Young Adult new to writing.

Look for a beta reader here at AW to check ot your first 15 pages. You'll need to write a concise synopsis of your story, and a good query letter. The you will need to query (send your letter and synopsis) to credible agents.

ALWAYS check your agents out first.
There are a lot of scam artists out there.

Read as much of this as possible: www.misssnark.blogspot.com
And check your potential agents at http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm

AW is a great pace for info.

Good Luck!

P.S. Welcome to AW!

Welcome to the board.

Right now, don't worry so much about querying agents as finishing your novel and revising it so it's even better than you think it is.

If it's for adult readers, I'd recommend aiming for circa 80,000 words.

If you decide it would better suit YA readers then anything from 50,000 upwards could do the biz.

Check out your school or local library for a copy of the Writers & Artists Yearbook. This is published annually and contains lists of UK agents and publishers. Most may have websites listed, which will specify their preferences (how to query, wordcount limitations, etc.).

You can post writing samples for feedback here (and also give feedback to other writers, which can be just as helpful in developing your skills) in our Share Your Work critique forum (password = vista) which is split into genre and subject sub-forums including Query Letters and Synopses. So when it comes time to query there's plenty of help available hereabouts.

-Derek

C.Bronco and dpaterso have already given some good advice, so I'll just add this:

Read more. You should never write more than you read.

Oh and... Welcome to AW.

Welcome LJ.

I do hope you enjoy writing your book, and I wish you well with it.

By the way, you can't be more brilliant than I is -so there! And I'm not nearly as brilliance as some of the other folks here.

I don't read as much as I used to, my mind is so bursting with ideas that right now I'm writing more than I read, but I'm trying to achieve a balance, which is exactly what you should do as well.

I've been writing since I was six (I'm 19 now) and write YA, so let me give you some tips:

1. You said earlier that you want to write for 20-30 year olds. You're only fifteen and your mind doesn't work on the same wavelength as theirs. YA is only meant for about your age and up a little ways, but that's all. Write for your age group. If you go over, you'll be out of your leauge and WAYYYYYYYY over your head. (Trust me, been there, done that.)

2. You think you're brilliant. That's great! Just don't think that you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Of course, us writers need to be a bit cocky to succeed at what we do, but there's a line that shouldn't be crossed.

3. You've set a goal for finishing your book. Awesome! However, it sound's like you're wanting to jump the gun. If you are just wrapping up the story, don't try to query it off yet. When you're writing to get published, sometimes the edits take longer than writing the actual story. I finished my mss. a year ago and have spent a little over a year in edits and rewrites. This is a good practice and one that I reccommend.

4. If you want to get your story published, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Yes, I know this sounds like school, but it's writer slang too. You have to find out what the agencies are looking for, how to write a query letter, how to format your mss., blah, blah, blah. There's some great articles here on AW and if you don't find what you're looking for, I highly reccommend Google!

5. Don't worry about your word count yet. That's something you really shouldn't check until the story is done (first draft). Just write the best darn thing you can. That's the best thing you can do.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I've done lots of research so if you ever have any more questions, I'd be very happy to answer.

And, I'm not the first, sure not to be the last, but to AW! And happy writing!

Greetings what can I said that hasn't already been said, but stress to read more and when you've finished your manuscript revise edit and then revise and edit again.

When it is time to find an agent you can check here at Backgrounds and Bewares and another good site is Preditors and Editors they list if an agent has proven sales and gives warnings about agents who charge upfront fees(a big warning and no no) and bad publishers.

Good Luck

In addition to all the above...

Don't be reluctant to let some time (and by some time I mean a few years!) pass between finishing a work and thinking of submitting it somewhere. Chances are that what you think is brilliant right now will seem really lousy a few years later!

In short, you're just starting out with writing, and it's a learning process, so take your time. Don't be in a hurry to get published. Learn to perfect your craft first. If you're truly passionate about writing, then this will hardly even seem like work. You should enjoy it.

And yes, I would read more if I were you, too. I write more than I read, BUT, I've always read a lot, and used to read more than I do now. And I still read. It's not a requirement but it really can help. I think most of what I learned about writing came from reading other people's books.

Madisonwrites said:

1. You said earlier that you want to write for 20-30 year olds. You're only fifteen and your mind doesn't work on the same wavelength as theirs. YA is only meant for about your age and up a little ways, but that's all. Write for your age group. If you go over, you'll be out of your leauge and WAYYYYYYYY over your head. (Trust me, been there, done that.)

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I strongly disagree with this. There's no reason a teenager can't write for adults, or any reason an adult can't write for teenagers, etc. The only real problem is life experience. A kid trying to write about "true love," or having children, or war, or the "dark side" of life is likely to ring hollow if he or she hasn't experienced anything like that. But the same is true to adults who've never been through any of this. That's why it's important to write what you know. And remember, that "know" can come through in-depth research or (in the case of fantasy) a powerful imagination. But I think it's pretty close-minded that you think anything written by a teenager is automatically going to be "below" the head of an adult. True writing comes down to life experience and good research, not age.

As for the original poster: don't worry about publication just yet. You say you've only read two books. Simply put, that's not nearly enough. Read more. Read a lot more. Study how good authors handle things like diction, rhythm, structure, POV, description, transitions, and so on. Then go back and look at your manuscript again, edit it, revise it, and if you still think it's brilliant, post back and we'll help you with a query letter.

