3 S.R. Johannes: Teen Panel - Part One

Monday, July 19, 2010

Teen Panel - Part One

Today's giveaway is a lot of boy's books:
  • Guys Read by Jon Scieszka (Harper, ARC 10/10)
  • The Magnificent 12 (Harper, ARC 9/10)
  • Kick (Harper, ARC, 2/11)
  • 13th Reality by James Dashner (signed HB)
  • Vordak (Egmont, ARC 8/10)
Just comment on the post to be entered in drawing.

Teens
  • Age: 15; State: NY
  • Age: 18; State: Ohio; Chelsea
  • Age: 18; Michigan; Tirza

How many books do you read a month?

  • Usually about 1-2, depending on the month and how much work there is to get done.
  • It varies, depending on that pesky "life" thing. I'll usually always read at least 5 books a month, when I'm busy writing or vegitating in front of the TV, (because, holycrap am I addicted to Friday Night Lights / Buffy / Vampire Diaries / Merlin / everything) but it can get up to 15 if I'm hermiting.
  • Right now, I'm averaging about 12-15 per month.
Who pays for your books?
  • I've been blessed with the commodity of friends who are (some, at least) avid readers, so I normally just borrow books. However, when I want to buy a book, it's normally my own money that I use.
  • I usually pay myself, unless I can sucker my mom into it. She always used to pay for my books - she's a saint - but my addiction is costly and I've taken to IABs (Impulse Amazon Buy's) lately. Bookstores are very dangerous for this reason, because restraint isn't usually in my vocabulary. I'm all about impulse. When I'm in a Borders, my vocabulary usually consists of "!!!!!" and "!!!" and "!!!!", respectively.
  • The vast majority of my books are review copies I receive, though I do buy books out of my own pocket with money earned from my job. My parents very rarely buy me books anymore!
How much is price a factor in your book-buying decisions? Do you prefer hardback or paperback? Do you ever buy both?
  • Price is sometimes a factor. If the book is sort of expensive and I'm on a tight budget (which I find to be somewhat often), I'll look for the paperback edition. Personally, I prefer paperbacks because they're lighter and cheaper, but a hardcover would be nice from time to time.
  • Price is definitely a factor. I have a "no-hardcover-rule", but I break it a lot. I try and buy only paperbacks, since they're generally $10 cheaper, but if it's a book I'm dying to read, I can't help myself. Because of my addiction (which results in tons of unread books), by the time I eventually read the hardcover anyway, it'd be out in paperback. So, PBs unless I can't restrain myself.
  • Well, it certainly affects it to a certain extent. I do buy hardcovers, but usually only at reduced prices and only if it's a book I really want. Occasionally I will wait for a book to come out in paperback as well, but it just depends on how much I want to read it.
What would you like to see more of in teen fiction? What hasn’t been done yet?
  • For me, there's not enough books in teen fiction with extensive travels. I like reading about different places and the characters' travels through strange lands- whether they're real places or completely fictional!
  • Contemporary! I love paranormal (it's generally what I write myself, so I feel totally hypocritcal saying this), but I'd love to see more contemporary. I just finished The Sky is Everywhere and it was so refreshing and beautiful and real, it makes me hesitant to reach for my dystopian. But I know if I read contemporary after contemporary, I'd be DYING for a fantasy. I also love historical fiction, so it'd be awesome to see more of that. I'll refrain from the whole "what hasn't been done yet" thing, because if I ever think of something that's NEVER been done, I'll be writing it. :) But honestly, it's hard to create an incredibly unique idea. When one comes along, it's priceless, but there's usually always something slightly similar. But no two books are the same, so even if you take a simple idea (like boy meets girl), and add a different voice or a splash of this or that, it can't be replicated. But then there are books like HUNGER by Jackie Morse Kessler that seem to come out of nowhere and strike me as a completely original idea. I think if more YA authors look back into lore and history, and really dive deep into it, they can find something ancient and add a splash of color and have something "new".
  • Time travel! I read Marianne Curley's Guardians of Time series when I was in middle school, and fell in love. Since then, I've been looking for more good time travel reads. I think that it's slowly catching on, what with the release of The Time Traveler's Wife movie, and Heather Davis's new book The Clearing also has time travel in it. I've also heard whispers of time travel books coming out from debut authors in the next couple of years, and I am excited! I am also always a big fan of historical fiction that teaches you a bit about the history of a certain place, especially if it is set in a different country. Romance, adventure, a history lesson...the nerd in me loves it!
Stay tuned for Part 2.....

