does audience matter?

I *should* be prepping for class tomorrow, but instead I just got the urge to write after reading Laura’s post on what teen readers like.  She’s blogging again, so do check out her site: Tockla’s World of Children’s Literature.  I sometimes worry that we authors are narcissists, writing only to please ourselves.  And because young readers don’t get a say in the publishing process, the best they can do is hope something on the shelf appeals to them.  I read a lot of Dickens as a teen, and that tells me there was something lacking in the book options for teens at my library.  I was also ready for longer, more complicated narratives.  But I always recall a story told by an editor who gave a workshop in front of a class of elementary students.  She showed them a story she was developing into a book, and a story she’d pulled from the slush pile, then she let them vote–and the students preferred the story from the slush pile!  Why don’t publishers use focus groups?  Why don’t they seem to give a damn whether or not the books they publish resonate with teens?  (aside from the obvious fact that teens don’t buy as many books as librarians and educators, and teens don’t give out prestigious awards)  Now, I’m not suggesting we hold a teen referendum on every manuscript, and I know teens do have some moments where they get to vote for their favorite books.  But what about all the books that kids might have loved that never even made it into print?  How many publishers actually go into different communities and find out what the readers there are looking for?  It feels like an ivory tower syndrome–a group of elites, safely tucked away in their publishing houses, totally removed from the daily experiences of “the masses.”  But what would *I* do if a teen came to me and said my novel didn’t seem realistic because it didn’t have any teen sex?  Would I add some sex scenes to the sequel to make it seem more realistic?  I’m thinking of introducing a gay character, not caring at all whether that impresses or disturbs readers of any age.  I always tell kids, “Everyone has a story to tell.”  As a reader, you can’t wait for someone else to tell your story your way.  Only you can do that.  But I still believe a more diverse pool of writers would produce a more diverse pool of stories–and a more diverse pool of editors would green light a wider range of projects.  This is where I always end up, right?  I guess every writer tells stories that are informed–at least in part–by their life experiences.  And editors make decisions based on *their* life experiences.  And when those lives differ…whoever has the most power wins.  I write books I want to read; editors publish books *they* want to read.  I’d love to be a fly on the wall of an editorial board meeting, just to know what goes through their minds when championing or chucking a manuscript.  Laura’s written about her experiences as an editor, and it doesn’t make me feel especially hopeful.  Do check out her site–Laura’s honesty is quite daring, I think…