While the U.S. is a hot spot for entertainment and the Young Adult Literature market is successful, with Hollywood adaptations being made from dozens of different Young Adult books, Australia is boasting of similar success. The first of Australian YA stars is Melbourne’s Amie Kaufman, she has published in thirty different countries and her newest book, Gemina, is selling by the thousands (Johnson). However, there has been an issue that because of how successful America is, that when an Australian author publishes a book, it usually has to do well in America before the success travels back to Australia. Nicole Armanno, an education sales account manager for the third largest bookstore in Australia says that “it’s kind of embarrassing…that Australian YA books still need overseas success before Australia catches up, but that’s how it is” (Johnson). This unfortunate situation that Australian YA authors are in is what started the #LoveOzYA which fights to keep the literature local. The Australian Library and Information Association announced that “eight out of the 10 most borrowed YA books from Australian libraries for the first quarter of the year were American” (Johnson). Of the top books doing well in Australia the majority of them are American. But there has been momentum in Australia’s favor as Danielle Binks pointed out that Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor series: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, has been marketed as a bestseller (Johnson). While America is the hub for entertainment in the world right now, Australia is on the rise with dedicated authors who care about their work, and care about seeing success locally. They desire that their books impact Australian adolescents and spark in them a love for local literature. America may be on top but they’re not going anywhere. Who knows, maybe in a decade or two American books will have to go through Australia before they’re big.
Works Cited
Johnson, S. (2017, November 23). Business is booming for Australia’s young adult fiction authors. Retrieved from https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qweekend/business-is-booming-for-australias-young-adult-fiction-authors/news-story/