33 comments:

Martina Boone said...

Thanks to the panel (and you, Shelli!) for providing the answers. I especially love the suggestions for future YA fiction.

Martina

Kerri Cuev said...

It's always GREAT to hear from teen readers!!

Erika Powell said...

great post, i agree there isn't as much contemporary out right now and i would like some more. And i'm with you guys on buying paperbacks, you can buy more books that way!

Kelly Polark said...

Great teen panel! Whoa! 12-15 books a month! Talk about voracious readers!

Candyland said...

Love hearing from actual YA's:)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

I loved reading this, and I agree that we can become saturated when we read one genre for awhile. Then it's refreshing to dive into another.
The comments on travel and time travel are intriguing. One of the magical things about fiction is it takes us somewhere else.

Tere Kirkland said...

Thanks for the insight, y'all!

Time travel, huh? Come on, agent with my time-travel-romance manuscript, say yes! ;)

CHRISTIE said...

What a great post! I relate all to well to the book buying addiction. I also second more historical. I love historical fiction!

Renae said...

Great post! I love hearing from teen readers. Great insight, thanks!

C.R. Evers said...

Great interview with the teens! I always love to hear what the readers are saying!

Lacey J Edwards said...

Great panel! I share Chelsea's impulsive nature when it comes to book buying.

Okapi said...

Interesting interview! Yes, bookstores are dangerously dangerous places!
- Okapi
xicecreamsjx@aol.com

Kristi said...

What a cool post...I loved hearing the teen responses!

Tan said...

Love the concept of IABs. So true. So dangerous!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great post. It's so interesting to see what you all would like to see more of. And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who loves Merlin. I'm sad the season ended.

John Sankovich said...

I really enjoyed the Q&A, very insightful for those of us writing YA.

Meradeth Houston said...

This was a fun and interesting read--thanks for doing the interviews!

throuthehaze said...

Great post!

Jemi Fraser said...

Awesome - it's so nice to hear from some YA readers. Thanks for the insights :)

Riv Re said...

Awesome panel! Are you looking for more teens to take part in it? I'd love to, if you are...

Emily H. said...

Great post!

treerose AT yahoo DOT com

Riv Re said...

I left a comment but forgot to enter! Whoops!
rivkarno1(at)hotmail(dot)com

Janet Johnson said...

I always love reading about your teen panels. So interesting. :)

Gail said...

Very informative, Shelli! Oh, and thanx for the birthday shout-out! Is the James Dashner book the sequel to The Maze Runner?????

Yat-Yee said...

So much fun to hear from teens themselves, especially expression ones! Thanks for the interview and I'll be back for the next installment.

12-15 books a month: wow!

Jen Vincent said...

I love the idea of a teen panel! Very cool!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Great segement!

Shoshana said...

Oooh, Guys Read! I got to hear the Guys Read panel at BEA, and I've never seen so many smart, funny guys talk about reading at the same time.

Stasia said...

This was really interesting. Thanks for a great post!

Catch My Words said...

Please count me in. I'd especially like to win Guys Read by Jon Scieszka because it's an AR book, and I have a lot of boy students who would enjoy it. Thanks for the contest.

Joyce
jlansky(at)comcast(dot)net

Jenna JL said...

Thanks for hosting this panel. I love to hear from teen readers, especially about what they would love to see published in the future.

JL
avidreaderjl(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Great questions and answers. Thanks for putting this together, Shelli!

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