Entangled gears up for digital version of Teen imprint
Stacy Abrams, editorial director of Entangled's Teen and the new digital version of Teen, called Ember, joins HEA to highlight what readers have to look forward to. Ember officially kicks off on Aug. 26.
Stacy: Having worked with teen novels for my entire career, I'm often asked why I think they're so popular these days, both with teens themselves and with adults. Though in part I think teen novels have always been popular, I think they've seen such an amazing crossover in recent years because they've become mainstream. Whereas books like Judy Blume's Forever or The Babysitter's Club series were mainstays when I was a teen, they were fairly focused on the universal awkwardness and difficulties that is teen-dom. And though plenty of amazing YA still exists that focuses on this, no adult in their right mind is dying to relive her first period, getting braces, fighting with her parents. What makes YA so accessible to a wide readership today is the romance.
Who wouldn't want to relive the epicness of her first kiss? Learning that your crush, who you've been stalking in the halls for months, has noticed you, too? Trying to navigate school dances and first dates and handholding and your first time? (Well, maybe not everyone wants to relive their first time, but you get my drift.) Teen love is juicy. It's emotional. It's awkward, but it's also intense. And it's that intensity, that constant tension, that makes me love working on teen books. Whereas adult romance novels are about "this time is the last time," that forever kind of love, teen novels are about "every time is the first time." Experiencing love fresh over and over again.
At Entangled Teen Ember, we're committed to publishing books that share that intensity, that deep tension, with our readers. We love first kisses, deep relationships, and if they can happen alongside paranormal abilities, intense contemporary situations, fantastical worlds, futuristic dystopias — all the better. A few in particular I'm looking forward to are Sidelined, a fantastic sports contemporary from Kendra C. Highley; a laugh-out-loud zombie apocalypse romance called Donna of the Dead from Alison Kemper; Going Down in Flames, a unique take on a dragon romance from Chris Cannon; and Princess Rehab by Danielle Younge-Ullman, a hilarious and touching romance set in a teen rehab clinic.
Looking forward to sharing our list with our readers — old and young alike!