This thesis is a reader-centred investigation of Australian young adult selfdefined
'keen readers' of novels for pleasure, and considerations regarding
audiencels by writers and publishers. It is predicated on the understanding that
adult power operates at every level of young adults' lives, including the
publishing, promotion and availability of their literature. The complexity of
defining 'young adult' and 'Young Adult literature' and therefore publishing
and promoting for this nominal audience is recognised as being dependent on
the varying adult constructs of the terms and, therefore, is at the basis of
decisions made in this adult-oriented industry. Historical and commercial
aspects of Australian publishing (nominally) for this group of readers provide
a context for this grounded theory-based qualitative study. Analysis of
transcripts from focus group discussions with self-defined young adult 'keen
readers of novels for pleasure' demonstrates that these participants had a
sophisticated understanding of their leisure reading experiences regarding
what they liked reading, how they found out about books, what made them
choose one book over another, and where they obtained them. The insights
gained from these 34 participants informed the analysis of comments by
Australian adult 'creators' - writers and publishing staff - regarding audience,
commercial pressures, promotional aspects and other factors influencing what
is published and made available to young adult keen readers for pleasure. That
these 34 participants were active buyers and promoters as well as borrowers of
books indicates the need for the industry to recognise their expertise and value
as a distinct and influential audience niche - the 'neo-consumers' of the
future. The research provides a starting point into analysis of the influence of
the group of adults I have termed 'gatekeepers', whose (largely institutional)
roles enable them to either connect young adult readers with books and
creators, or to separate them.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219234 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Page, Sue, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Creative Communication |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Sue Page |
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