YA Books in Libraries—What’s Popular? Guest Post by Karen McCoy

I've been anxiously waiting to share this awesome guest post by Karen McCoy with all of you. When I found out Karen is a librarian, I mentioned it would be super interesting to hear what's circulating in YA right now and Karen went above and beyond to answer. I can't wait to hear what you think! After you read her amazing guest post below, please leave a comment and then visit Karen at her website and blog, The Writer Librarian.

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.