On the shelves dedicated to “New adult” literature at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, the “flashy” covers contrast with the sobriety of classic novels, essential marketing for publishers of this booming genre.
For the first time this week, the annual fair devoted an entire hall to this literary movement boosted by social networks and in particular by the hashtag “BookTok” on the short video platform TikTok.
“New adult” literature, which comes in several subcategories such as “Romantasy”, or “Dark romance”, has awakened the taste for reading in some, like Julia Kendall, a 30-year-old teacher who travels the colorful rays of the hall.
“For a while, I didn’t read books at all, until I held in my hands my first novel by Mona Kasten, which I loved!”, she confides, in reference to a popular German author of “Romantasy”, which mixes elements of romance and fantasy.
The latter is one of the authors who have acquired rock-star status, followed by legions of die-hard fans ready to queue for hours for a meeting or an autograph.
Among them is Jane S. Wonda, a bestselling author of “Dark Romance,” blending elements of traditional romance with erotica and darker subjects, ranging from violence to drugs.
Her works “break boundaries” and allow readers to emancipate themselves from a society that is “too correct” to move “towards something more gray on a moral level”, she explains to AFP on her stand .
“New adult” literature is aimed at a young readership and generally contains descriptions of explicit sexual scenes or drug use.
Close to his readers, Jan S. Wonda scrutinizes their reactions, particularly on Instagram and TikTok: they influence his writing.
“I developed my stories a lot with them,” she explains, in front of her shelf filled with books with black, silver or pink covers.
– Changing sector –
Colorful patterns, gilding, dyed edges… the appearance of books is crucial in this literary genre and requires investment from publishers.
“For many young adult readers, books are more than just a reading medium,” explains Jeannette Bauroth, head of the “Second Chances” publishing house, which translates books into German that have not been published. retained by other German publishers.
Many of them want “nice books” to take selfies with in front of a beautiful library for their social media, she adds.
Commercial development also involves digital books, which are shaking up the industry.
“This generation is naturally moving from analog to digital,” comments Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, president of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, who speaks of a “reading fever” among young adults.
Their purchasing behavior is “changing the industry”, says Astrid Ohletz, who runs the independent publishing house Ylva, based in Germany and specializing in lesbian romance novels.
“The big publishers are conservative. They know they need to change, but they don’t really like it,” she adds.
This former employee in a law firm created her own company twelve years ago, and mainly sells digital books, in German and English, in several countries.
She criticizes part of the genre, which she considers “misogynistic”, and the way in which romantic relationships are sometimes described.
“I wish some of these books were more wholesome,” she says.
However, she is delighted with this trend which, according to her, encourages more and more young people to obtain books.
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