Writing For Different Audiences

Jane Yolen has written everything from picture books for toddlers to adult fantasy to mainstream. Other authors might not be quite so versatile but still write for multiple genres and different audiences. What do writers do differently for different audiences? What makes something work for a particular audience? At what point do you decide what type of book it should be?

On the titular panel were Balticon 57 panelists: Michael M. Jones, Mary G. Thompson, and special guest Adam Stemple, with AD “Bunny” Boorman as moderator.

Which Comes First? The Story Idea or the Genre?

Most writers look at the story idea and decide which genre or age range it works best for — before they start writing. Although, it can be easier to just see where it takes you with short stories.

Some themes or concepts work better in different genres or voices.

Do You Plan Differently For Different Audiences?

While you can use the same planning process, all genres and age ranges have different expectations, with pacing, point of view, and — most importantly — the voice.

A few pointers for different audiences:

Don’t talk down to children when writing children’s books, but you may use simpler words or sentence structures.

No topic is off limits for any age range, but there are age-appropriate ways to show it. While middle-grade readers like visceral adventures, dramatizing traumatizing the main characters is not recommended, and curse word usage is minimized.

While the young-adult audience might be fascinated by sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll, the intimate scenes are going to be more fade-to-black or concerned about the character’s emotional headspace and thoughts, not explicit erotica. Related, you often have more internal dialogue here, than in middle-grade novels.

Sharing the internality of the characters is the biggest benefit to the written word as a storytelling method.

Teens and child characters can get away with reacting more emotionally to events — but in their stories are often the voice of reason compared to irrational or missing adults. Sometimes, this is an allegory for how adult decision-making processes are opaque to the children affected by them — but not always.

Traditionally middle grade is 1st person point-of-view and more and more YA are headed that way. Often in present tense, some are past tense. These days, even adult genre novels are tiptoeing into that first-person point of view.

Who Reads for What?

Adam Stemple suggested the generalization that:

• kids read for plot
• teens read for emotions
• adults read for characters

Mary and Michael strongly pushed back. A lot of those conceptions are from the genre expectations. And kids and teens often highly identify with particular characters.

What Subjects Should You Avoid With Younger Readers?

None. If you can do them right. But, acknowledge that you might not be the right writer for a particular story. Sometimes the muse shows up at the wrong door, and it’s okay to let that story go. You’ve probably got plenty of other ideas to play with.

How do you know if you can do them right? Read. Read the books that are currently being published in the genre you’re writing for.

What about religion? And diverse characters? There is a current push for both diversity is characters and for own-voices writers. The current consensus is to include characters of different backgrounds, but not to focus the plot on what it means to be [identity] unless it is your own voice. For showing characters of different religious backgrounds, the current trend in genre fiction of all ages is to focus on the cultural differences, and not to put the faith front and center. If the religion and faith is central to the story, the religious book publishers are usually a better home for the story.

Publishing Trends in 2023

Traditional publishing, especially for Young Adult and older, are avoiding committing to series for unproven authors. Make sure your story stands alone. Trend chasing isn’t worth it, write what you want, and wait for the trend to come around again.

Publishers know their market and may ask for a book they’ve bought to be retooled for a different age range or genre market.

Indie publishing prefers series and rapid-release publishing. Trend chasing is very possible.

AI-written works are currently being rejected by traditional publishing and are currently not legally able to be copyrighted.

Neither Indie nor AI books can currently be purchased for public libraries. (Although, Indie books are starting to be more accepted)

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My main takeaways? Let the idea suggest the genre and be sure to read broadly in the stuff currently being published in the genre and age range you’re aiming at.

Do you write for different audiences? Are there any techniques or tips that you use?