Fiction featuring protagonists aged 18-25, exploring the messy transition between adolescence and full adulthood.
New adult fiction bridges the gap between young adult and adult fiction, centering characters in their late teens to mid-twenties navigating the specific chaos of that life stage: first serious relationships, college, early career struggles, leaving home, forming identity independent of family. The category initially struggled for shelf space in traditional publishing but thrived in self-publishing, particularly in romance.
If your characters are 18-25 and your themes are about the transition to adulthood, new adult gives you a category that speaks directly to that experience. The age category also signals heat-level expectations (new adult romance is typically explicit) and helps readers find books that match their life stage.
An early NA romance hit: college setting, intense attraction, and the emotional turbulence of being young.
A college student navigating fan-fiction writing, social anxiety, and first love, the quieter side of new adult.
Graduate school setting with a protagonist navigating academic pressure and unexpected romance.
Write a scene capturing a specific 'new adult' moment: the first time living alone, the realization that no one is coming to fix a problem, the gap between who you were in high school and who you're becoming. Ground it in a concrete, physical detail that carries emotional weight.