Age of my protagonist

Your protagonist's age should fit the story.

Edited to add, my apologies I didn't notice this was in the Ask the Agent forum. I am not an agent.

What does a year in this or that way matter? I agree with MaeZe: the story should drive the choices about your characters.

I think this might be better suited to post in the YA section (or move this thread there) because there is actually A LOT to discuss about age of protagonists in YA. It's not just about suiting the story (which honestly is a little frustrating that it can't be). I will say from my experience 15 does work MUCH better than 14, so I think if you can age them up that year that's a very smart move.

Nonicks said:

Hi everybody!

I know that 14 might be a bad age because 14 is not really YA and not MG and it's hard to sell. But what about 15? Is it OK to have my MC 15 if my novel is YA? Or is it better to age her up to 16? I don't really mind, though.

Thanks in advance!

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Hi Nonicks. Lots of YA novels have 15-year-olds MCs. No difficulty there at all and probably no need to age her up any more than that. If you're writing upper YA that you expect will appeal to older teens, then consider aging her to 16. (I'd say 14 isn't worth the risk, since you don't mind aging her.)

Ideally the protagonist's age fits the story (and it does suck that 13 and 14 are such difficult ages to sell), but Toothpaste is right that the reality of YA is that age does matter. Teen readers generally want to read about those slightly older than themselves.

CJ

I'd also add that adults who read YA probably relate more to older teens than fourteen-year-olds.

Magnus said:

What does a year in this or that way matter? I agree with MaeZe: the story should drive the choices about your characters.

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With adults, generally nothing. With kids, it can mean the difference between driving and not, applying to college and not, being in high school and not, etc., etc., all stuff that can make an impact on YA novels.

At 16, a kid can't move out on their own and sign a lease, join the military, buy their own car, get insurance of their own, get their own medical care (in most cases), be their own advocate, make financial decisions without an adult to sign off on them, etc.

Wait two years, one year for some of it, and they can.

At 16, a kid with a lenient judge is headed to juvenile court; a year or two later, they're standing before a judge and jury as an adult.

At 16, a kid can't be drafted, if there's a draft-situation in your story... you get the idea.

A year is a lifetime of difference.

Replying to Cyia

Then the question is: are any of these facts important to the story?

I've always found it strange that there is such a big difference between 14 and 15.

14 really should be a popular age in YA, imo, since it's the age when most kids start high school. But yet, people really do tend to perceive 14 and 15 as being hugely different.

I also think you should consider how much romance and sex you plan to have in your story. Again, oddly, it seems people are much more ready to accept a 15-year-old having sex than a 14-year-old, even if the character has only been 15 for a day.

I would agree with a lot of the people above that the story and the plot should influence the character ages. My most recent manuscript has MCs around 17 and 18 because the content wouldn't be considered appropriate for 14 or 15 year olds; it just depends on the kind of story you're wanting to tell and the audience you're writing for.

writeonleanne said:

I'd also add that adults who read YA probably relate more to older teens than fourteen-year-olds.

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Hm… Ok, if they are adults who have a thing for YA.
But, I think a lot of adults like to read about children more than teenagers – think Harry Potter who started out about age ten (as close as I can remember without checking). Or the Narnia series (which mixes age groups, about age 7-16). They can share them with their own children and re-enter a child’s world. (Of course, that’s MG, not YA.)
But then Harry grew up and took his readership with him. As far as older teens are concerned… well I wonder if most adults aren’t just relieved to have grown past that phase and are none too keen to be reminded of the insecurities they endured. Mind you, I did have a bit of soft spot for Katniss Everdeen (though I remember comforting myself, thinking she’d grow out of it, eventually).

I think in general 15 is better than 14 in YA

I wonder about this too because middle grade is ages 8-12. So 12-14 year olds are reading YA. In fact, there are a lot of 10 and 11 year olds who read it too. Maybe books with 14 year old main characters will appeal more to the younger YA readers who aren't really interested in college searches and won't be driving for years yet. But I know that's not the conventional wisdom in the industry.