Horror Stories Sell in Young Fiction

The Jan. 25 article “Coming of Age on the Printed Page” about young adult literature should have been titled “Goodby YA Fiction: Hello Horror.”

I have written more than two dozen books for 12- to 16-year-olds (three made into TV after-school specials) on issues such as AIDS, prejudice, nuclear war and steroid abuse. One book on teen suicide changed a girl’s mind about killing herself.

But that’s not what publishers want now. A top New York editor told me horror and suspense are what sells. My agent says all her best-selling YA authors have seen big drops in income in the last years and that she retired several fine manuscripts when they went unsold after a dozen times out. Perhaps, she suggests, I should write for younger readers and consider doing horror.

I love writing for children if I can give them a good story that offers guidance and hope, not bloody bodies. My fans say my books speak directly to them and make them think. But, despite your encouraging picture of the YA market, there will be mighty few new good books for those readers in coming years.

GLORIA D. MIKLOWITZLa Canada