Age category feels straightforward… until it really, really isn’t.

In this episode, I sit down with Ben Grange to unpack one of the most confusing (and important) decisions a writer can make: how to position your book in the market—and what “age category” actually means behind the scenes.

We break down the real differences between middle grade, YA, new adult, and adult fiction… and why those lines are far blurrier (and more business-driven) than most writers realize.

We talk candidly about market realities, reader expectations, stakes, voice, theme, and what actually determines where your book ends up on the shelf.

If you’ve ever wondered:

“Does my protagonist’s age define my book?”
“What actually makes something YA vs adult?”
“Can I write a younger protagonist and still have an adult novel?”
“What if I categorize my book wrong when querying?”
“Do publishers decide everything anyway?”
…this episode is for you.

We cover:

✨ What “age category” really means (and why it’s about marketing)
✨ How protagonist age, stakes, and theme actually work together
✨ What makes a story feel YA vs adult (beyond surface-level rules)
✨ How to position your book correctly when querying agents
✨ Why writing the book you love still matters most

We also dive into something every writer needs to hear: rejection.

Because understanding age category is important—but it’s only one piece of a much bigger picture.

And Ben shares a powerful reminder that the only thing you truly control in this industry… is the writing itself.

At the end of the day, the question isn’t just:

“Where does my book fit?”

It’s:

“Am I writing the story I actually want to tell—and am I willing to keep going no matter what happens next?”

You can find Ben Grange here:

https://thirty30k.com

https://www.booksonthegrange.com/

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