Are you a "New Adult"? I am!

Reading the ever-fabulous Guide to Literary Agents blog, I discovered that St. Martin's Press is seeking out YA-esque novels for post-teens, and they're calling this lovely new subgenre "New Adult" fiction.

Me: Intrigued.

So I linked my way around the blogosphere, and here's what I found.

From St. Martin editorial assistant JJ's blog:
Where does New Adult belong? On the adult shelves. The target audience are people in their late teens and twenties, the college-aged and post-undergraduate crowd.

Via that link, JJ also answers a lot of other intriguing questions about the purpose of the subgenre's creation, where the books might be shelved, and what current books could be categorized as "New Adult."

There's also a CONTEST! Go ahead, pitch St. Martin's your New Adult title. (Ends 11/20.)
From contest page: We are actively looking for great, new, cutting edge fiction with protagonists who are slightly older than YA and can appeal to an adult audience. Since twenty-somethings are devouring YA, St. Martin’s Press is seeking fiction similar to YA that can be published and marketed as adult—a sort of an “older YA” or “new adult.”

Whose brilliant idea was this? (thanks, Georgia, for this info!)
From Publishers Marketplace November 4, 2009: Dan Weiss Joins SMP As Publisher at Large
Former SparkNotes publisher and packager Dan Weiss is the latest seasoned executive to join Macmillan, taking the new position of publisher-at-large for St. Martin’s, reporting to paperback publisher Matthew Shear. Weiss will develop and acquire both fiction and nonfiction properties targeted at the audience of “twentysomethings, Gen Yers, and older young adult readers–those emerging adults who are navigating career, love and family in a 24/7 connected world.” Those books will be published through St. Martin’s as well as other Macmillan imprints as appropriate.

So dear writers and readers, what does this mean for you?
Writers: Well, if you're feeling pressure to young-ify your 23-year-old MC in order to fit more smoothly into the YA genre, STOP THAT RED PEN! (Who am I kidding: KEEP THE FINGER OFF THE DELETE BUTTON!) Your lovely novel now has a home.
Readers: Are you college-age and bored silly by adult fiction with forty-year-old protags? Or are you 17 or 18 and want to read relatable books outside of YA? Step on over to the New Adult section! (By the way, not-quite-30-year-old ... give YA a shot. It's delectable and much more substantial than you think. Your friends will only raise their eyebrows until you hand over your copy of The Hunger Games and then they'll follow you right into the Borders Ink section.)

My Humble Opinion:
This can only be a good thing. A LOT of college-age students stop reading because they're wrapped up in papers and midterms and sloppy alcohol-induced flirting. College is exhausting. First jobs are exhausting. People in their early 20s sometimes forget to take time to read for fun. Ten pound textbooks make them equate reading with evil torture.
A genre that targets them and gives them protags who are dealing with the same issues (Living at home again after graduation? It's much cheaper to read a book than pay a therapy bill.) will remind them of the awesomeness of books. I'm really curious to see how this one takes off!

What do you think of this subgenre? Any of you fit into the New Adult category? Can you think of any books that should be classified as New Adult?
* Added question - Do you like the name "New Adult"? If not, what would you call it?

PS - JJ's also a writer and illustrator, and she did an animated review of Shiver that's definitely worth linking. Enjoy!