Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
ISSN: 0160-4201
Website: http://www.voyamagazine.com/
Purpose, objective, or mission: Focuses on library services to/with young adults (aka “teenagers” “adolescents,” typically youth of middle and high school ages). VOYA‘s policy is based on the following principles: specialize in young adult library service; intellectual freedom and equal access; and youth advocacy and youth participation.1
Target audience: Public librarians, school librarians and educators serving youth ages 12 to 18, paraprofessionals serving youth, publishers, authors of young adult books, and other young adult advocates.2
Publisher: E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC.3
Peer reviewed? No.4
Type: LIS professional journal.5
Medium: Print and online.6
Content: The journal includes book reviews on fiction, nonfiction, and genre titles, as well as articles about YA services, programming, space design, and lists of award winners.7
Frequency of publication: Bimonthly publication.8
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: http://www.voyamagazine.com/submissions/
Types of contributions accepted: Literary analysis, author interviews, research, practical project ideas, controversies, and new YA space redesigns or makeover profiles are accepted. Booklists and columns are usually planned by the editor, but new content suggestions are accepted as queries.9
Submission and review process: Short articles should be between 800 to 1,700 words and up to 3,500 words for longer pieces. All manuscripts are reviewed by the editor. Information for specific column requirements is available on the website. Authors should query the editor before submitting manuscripts, to ensure the piece is suitable for the journal.10
Editorial tone: VOYA solicits articles written in an approachable style for practitioners serving YA users. The goal is to publish articles by authors who express enthusiasm in working with YA and who can speak from experience about YA services.11
Style guide used: No style guide specified.
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
VOYA is a well-respected journal in the field of library and information services for young adults. The journal is written in an approachable style which may not meet tenure requirements for academic faculty. Also, this journal is intended for public and school librarians who work with YA and not academic librarians. Those interested in tenure may not want to submit manuscripts for publication to this journal.
The journal welcomes articles about new, progressive, informative, and controversial issues as they relate to youth culture. Authors who have experience in working with YAs and who can demonstrate enthusiasm for working with them through their writing are encouraged to submit manuscripts. VOYA‘s wide range of readers provides authors with a large audience which will provide them wide recognition in the field.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: VOYA has 6,000 subscribers. According to the last reader’s survey, each subscriber circulates the journal to 3.5 colleagues which means that the journal experiences a readership of 21,000 people.12
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The journal is published within the United States,13 but there is a possibility that there are subscribers outside of the country. The journal is printed in English.14 Due to wide readership, it is important that language remain clear of local jargon. This also means that all acronyms should be spelled out. Cultural consideration should also be taken into account. Pop culture references should be explained so that all readers will understand. This is very important for this journal since it focuses on young adults, who are very interested in pop culture.15
Reader characteristics: There is no statistical breakdown on the readers of this journal. However, the journal does say that the readers of this journal are public and school librarians, educators, authors of young adult books, publishers, and other youth advocates. The common interest among this group is young adults. However, they may not all be interested in this age group in the same way. School librarians may be more interested in the book review section and have marginal interest in programming, which public librarians are keen on. Publishers and authors might also be interested in the book review sections and the interviews with authors. The journal does not profess itself to be liberal or conservative, however, it does value intellectual freedom, young adults, literature for this group, and advocacy for YA resources, all of which lean more towards a progressive attitude. The journal often features articles about controversial topics, books, or authors.16
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Given the breadth of professions represented in this readership community, it is suggested that authors avoid using LIS specific jargon which may not be understood or interesting to lay readers.17
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
The readers of this journal are a very diverse group in terms of language, geographic location, profession, and educational attainment. Authors should consider writing articles about new and interesting topics in the field of library services. However, the topics should not be scholarly in tone or esoteric. Authors should remember that the readers have different backgrounds and interests in young people.
Last updated: May 6, 2019
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