I don't know about Scotland, but here in the US, there are a lot of writing competitions for young authors. I won one of the first contests I entered (nine years old) and got to go to a convention where a published author spoke to us. They also explained the world of publishing to us and told us how things worked. I never did anything with that knowledge (LOL!) but I still have my autographed book (keynote speaker was Jane Yolen) and remember what a terrific experience it was. There were about 100 kids from all over the US at the convention.

A contest will allow you to test your material, get professional feedback, and perhaps land yourself an agent. You'll also get to meet other authors in your age group and may meet some cool people!

Kuwisdelu, I meant write what you know. Most YA novels cross over from teen to adult, but at 15 you should not be concerned about writing for 20-30 year olds. You need to write from your heart. If you do that, then you'll be fine. It's just that it takes time to grow to write for certain genres. A 15 year old's chances of writing an adult book are not good. I'm 19, legally an adult, but can I write for them? No. That's because I don't have the life experience, but I have experience as a teen. This is what I encourage LegendaryJorden to do because that's the best thing. Getting in over your head will only set you back (been there, done that) and it's something no writer wants. I don't want anyone to make my mistake, so that's why I said what I did. But like I said, just write from your heart and you'll do fine.

I was just in Glasgow a few weeks ago - awesome city!

LegendaryJordan said:

Madison, i see what you mean but just because i don't have "the experience", as in, lived through being an adult, doesn't mean i don't have what it takes to write for them. Just clearing that up and yes, i shouldn't be getting over my head and maybe i am a little over-confident but who ever "made it" without confidence and self-belief?

Also can someone provide a round explantion of a query and synopsis? It's early days, and i am thinking ahead but i just want a little more understanding of what they are...

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It's pretty rare to sell a novel to a publisher by submitting manuscripts direct to the publisher. You need an agent first, who will handle submitting your novel, negotiating your contract, etc. To get an agent, you write query letters, which are generally about a page long, and give a quick description of plot (your hook) and any of your writing credits (previous publications). The agent will decide whether he or she wants to take you on, and either send you a rejection letter ("this isn't what we're looking for"), or request a partial (generally your first three chapters or first 50 pages) and possibly a synopsis (2-3 pages summary of your plot). If the agent likes the partial, he or she'll request a full (your whole manuscript) and then decide whether or not to take you on. The agent will start submitting your novel to publishers now. Generally, agents take 15% of whatever advance the publisher offers (so it's in their interest to sell your book and get you a nice advance ), but nothing up front from you. (Never trust an agent who asks you to pay for anything up front but stamps!) And that's more or less how the business works.

If you want good advice on queries and everything agents, go to literary agent Nathan Bransford's blog. He's got LOTS of great advice. Check it out!

LegendaryJorden, I hope you're not offended at anything I said earlier. As I said, I'm 19, not that much older than you, and made some mistakes that I don't want my fellow writer's to make. I want all of us to become the best writers that we can be and I give my advice accordingly. (And as I said, we writers DO need to be a bit cocky, otherwise we'd never get anything done! )

Anyway, here's to great books and happy writing!!!

LegendaryJordan said:

although i have only ever read two books in my life (The Cone Gatherers and Don't tell)....i think i'm brilliant.

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Read another two hundred books and then see what you think of your own writing. Then read another two hundred books and see how what you've learned from them has helped you to improve.

Seriously. I am not joking.

If you can't be bothered to read novels yourself, why do you think anyone would want to read your novel?

If you want to be a writer, you have to be a READER first.

No prob!

Wow, LegendaryJordan. After this introduction of yourself, you really need to post a sample of your stuff on Share Your Work.

Talk the talk, walk the walk.

i agree with icecreamempress, you can't possibly think you are a great writer unless you read the masters first. you are 15 and you only read 2 novels? i find that insulting. before i was in the double digits in age i read hundreds of books.

Hi LegendaryJordan. When you have a complete book you want to try and get published, you need to be aware the procedure varies according to whether you're thinking of the UK or the US market.

kuwisdelu has explained the way it's done with American agents.

Brit agents ask for a covering letter (which should be fairly brief) a synopsis and usually the first two or three chapters. If that interests them, they ask for the full manuscript.

As dpaterso said, check out the Writer's & Artist's Yearbook if you're thinking UK submissions. It gives a list of agents, what sort of books they handle, and whether or not they are seeking submissions. It also has sections on how to set out a manuscript etc. A lot of Brit writers call the W&A Yearbook their bible.

It's WAY too previous for someone who has only read two novels to start thinking about selling a novel.

It's like opening a bakery after you've only eaten cake twice.

You've gotten a lot of good advice but I'll take my swing at this:

1. Read. A lot. Then think about what makes that book work for you and what doesn't.
2. Read some more.
3. Let your finished manuscript (MS) sit for a little while and go over it again as an objective reader.
4. Post a couple chapters here on Share Your Work and/or find a beta reader willing to go over it carefully.
5. If you can, find a writing group. Granted, you won't get as detailed critique of your work as you will with a beta but you will get several different points of view letting you know what they think works and what doesn't.
6. Read some more.
7. Write some more. You'll improve, especially if you come to AW often where there are a lot of other writers willing to share their experiences etc.

Also, welcome aboard!!