I arrive at the Parcir bookshop, in Manresa, to preach, as authors are let loose around Sant Jordi. As it's early, I ask the booksellers (we've known each other for many years) to let me have a corner to write. And here I am, allowed to sit at the counter. "But they'll come to ask you for books," they warn me. Nothing makes me happier than playing bookseller or bartender. I sit down. On my desk screen, there's Les gratituds, by Delphine de Vigan, pending entry. The customers laugh and talk about me as "this new intern".

Of all the changes the publishing sector has undergone in the last decade, one of the most significant has been in young adult literature. Against all odds, this genre has become a key driver of growth for the market in the last two years, thanks in large part to the increase in readers it has gained—and continues to gain—since the coronavirus pandemic. This was confirmed last Monday by the Publishers' Guild. in the presentation of the annual balance sheetwhich (pending Christmas campaign data) forecasts a 4% increase in the sector, driven by young adult literature, which they predict will grow by nearly 15%. This trend is not new: in 2024 Young adult literature has also increased by about 15%. and boosted the sector's revenue.

Teenagers read a lot, but what are they passionate about? What catches their attention? The latest Reading and purchasing habits barometer prepared by the Catalan Institute of Cultural Companies (ICEC) gave very optimistic figures: in 2024, 75.3% of young people between 14 and 24 years old read in their free time. In terms of language, the barometer itself shows that 45.3% of these young readers read in Catalan. However, there are sales data (not reading data) that show a higher percentage for books in Spanish. "Last Sant Jordi, at Abacus, in young adult literature, 17% were sold in Catalan, compared to 83% in Spanish. There is a very high and varied offer of titles in Spanish that are not available in Catalan," says Pema Maymó, editorial director of the children's and young adult literature labels of Abacus Futur. There are many publishers that publish in Spanish that have enthusiastically focused on literature that some describe as young adult and others Romance and fantasyIn many cases, the phenomenon has been driven by platforms like Wattpad and recommendations to TikTok and Instagram. bookstore owners either bookstagrammers.

Gerard Guix (Vic, 1975) is a writer and playwright. He won the 2022 Joaquim Ruyra Prize with the youth novel A lighthouse at the end of the world. Now he has published the second part, Beyond the end of the world.

He lived in Tona until the fifth year of primary school and in the sixth year they moved to Vic. "I went to the Sagrado Corazón. I was a good student, a good boy. When I was older, in high school, not so much, because I got bored." He did vocational training at the Vic Institute. "Electricity and electronics, because my parents said I was going to study something until I could go to Barcelona to do image and sound, which was what I wanted." And after school? "In Tona I played football, but I didn't like it at all. In Vic, IT, with those giant computers... But I don't remember many extracurricular activities."

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