Is my age a hindrance or a boon?

Chazemataz · Jul 23, 2010

I have a question- is it possible for somebody to get published if they are under the age of 21 & still in high school or college? I am about to finish re-writing for the third time and I am very satisfied with the way everything has turned out. However, I am only 17, and I fear that anything other than a college degree in something will get me auto-rejected. Which I feel is unfair. However...

I have written a Young Adult novel. I am not sure if that will be a plus in this instance, because I devoted about an hour a day since my Freshman year writing this thing including all of the re-writes and the sequel which I've also re-written several times. Therefore, it may make my novel MORE marketable because I have written about high school life being a teenager? I've won many awards for my writing and I am a regular columnist for the teen section of my town's newspaper (it's a city of 50,000 in Ohio near Cleveland), and I don't mean to toot my own horn but I am fairly confident that I'm at least a decent writer. I'm also planning on being an English teaching major in college, as well.

Any agents here to give advice? When querying, should I even include my age at all, or reveal it later once I've proven I'm not some giggling Twilight fangirl who wrote about Edward?

Cyia · Jul 23, 2010

On it's own? It's neither. The only issue you have is that your parents will have to sign the contracts.

Shady Lane and BlindWriter on this site are both published in their teens writers.

Kilawher · Jul 23, 2010

Kristin Nelson wrote a great blog post on this topic here. Basically, if you've written a publishable book, your age won't matter, and if you haven't written a publishable book, your age won't help you. All that matters is the manuscript.http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/05/age-is-just-number.html

inkspatters · Jul 23, 2010

It's neither a boon or a hindrance -- just don't mention it in your queries. Your age is pretty irrelevant to how well you write.

After you get an offer, most people don't give a toss about your age. I had one of three offering agents ask whether my parents had any questions (they didn't, apart from wanting to look at the contract). And when I signed my contract, I had to have a parent co-sign because I'm not quite eighteen yet -- it was pretty simple, and I guess that's the extent of the hindrance

Ryan_Sullivan · Jul 23, 2010

I'm 20, I was 19 when I first got in contact with my agent, and now I'm signed to a top agency and on submission to editors. You definitely won't have a problem so long as the writing is good. Queries don't ask age for a reason: it doesn't matter. So, don't put age in a query, but you may want to add that being young (non-specific) you have a very contemporary look at teen life. That'll help with YA. If anything, being young has it's positive points, and some agents are more likely to work with you. My agent had commented that he'd been working with another author my age on revising as well.

That said, I have to agree with John Green and Maureen Johnson (among others) and say you might want to just focus on writing for a while and not worry about the publishing yet. It's a crazy, stressful and intense (but rewarding!) journey, and I honestly wouldn't have been ready for it a few years ago.

shaldna · Jul 24, 2010

Carole Blake said in her book that if you were 17 or 70 to tell her about it, because it could be a great angle for marketing etc.

But otherwise it shouldn't matter, there are plenty of teen on this board who re published.

Danthia · Jul 24, 2010

The book is what matters. If you've reached professional level writing at 14, then you can sell a novel at 14. The only thing is, if the writer is under 18 they need a parent or guardian to sign the contract for legal reasons.

So nope, you're age doesn't matter one whit. No need to mention it until you got representation, and even then, it probably won't matter much. The novelty of teen authors is wearing off now since there are so many great ones getting published these days. But it might still be a good angle to use after you sell your book, so you'd want your agent to know that. But they won't like your book more or less if they know your age first. The book has to sell itself.

Geek_Pride · Jul 24, 2010

You got some great feedback!

Just echoing what everybody said, the quality of the book is far more important

Jamesaritchie · Jul 24, 2010

Being under eighteen is a plus, not a minus. It means more free pubicity. Newspapers, magazines, etc., love writing articles about the very young, or he very old, doing something successfully.

Eddyz Aquila · Jul 24, 2010

Jamesaritchie said:
Being under eighteen is a plus, not a minus. It means more free pubicity. Newspapers, magazines, etc., love writing articles about the very young, or he very old, doing something successfully.

