Marketing To Teens - Teen Panel (Part 1)

Winner of the Free Query Critique......

Christina Lee!

Congrads and please email me at sjohannes@bilaninc.com


March's Teen Panel

Here are some facts about our teen panel - 1/2 are big bloggers (BB) and 1/2 are non bloggers (NB). All are teens - 13 - 18

Today we have:
Austyn, 13, GA (NB)
Morgan, 15, NY (NB)
Viviane, 16, NY (NB)
Anonymous, 15, NY (NB)
Yan, 17, PA
Chelsea, 18, OH
Tirzah, 17, MI
Khy, 15, CA

This week they are answering questions regarding what authors they love and why.

Who is your favorite author and why?

(Austyn) Rick Roirden- his writing style is simply wonderful, and the ideas behind his books are creative.

(Morgan) Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Paint It Black. Those two books are part of who I am, to put it simply. Janet Fitch weaves words like magic, and leaves the reader amazed,awestruck, and forever changed. You'll think about those two books every day, after having read them. Ellen Hopkins is another amazing author I love, with so many books...Impulse, Tricks, Crank, Burned, Glass, Identical...the books ever teenager should read even though some parents don't agree. Ellen's rawness and realness is what makes her a genius, along with the fact that she writes in verse!

(Viviane) Janet Fitch, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and others, depending on the reading mood I'm in! However, the first two will always remain my two favorite; their writing is so.... enchanting. Ms. Fitch's books, White Oleander and Paint it Black, have stayed with me mainly because of the characters. They are three-dimensional, full, and very real. Mr. Zafon's books, Shadow of the Wind and the Angel's Game, were intriguing stories; he is (to me) the most masterful storyteller I know of.

(Anon) Ellen Hopkins & Suzanne Collins- Both women are amazing authors, in my opinion, because their books draw you in, capture you in the words of the page. They're the types of books that you never want to lay down- just read from cover to cover in one shot. The characters, who are usually deep, 3-dimensional beings really help the stories along. But even more importantly, each have specific qualities that make their books unique. Hopkins writes about topics that should be addressed- that people need to hear. Raw things that some people don't have the spine to write about. Collins makes her books fast paced without leaving out big chunks of important detail. I think really making a book to-the-point without cutting a bunch of important stuff must be hard. So both are very talented authors in my opinion.

(Yan) It's hard to pick favorite authors. It's like asking me what my mood is--they change daily! On the top of my head Maria V. Snyder. I've been stressing her book whenever I can because her Study series (Poison Study, Magic Study, and Fire Study) was simply fabulous, amazing, addictive, grossly captivating, well characterized and well plotted. (Edited to add: my fantasy author lists include some favorite authors as well along with Courtney Summers and Justina Chen-Headly and Elizabeth Scott for contemporary novels (which, by the way, is a small fraction of authors I enjoy because I cannot seem to think at the moment!).

(Chelsea) I love Laurie Halse Anderson because she manages to create books with controversial subjects and write them artistically while simultaneously making them accessible. She really lets you get inside her character's minds. I also love Meg Cabot because all of her books are enjoyable and fun. A favorite author, to me, is one whose books are ones I continuously love, and who never fail to publish a book that I enjoy reading. Elizabeth Scott has created enjoyable book after enjoyable book, so she, too, is one of my favorites.

(Tirzah) I love Tamora Pierce. I started reading her books when I was really young, and her epic fantasy books are just amazing. I'm also a huge fan of Meg Cabot, and hers were the first YA books I started reading. Ellen Hopkins is an excellent poet, and her books never cease to grab you right away. Julia Hoban had me enthralled with her book Willow, and I love her smart style. And I've really admired Daphne du Maurier's stories and novels for a long time--they're the ultimate Gothic suspense/romance books.

(Khy) David Levithan because everything he writes is pure amazing GOLD. Maureen Johnson because she is hilario and also created the character of Spencer Martin. E. Lockhart, because she everything she writes is fun and original. Courtney Summers because she is so nice, yet her books are full of the meanest people that are still enjoyable to read about.


Do you look for known authors to read or do you just look for books that interest you?

(Austyn) Books that interest me, unless the author's style really interested me or if I finished one of their series.

(Morgan) It's a mix of both. If I LOVE an author, I will definitely look for more works by them,and if a random, lesser known book sounds really good, I'll read it- no matter who the author.

(Viviane) Both. If I really enjoyed reading an author's work, I'll be on the lookout for their next item. But finding a new author is always nice, especially when the writing's great!

(Anon) Half and half. If I know of a very good author and I've read their books before, I'll look for one of them. But if I don't have any specific author in mind I'd probably just look for something that sounds interesting and off-the-beaten-path.

(Yan) Both. I'm more tempted to pick up new books by authors I have already read and loved. For new authors, I'm more cautious especially when publishes and bloggers over hype them. Of course, I'll be extremely curious but the hype can have a backlash when the book fails to impress. I'll be more tempted to grade the book harsher because my expectations were so far in the sky. I will typically pick up any fantasy novel whether it may be a debut author or a well established author--it's just a preference of mine. But that idea goes both ways; if a book is being released with elements such as religion I'll step back away from them may it be written by a debut author a New York Times bestseller.

(Chelsea) If I see a book by an author I like, I'll get it. But if I see a book that has a good summary, I'll get it, too, regardless of whether I've ever heard their name.

(Tirzah) I'm always on the lookout for new books by authors I've read and enjoyed in the past, but for the most part, it's the books themselves that interest me. A known author might pique my interest, but its the synopsis of the book that will really sell it to me.

(Khy) Books that interest me, but if a book/author is crazy popular and I haven't read it/them, I will probably seek it out to see what all the buzz is about.


Are you likely to remain loyal to an author if they do a series or another book?

(Austyn) If they're good, yes.

(Morgan) I always give a sequel a fair chance. Sometimes, though, the author disappoints. Some books should just be stand alone novels..As well as for companion books, I'm always up for another ride down that author's lane, as long as it sounds intriguing.

(Viviane) If it's an author I love, than yes, definitely. Even if it's completely different from what they've written in the past.

(Anon) Yes, if an author does a series and I liked the first book, I would almost definitely read the following books. The same goes for their other books- if they make a good first impression, I'm willing to stick with them.

(Yan) Yes, but that does always guarantee that I'll enjoy it. If a favorite author of mine writes a new series I'll read the first book without question (except if it involves some iffy topics of mine) but if it doesn't work for me I'll just stop reading that series.

(Chelsea) Definitely. If I liked their first book (or second or third, etc), there's a very high chance I'll be checking out their next one. But even if I've read previous books by an author that I didn't really care for, I'll give another of the author's books a try if the premise intrigues me enough. It's always nice to see familiar names and to compare what they've written.

(Tirzah) If I enjoyed their previous works, yes. There are only a handful of times that I can remember not really going on with a series after reading the first or second book, but that was because the series or book wasn't very interesting to me, but for the most part, I like to see series through. It may be hard for me at times due to time constraints (most of the time I like to re-read the prequel beforehand to re-familiarize myself with the story again), so it's a matter of really making time to do so.

(Khy) If I liked their other books, yes. If I didn't like their other book or series, I will probably stay away.

Part 2 will be on Wed.

Our Teen Panel will join us again in April! Feel free to leave additional questions.