'Express Yourself'

I was asked to organise an event as part of my residency with Booktrust, and that event happened at London Book Fair. The idea I had was pretty simple too. I've been writing for over a decade now and each year I've had at least twenty or so conversations, with other adults, about what you, the readers, want from books aimed at teenagers and young adults. It seemed strange that we were discussing this amongst ourselves rather than asking you, so that's what I decided to do.

The teenage publishing industry and everyone connected to it, regularly organises panel events in which adults are asked questions. Often those doing the asking are, as mentioned, other adults. Occasionally, as with the great 'Teenage Kicks' events, the questioners are teenagers. I decided to organise a panel for the book fair in which the experts would be young adults and teenagers. With the help of the lovely people at Booktrust, getting the panel together was straightforward. Two excellent schools, Hounslow Manor and The St Marylebone C.E School jumped at the chance to take part, each providing two pupils to take the questions. The only issue in my mind was whether we could get adults to turn up and take part in the audience. So out went some appeals, mostly via Twitter, websites for Booktrust and the London Book Fair and Facebook, to try and gather people together. Would adults in the book industry want a chance to ask teenagers questions?

The answer was a resounding yes. On the day, as the panel and I talked through the event, we noticed that our audience was pretty big. It was so big that in the end we had people sitting outside the main room and listening in. Now, I've got a big mouth and huge experience of talking to groups but I did wonder whether the four pupils would be okay with a packed audience or whether this might stop them from being open in their replies. I needn't have worried. From the opening question clear that my panel were not only happy to answer any and all questions, they were revelling in the opportunity.

I began by explaining the event to the audience before asking the first two questions myself. As is my way, I hadn't planned what I was going to ask but the panel just went with it. We started to talk about how young people are represented in modern British literature and off we went. Soon the audience were firing questions and in the end we could have gone on for at least another hour. Judging by the reaction on Twitter and from those that came, the event was a massive success, which is mostly down to the four amazingly brave and articulate pupils and their unflinchingly honest replies. I was delighted and having a hard time suppressing a giant smile.

But what did we learn? Well, for one, we had no males on the panel. That's right - each of the four pupils were female. I don't know why this happened and one audience member did bring it up. However, we also had a fourteen-year-old male in the audience and he managed to stand up for the ones that weren't there. For the panel, the lack of males was a source of amusement. What do you expect asked one of them - the boys I know don't read. Of course another panellist disagreed and I asked whether some teenage males were secret readers or just didn't talk about it.

From that point we didn't look back. Asked whether publishers should consult teens about novels before they are published, the panel were unanimous in saying yes. I'm not sure how the publishers in the room reacted to that reply but it is a fascinating idea. A fellow author remarked on Twitter later that adults aren't consulted about the books published for them so why the difference. For me, it's about the importance of getting the books right for you, and anything that can help to keep you reading, as a group, is more than welcome - it's essential. Something the panel seemed to agree with.

The thorny issue of censorship and sensitive subjects also came up, thanks to another author who'd come along. Once again the panel seemed united about their replies. Violence, sex, drugs etc… they told us were a fact of life for most young adults. Even those who weren't directly involved knew that they were out there. So why hide these things, asked the youngest panel member (aged thirteen!). Let us be the judges of what we read or ignore, said another, who was eighteen, and had told us how she'd left teen novels behind in her early teens, turning instead to so-called adult novels. She only returned to reading young adult fiction from Year 10 onwards - something I found to be very informative.

I could go on but I'm not going to. If you're a teen, young adult or adult, reading this and asking what else was said I have a suggestion for you. Yes, Booktrust will put up a recording of the event but why not organise your own event? If there's one thing that came from the day, it was the idea that such panels should be regular occurrences. So many people left with unanswered questions that we could probably run the same panel next week and never cover the same area twice. I've always said that it is vital to talk to your audience as a writer of fiction about teens. The panel event I helped to organise simply proves my point. Reading for pleasure, as I've argued in previous blogs, is essential for future success. The age range at which readers are lost more than any other is teen/young adult. Surely it makes sense, then, to target the needs and wants of that age range (your age range) and try and provide books that you want? Or at least think about it carefully? And if there are questions to be asked, we ask you and not other adults?

Whatever your thoughts, it was a fantastic event. The panel were awesome - a credit to themselves and their peers. The audience too were wonderful. Thank you to the pupils, their librarians and schools, the audience and to Booktrust and London Book Fair. I hope this will be the first of many such panel events, and I'm secretly a little proud of myself for coming up with the idea too - but SSH - don't tell anyone!