Went to Barnes & Noble yesterday...

[Kit]

.... you know the different sections: humor, history, romance, etc...

"Young Adult Paranormal Romance" now is a bona fide SECTION with its own set of shelves and everything. They had about a zillion titles.

Kind of amusing how everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

I found a book that I remember from the late 70's/early 80's.... it was an obscure little story that I guess would today be classified as YAPR... it got a fresh reprint and new cover.

[Mindfire]

HA! We'll see if it stays a "bona fide" genre in a decade or so.

[Steerpike]

The local independent book store here and Barnes and Noble have both done this. Those books sell like crazy, and they want to stock a bunch of them.

[Benjamin Clayborne]

.... you know the different sections: humor, history, romance, etc...

"Young Adult Paranormal Romance" now is a bona fide SECTION with its own set of shelves and everything. They had about a zillion titles.

Kind of amusing how everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

I found a book that I remember from the late 70's/early 80's.... it was an obscure little story that I guess would today be classified as YAPR... it got a fresh reprint and new cover.

It's not that new; I saw a "Teen Paranormal Romance" section at B&N two years ago, but I guess "Young Adult" is a better marketing term (has fewer negative connotations than "teen").

[Kit]

Ah, I didn't see that section last year. (I only go to the bookstore once a year, in June- in preparation for my annual cross-country plane trip. I despise flying, and balm myself with a pile of new books and a half-pound bag of peanut M&M's. The rest of the time, it's Half-Price Books, Third Place Books, and Amazon.com "used". New books are hella expensive!)

[Kelise]

All bookstores I've been into in both the UK and Australia have had that section for the last couple of years, and they're going strong.

Sadly, I think they're going to stick around for a while. While one part of me thinks it's good that it gets people reading - and that any kind of reading is good... another part of me still thinks 'eek'.

[Jess A]

I love Barnes & Noble. I go every time I visit the US. I always walk out with something random. In Australia, Borders shut down - it's similar to Barnes & Noble. A disappointment.

Anyhow, my waffling aside - I think YA Paranormal Romance indeed deserves its own section. It sells well and it's easier to get more customers to buy other titles (add-on sales) if they're in a section full of books similar to the one they're after. Add a few gimmicky things and you've got a great section for extra sales.

Having its own section means it is easier for me to avoid the genre altogether whilst I browse.

[Steerpike]

It seems the me that what a store like B&N will do with its shelves, or what an independent bookstore like we have here will do, is driven by sales. If the customer demand justifies a section, then it makes sense to have one. I suspect these teen paranormal romance series are selling a lot better than other fantasy novels at this point.

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I don't actually have a problem with the concept of YAPR; it's a genre, so what? Teenagers love romance, and adding that paranormal kick to it makes it fantastical and otherworldly.

It's just particular works in YAPR (coughTwilightcough) that deserve derision and scorn because of their incredibly poor writing and characterization, not to mention depicting the protagonist as a self-victimizing personality-free wimp.

[Steerpike]

It's just particular works in YAPR (coughTwilightcough) that deserve derision and scorn because of their incredibly poor writing and characterization, not to mention depicting the protagonist as a self-victimizing personality-free wimp.

That's nonsense, but it's a different thread I suppose.