | Coming of Age | 1 |
| Allison Van Diepan | Snitch | Coming of Age | 1 |
| Walter Dean Myers | Monster | Realistic Fiction | 1 |
| Amy Efaw | After | Coming of Age | 1 |
| Bryan Lee O'Malley | Scott Pilgrim | Graphic Novel | 1 |
| Allyson Condie | Matched*** | Dystopian | 1 |
| Lauren Conrad | L.A. Candy | Realistic Fiction | 1 |
| Christopher Pike | Thirst | Supernatural | 1 |
| Marlene Perez | Dead is Just a Rumor | Supernatural | 1 |
What are the trends?
As was mentioned, trends are impacted by varying demographic factors. Still, many librarians felt that steampunk and dystopias will overtake the recent paranormal romance trends, while fantasy, sci-fi, and chick-lit will hold their own. Others believed a gothic feel to novels would remain, particularly regarding book covers. Graphic novels have also stayed strong. Another emerging trend is character-driven novels, such as Before I Fall.
| Current Trends | Librarians Recommended | Librarians Noted as Being Popular |
| Supernatural/Gothic | 3 | 13 |
| Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic | 2 | 10 |
| Fantasy | 9 | 5 |
| Paranormal Romance | 0 | 3 |
| Graphic Novels/ Manga | 2 | 3 |
| Steampunk | 0 | 3 |
| Science Fiction | 2 | 2 |
| Realistic | 6 | 2 |
| Chick Lit | 0 | 2 |
| Character-driven | 0 | 1 |
| Coming of Age | 1 | 0 |
The good news…
While other areas of publishing seem to be lagging, YA is still in very high demand. One librarian said, “I read everything, and have been on the Printz, Morris, state award committees (member and chair), and am currently on the Walden Award Committee for ALAN. I am surprised that publishing has kept up with the demand for teen literature--I thought that with the economic slump we would see a YA lit decline. Not so…”
Further study
I’d be interested in finding out if these trends and titles hold true for ebooks and audiobooks, as different formats gain prominence.
Places to find more info
A couple librarians recommended the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) list of Top Ten Books for Young Adults. This is a good place to check titles, since YALSA books tend to explode in popularity soon after they’re listed (if they’re not popular already). Here are the YALSA books from 2010, categorized into genre:
Brennan, Sarah Rees. Demon's Lexicon. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Margaret K. McElderry. 2009. Fantasy
Griffin, Paul. The Orange Houses. Penguin/Dial Books. 2009. Realistic Fiction
Herlong, M.H. The Great Wide Sea. Penguin/Viking. 2008. Adventure
Jinks, Catherine. The Reformed Vampire Support Group. Harcourt/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2009. Supernatural, Mystery
Napoli, Donna Jo. Alligator Bayou. Random House / Knopf. 2009. Historical Fiction
Small, David. Stitches: A Memoir. W.W. Norton & Co. 2009. Graphic Novel
Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. Random House / Wendy Lamb Books. 2009.
Science Fiction
Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo in the Real World. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books. 2009.
Realistic Fiction
Taylor, Laini. Lips Touch: Three Times. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. 2009.
Paranormal Romance
Walker, Sally M. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland. Lerner/Carolrhoda Books. 2009. Nonfiction
Another good resource to check out is WhatchYAreading? a blog full of YA recommendations from consumers.
Notes:
Genre information courtesy of Novelist, An Ebsco Database.
YALSA Award Books are listed on YALSA’s website at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/topten2010.cfm
Karen is a librarian by day and writer by night. She is currently in the process of revising her first completed manuscript, and has drafts of three more books in the works. Her blog is The Writer Librarian, found at http://thewriterlibrarian.blogspot.com/. For more information, you can visit her website, www.karenlibrarian.com.
20 comments:
Thanks for this!
Thanks for such an awesome breakdown! Very interesting.
Awesome post! I love the breakdowns here. Also glad to hear there's no major slump for YA, especially compared to other genres.
Fantastic post Karen! You did so much hard work for it.
It's great to know YA is still popular. I was surprised that Harry Potter isn't being checked out more by newer YA readers. And some of the books that get so much buzz on blogs are not on the list.
Natalie - I liked your comment and think it's true. Not many of the books that get buzz online make it into libraries. I know our library steers away from the trendy unless it is super popular and they invest in the timeless.
B/c of what my kids in elementary school are reading these answers didn't fully surprise me.
My impression is that the teen section of our library is visited more by older tweens than older teens. And adults like myself. :)
I was jumping up and down when I read this! Especially when I saw the top genre referred is Supernatural! I am so happy to hear my genre is selling. I hope, hope, hope that means I'll have an easier time finding an agent/publisher.
THANK YOU for this post, Karen. I appreciate all the hard work this must have been. You've made my day.
Thanks, everyone! I'm so glad the data was useful--and helped reveal a few unexpected trends. What's nice about YA is that it's an ever-changing genre--so even if yours isn't popular yet, it could be soon...
Special thanks to all the librarians surveyed, and to Casey for tackling the complicated code involved with the tables!
-Karen
Wow! What interesting data. This is good to know.
Fantastic post; thanks for this! Interesting to see that realistic fiction does make a decent showing among stand-alone titles.
Very interesting and there are definitely some books on these lists that I need to remember to read when I get the chance.
Oh, and a note: The first Alex Rider book by Anthony Horowitz was made into a movie a few years ago. Alex Pettyfer, Alicia Silverstone, and Mickey Rourke are a few of the stars.
Thanks so much for this wealth of data! Interesting facts and figures. I'd always assumed that YA was hit less hard than other genres in the economic slump, so I'm glad to hear I thought right.
Thanks again, Casey!
Great information. Now I want to go chat with our teen and children librarians. Thanks!
Really great info! Now I'm wondering if trends are affected by regional influences...Say in conservative parts of the country, are teens reading more fantasy because it's recommmended over some of the grittier realistic fiction?
Karen, were your librarians from red and blue states? :-)
@ Cathy C. Survey was anonymous--but that would be a really interesting study to see which red and blue states they were from!
@Melanie: Good call--I should have done a more extensive search on books made into movies--I'll update the data to include the Alex Rider book. Thanks for the fix!
Thanks Karen. I'm surprised by how large a list of titles popped up from your research. It's encouraging to see that the most popular are not concentrated in just a few titles. Yay!
Cheers!
Oh my, thank you so much for sharing this! What a great idea to do this--the trends aren't too surprising seeing supernatural & dystopian top the list, but I am surprised to see coming of age at the bottom. Hmmm.
Again, thank you!
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Wow. So much information! I've read most of these books, but there are some I haven't and they are going on my TBR list ASAP.
This is great info, Casey. Thank you!
Wow. Terrific, well-organized information. Thanks, Karen, for your amazing work, and Literary Rambles, for sharing this!
Thanks for sharing, Casey!
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