Jay Asher

Jay Asher
Jay Asher at the 2011 Texas Book Festival.
Born	(1975-09-30) September 30, 1975 (age 41) Arcadia, California
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	American
Genre	Young adult
Notable works	Thirteen Reasons Why (2007)
Children	Isaiah Nathan (born December 11, 2010)
Website
www.thirteenreasonswhy.com

Jay Asher is an American writer of contemporary novels for teens. He has one major publication in the genre of young adult literature.

Jay Asher was born in Arcadia, California on September 30, 1975. He grew up with a family that encouraged him to pursue all of his interests, from playing the guitar to his writing. He attended Cuesta Community College right after graduating from San Luis Obispo High School. It was here where he wrote his first two children’s books for a class called Children’s Literature Appreciation. After high school, he decided he wanted to become an elementary school teacher. He then transferred to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where he left his senior year in order to pursue his career as a serious writer. He married Joan Marie on September 7, 2002. Throughout his life he worked in various establishments, including working as a salesman in a shoe store and in libraries and bookstores. Many of his work experiences influenced some aspect of his writing.

He has published two books to date, Thirteen Reasons Why, a 2007 New York Times best-selling young-adult fiction novel, and The Future of Us, co written by Carolyn Mackler.

He has written several picture books and middle school humor novels. Thirteen Reasons Why has won several awards and has received five stars from Teen Book Review. It also has received high praise from fellow authors such as Ellen Hopkins, Sherman Alexie, and Chris Crutcher, and Gordon Korman.

Asher is a fan of the TV series My So-Called Life. He cites it as a major influence on his work.

Netflix released a miniseries based on Asher's novel, Thirteen Reasons Why with Selena Gomez as the executive producer on March 31, 2017.