Connecting Books to Readers: An Interview with a Publisher

by Judy Douglas

According to Senior Editor Jane Pearson of Text Publishing, the Young Adult fiction world is creative, vibrant, and energetic with a wide diversity of voices being published, making stories more relevant and accessible to young people than ever before. Working with writers and manuscripts Jane says that she looks to publish books that “connect with readers and open up the world to them through great stories.”

When kids enter the world of the book, the magic opens up. Suddenly they are living someone else’s life and that’s expansive.
Jane Pearson

As teachers we want to foster lifelong readers in our students by unlocking the reader within them. That feeling of connecting a student with that book - as they reluctantly tell you that they ‘actually like it’ - is definitely one of the most satisfying as an English teacher. However, this seemingly simple goal can be extremely challenging when faced with students who ‘don’t like to read’ or ‘can’t find a good book.’ And while we know - and believe - that there is always a ‘good’ book for a student, knowing what that book is and being able to connect them with it can be extremely challenging. But Jane wants us to remember how important it is for us to persevere as “great teachers and librarians are critical in bringing the books and writers to the readers.”

One of the most common ways students will select a book is through recommendations, and the most influential recommendations are usually through peers and their teachers; having someone they know explain what it is about and what they liked about it. That sense of sharing a reading experience, or having someone to talk about the book with, makes the recommended book more enticing and, hopefully, worth ‘giving a go.’

But what books can we recommend? What do we recommend? Are we recommending contemporary texts that relate to the experiences of our students? Are we recommending particular authors? Are we recommending books and authors that we read as teens? Are we recommending contemporary YA novels that we have read or been recommended?

When it comes to recommending books to students, we tend to ask students what genre they like to read, or topics they are interested in, maybe in the belief that students prefer reading a particular genre. While this may be true for some readers, it may not be the case for all. So how else do we determine what a student ‘likes to read?’

When it comes to publishing young adult fiction, Jane is not primarily concerned with the genre or obvious themes that are signposted. When reading manuscripts she says she is “looking for a great story, stories in which young people can access different worlds, or see a connection to their own world.” She is buoyed by the current number of great stories she is reading that reflect the diverse experiences of young people.

“A good story makes the reader feel alive and real and engaged. You feel that you get to know the characters, not just as part of a book but as real people. ”

— Jane Pearson

If the reason a manuscript is published is based on the value of the story, rather than its conventions of a genre, then maybe we need to connect students to books based on the story and not the genre. What questions do we ask them beyond the themes or genres they might like? After all, isn’t the reason we usually recommend a book to a friend is because the way the story made us feel and think. About how we felt about the characters. What it made us understand. What we connected to.

Do our students know what makes a great story for them? What they want to read about or who they want to read about? What worlds or experiences do they want to explore or connect with?

When we start focussing on the value of the story, then we are altering what students consider when selecting a book. We are showing them that reading is about a great story that can be told in many ways and through many genres.

For example, Jane suggests the book ‘This is How We Change the Ending’ by Vikki Wakefield might appeal to teens interested in gritty life, and Mark Smith’s ‘The Road to Winter’ might be recommended to teens who like surfing and outdoor adventure, rather than presenting it as ‘realistic fiction’ or ‘dystopian.’

We can also connect books to readers by opening them up to the world of books and writers, seeing beyond the physical pages to a wider community of stories and readers. Often once we enjoy a book by an author we are more likely to read other books they have written. These days authors are much more visible and accessible, making engaging with the person who wrote that great story easier. According to Jane, there is an increasingly vibrant and exciting YA writer world with YA authors keen to connect with their readers.

YA authors regularly engage through social media platforms and want to hear from their readers, as well as share insights into their worlds as writers (and people). These include award-winning authors such as Holden Sheppard (@V8Sheppard), Mark Smith (@marksmith0257), Emily Gale (@EmilyGale), and Nova Weetman (@NovaWeetman).

For teachers there are also many ways for us to engage, and keep up-to-date, with what is happening in Young Adult fiction. Becoming more informed and aware of what stories are being published, and which writers are being published, can only aid our ability to recommend and guide students in their reading. Text Publishing, for example, connects through social media platforms, as well as having free teacher notes for many of their books on their website and a newsletter that teachers can subscribe to. There are an increasing number of bloggers who focus on reviews of newly released YA fiction who can help us understand what young people are reading and enjoying. BookTok is also emerging as a popular platform where young people are going for recommendations from other teens.

Jane also recommends forming relationships with booksellers and local bookshops as there is a “vibrant bookselling industry full of people who are always willing to recommend or share ideas.”

As teachers we obviously cannot be reading hundreds of YA books to help make recommendations to our students. However we can become more knowledgeable about ‘what’s out there’ and use this information to make better recommendations. That we go beyond asking what they like to read but to what stories and worlds they want to experience or connect with. That students understand that there are writers who want their stories to be read and love to engage with their readers. Because, as Jane Pearson says, “connecting them with that one book that will open the world of reading to them is the gift that we really want to give to kids.”