THIS.

Being younger helps. I'm 19, and I'm really pushing it to get my book out now because it will result in more attention from any future ones.

third person · Jul 24, 2010

We have a 19yo member here who's published, don't we? I imagine we have had a few.

Manuel Royal · Jul 24, 2010

Man, wish I had that problem. (This year I turn 50.)

Ryan_Sullivan · Jul 24, 2010

third person said:
We have a 19yo member here who's published, don't we? I imagine we have had a few.

Yeah, Hannah Moskowitz (Shady Lane). She's got one out and a bunch on the way.

kaitlin008 · Jul 24, 2010

And blindwriter (Kody Keplinger) who was already mentioned above. Her book THE DUFF comes out in September, and it is really awesome (as is she). She's 18.

Chazemataz · Jul 25, 2010

Thank you very much. I am thinking that I will mention something along the lines of "I am a student who is also a regular staff writer for the teen section of the [insert newspaper here] in addition to being a regular contributor to the literary magazine TeenInk. I have also won several awards for my writing from Kent State University." Sound good?

Manuel Royal · Jul 25, 2010

Chazemataz said:
Thank you very much. I am thinking that I will mention something along the lines of "I am a student who is also a regular staff writer for the teen section of the [insert newspaper here] in addition to being a regular contributor to the literary magazine TeenInk. I have also won several awards for my writing from Kent State University." Sound good?

Sounds better than my resume. And it impresses me that you're listing specific, relevant accomplishments rather than something like "I'm super creative and can't wait to sprinkle my magic fairy dust on the reading public!"

Good luck!

DeadlyAccurate · Jul 25, 2010

Ryan_Sullivan said:
Yeah, Hannah Moskowitz (Shady Lane). She's got one out and a bunch on the way.

Two, I think, or else the second one is almost out, and IIRC, she landed her first agent at 15.

Ryan_Sullivan · Jul 25, 2010

Chazemataz said:
Thank you very much. I am thinking that I will mention something along the lines of "I am a student who is also a regular staff writer for the teen section of the [insert newspaper here] in addition to being a regular contributor to the literary magazine TeenInk. I have also won several awards for my writing from Kent State University." Sound good?

Sounds good!

Shady Lane · Jul 25, 2010

DeadlyAccurate said:
Two, I think, or else the second one is almost out, and IIRC, she landed her first agent at 15.

I was sixteen, but I keep screwing up and saying I was fifteen. I can't count.

Shady Lane · Jul 25, 2010

oh, but I didn't mention my age in my queries. All my agents (except Suzie, because I was already with the agency) didn't know my age at the time of offering, and my Simon Pulse editor didn't know until she offered, I'm pretty sure. I think my Roaring Brook editor knew, but I was kind of visible by then (that was last month).

Chazemataz · Jul 29, 2010

Shady Lane said:
oh, but I didn't mention my age in my queries. All my agents (except Suzie, because I was already with the agency) didn't know my age at the time of offering, and my Simon Pulse editor didn't know until she offered, I'm pretty sure. I think my Roaring Brook editor knew, but I was kind of visible by then (that was last month).

Yeah, you're pretty much my hero & everything I hope to be someday soon! Keep it up.

Is my age a hindrance or a boon?

Chazemataz

I went to sleep a poet

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

Kilawher

Chronic Semicolon Overuser

inkspatters

The coordinates keep changing...

Ryan_Sullivan

Agented YA Writer

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

Danthia

Geek_Pride

Fight For Your Right To Party

Jamesaritchie

Eddyz Aquila

Noob Writers United

third person

She blinded me--with magic!

Manuel Royal

Ryan_Sullivan

Agented YA Writer

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

Chazemataz

I went to sleep a poet

Manuel Royal

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed

Ryan_Sullivan

Agented YA Writer

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

Chazemataz

I went to sleep a poet