I recently became aware that Germany has been producing a wide variety of pulp-fiction in mass quantities since the early 1900’s, many of which have been converted to eBook and audio formats. Furthermore, the prices are often outstanding: usually ~$2 US for an eBook and ~$5 for audio, a combined price that matches many lower-priced graded readers… or even a good pint/ liter :). As an intermediate learner who is interested in adult-based fiction, this is a goldmine.
For example, as a fan of 60’s and 70s horror, I recently found a popular series called John Sinclair (well over 2600 issues since the 70s). One can purchase DRM-free versions of the matching eBook and audio for issues 1700 through 1749, regardless of one’s geolocation, which is not true of many German-based sites (e.g., Suchergebnisse ). Note: the other audio offerings are shortened, radio-play versions, so make sure it’s described as Hörbuch, not Hörspiel. If your discretionary income is limited, you can just purchase their eBooks (~$1.70 US) via Paypal and listen to issues 1700 to 1711 for free at John Sinclair - YouTube . Super cheap and cost effective for hours of enjoyment.
Again, there are a variety of genres: adventure, historical fiction, westerns, crime, espionage, science fiction, fantasy, and even romance. A virtual smörgåsbord of genres for fiction lovers. You can find a list of popular titles and genres @ Liste deutschsprachiger Heftromanreihen – Wikipedia .
Coupled with my other recent finding that much of adult fiction often requires the same amount of vocabulary knowledge as that of popular children’s fiction (What can readers read after graded readers, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1098660.pdf ), intermediate learners of German who aren’t interested in youth-oriented literature like Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, etc., have an opportunity that is not often present in other languages.
If you have any favorite, readily available, adult-oriented content to help bridge the gap between graded-readers and advanced literature, please share them below.