tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893796119628724760.post9004717662807878515..comments2023-07-01T01:52:41.798-07:00Comments on Guys Lit Wire: What do awards mean to teen readers?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893796119628724760.post-48099574591334911922008-07-22T18:28:00.000-07:002008-07-22T18:28:00.000-07:00Some people are naturally drawn to shiny objects, ...Some people are naturally drawn to shiny objects, so an award or emblem on the cover of a book might attract their eye and the book title/jacket/summary may get their attention, but the value of said award (or bestselling status, or other such things) is in the eye of the beholder.Little Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17058463472836988047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893796119628724760.post-68053794867001296432008-07-16T17:13:00.000-07:002008-07-16T17:13:00.000-07:00Interesting... I'm up here in Vermont communing wi...Interesting... I'm up here in Vermont communing with kidlit writers and writers to be and the LAST thing any of us are thinking about is awards. We're busy fretting over point-of-view and writing realistic dialogue and debating the ideal length for creative non-fiction. <BR/><BR/>I think teens are cynical about awards, and they're cynical long before they are ever teens. Have I mentioned the story where the middle grade boy was dragged in by his mother rejecting book after book that I put before him? I'd hand him a book, he'd glance at the front, flip to the back, then hand it back with a curt "nope." When pressed to explain why he was rejecting these books he said "If it's got a gold or silver thing on the front--" meaning an award medal "--or if i's got that Yearling horse on it, I know I won't like it."<BR/><BR/>Because kids are brand savvy they know that "that Yearling horse" is <I>exactly</I> the kind of book the teachers and librarians are always trying to pawn off onto them. These awards, as Joe implied, can act as a huge deterrent because they come to be equated with what some adult sees as "good."<BR/><BR/>As a writer, where an award can mean an increase in unit sales in the hundreds of thousands, and the possibility of remaining in print for the rest of your life, awards are great. For lazy parents, some teachers and librarians, awards are a tacit seal of approval, an easy shortcut toward finding the "good" among the dreck.<BR/><BR/>Until the ALA starts having high-profile stars from other media handing out Printz awards for books they so whole-heartedly believe in they'd tour on behalf of the author, I don't think teens give a damn.<BR/><BR/>Then again, <I>American Born Chinese</I> woke up a whole section of the kidlit population to the very notion that graphic novels can hold their own against more conventional literature. To that end there's an argument that awards work better for adults.<BR/><BR/>Which means that if publishers really want to sell to teens they need to stop putting (or printing onto the cover -- I hate that!) those award seals.<BR/><BR/>My two cents. And trust me, if I should ever be good enough to warrant a medal I'm going to fight like hell to never have it printed on the book.david elzeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16653215150526146224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893796119628724760.post-68307510757478228862008-07-16T12:57:00.000-07:002008-07-16T12:57:00.000-07:00See, that's what I was thinking!It also doesn't he...See, that's what I was thinking!<BR/><BR/>It also doesn't help that so many of the older Newbery winners are often assigned reading in elementary school and Junior high - alot of those books have not held up over time.Colleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380722344521975869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893796119628724760.post-41500631388975152172008-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:002008-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00When I was a teen, an award meant "approved by the...When I was a teen, an award meant "approved by the establishment." Not a good thing.Joe Cottonwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12282993255868590544noreply@blogger.com