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Books - Perfect Bound, Self-publishing Posted by Ann O'Brien on 02/05/2025

Now might be a great time to test the waters if you are thinking about dipping your toes into the Young Adult Book genre. But is writing a YA book right for you? Many factors contribute to writing a successful book in any category, and for some authors, authoring a book in a different category than you are typically comfortable with might seem like an unnecessary challenge.

If you are curious about the YA genre and whether or not you would be a good fit to write a book in this category, knowing what the genre entails and which characteristics of a YA author you have can help you decide to write a young adult book.

Understanding the Young Adult Book Category

Just like any book category, young adult books are written for a specific audience, and the category can be broken down into different but familiar genres. Authors who write in similar genres for an adult reader will find many similarities between the YA genres and adult genres, but the young adult reader creates unique expectations for books, characters, plots, and themes. One of the best ways to understand what makes a good YA book is to take a look at these seven genres of young adult books that are popular with readers right now.

Popular YA Genres

1 Contemporary: (Wonder, The Sky is Everywhere) YA Books in the contemporary genre present storylines, settings, and events all relevant and familiar to present-day readers. These realistic storylines appeal to young adult readers because they show plots, themes, and experiences that they can identify with like friendship, growing up, self-identity, and family dynamics.

2 Fantasy/Sci-Fi: (Throne of Glass, An Ember in the Ashes) This hot genre provides readers with stories set in made-up worlds that may be either magical, contemporary, or a blend of the two. This subgenre often contains magical elements as well that propel their characters through exciting story arcs that sometimes stretch over multiple books.

3 Historical: (The Book Thief, Code Name Verity) This type of young adult book describes storylines and settings based on true past events although some historical YA books may be a work of fiction. Historical YA takes readers along on a journey that explores a time, place, and era’s history, culture, and society. The young protagonists in these stories will face familiar struggles as the present-day reader within the context of their different timeframes and locations.

4 Paranormal: (Twilight, Vampire Academy) Often a combination of contemporary and fantasy or supernatural YA, paranormal books in the young adult genre offer readers a chance to confront supernatural beings, magical characters, mythical creatures, ghosts, and all kinds of magic.

5 Romance: (The Fault in Our Stars, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) Characters in young adult romance books appeal to their readers by including storylines that many young people can relate to like the challenges of romantic relationships or the exploration of sexuality of their young protagonists. Themes like emotional journeys, young love, heartbreak, self-discovery, new love, or the ups and downs in self-discovery are all typically found within stories of this subgenre.

6 Self-Help: (Totally Me: The Teenage Girl’s Survival Guide) Books that speak directly to the young adult reader to help them solve a problem or cope with challenges or issues in their life fall into the self-help subgenre. With topics ranging from dealing with trauma or abuse, stress in school, mental health, coping with difficult friends or family members or even help with living situations, self-help YA books all present solutions and suggestions in a frank, direct voice that appeal to young readers on both content and communicative levels. These books are perfect for helping readers get through all kinds of struggles that are common in the life of a young adult.

7 Thriller: (We Were Liars, Pretty Little Liars) This exciting young adult book subgenre offers readers the opportunity to unravel a mystery or follow along with a murder plot, just like books in the adult category might. But YA thrillers include young protagonists that the reader can identify with along with unsettling, spooky, or gripping plot lines that turn these books into page-turners for thrill-seeking readers.

YA Sales and Trends

Anyone who is thinking about writing young adult books should consider how well those books do in the literary marketplace since the goal of an author is to get their book into the hands of a reader. While young adult books only make up less than 5% of all books sold, YA is the fastest-growing category of all books with sales soaring 48.2% since 2018. During the pandemic, YA book sales swelled from 24.7 million in 2020 to 27.5% in 2021, demonstrating the huge upswing in this category of books in recent years.

One of the biggest trends in young adult book sales is the demographic of the readers. Over half of the buyers of YA books are over the age of 18 and half of the adult YA book buyers are between the ages of 30 and 44, making up a whopping 28% of all YA book buyers. And almost 8 out of 10 adults who buy YA books buy the books for themselves, demonstrating this category’s broad appeal to readers of all ages.

Could You Write a Young Adult Book?

You might even be one of the millions of adults already reading YA books, but do you think you have what it takes to write one? We think there are four characteristics of talented YA writers that you should share if you want to try your hand at this popular category of books.

• You Like Young Adults. Let’s face it, authors need to feel some connection to the characters they write about. So authors who pen young adult books should ideally like or enjoy writing about young people, their unique perspectives, and the troubles and joys that they encounter in this genre.
• YA Books are Interesting to You. If you already enjoy following the storylines of characters in YA books, you might be a great fit to write one yourself. Authors who write YA books should be familiar with the category, but if you haven’t read many yet you can read a few from a variety of categories to see if you enjoy them. Writers don’t have to be proficient in writing a YA book in every category, but the subgenres that interest you can be a clear indication of the type of young adult book you could write.
• You Can Recall Your YA Era. It is difficult to write about something you know – or remember – little about. If your own young adult era is memorable, your writing will reflect an authentic voice to your readers. Having a clear recollection of how you felt during that time and how the world affects someone of that age group is critical to authoring a book that YA readers will respond to.
• Influencing YA Readers Is Appealing. Authors who pen books focused on the young adult experience through the eyes of a young protagonist undoubtedly will influence their readers in a small or large way. Books in this category often help, encourage, or influence readers so aspiring authors need to feel comfortable knowing their books’ characters, themes, and storylines may have a profound impact on their reader’s lives.

Write and Print Your Young Adult Book

Getting started writing a young adult book may begin with exploring the category by reading and analyzing a book from the most compelling subgenre, like one of the titles included in this article. Or you may already be ready to start planning out your characters, creating a magical universe or plotting out a romantic YA storyline your young readers will savor.

No matter where you are in the process, crafting an appealing YA book begins with writing a story that rings true to your intended audience and ends with partnering with a printing partner like Dazzle Printing who can turn your YA manuscript into a gorgeous book your readers will love to add to their bookshelves.