What are the chances of a 16 year old getting a book published?

Question

I am 16 and i love to write. But i want to know if i could possibly get a book published at this age. And is there a way to check if the idea for my book has already been taken? Also will i be taken seriously? I don't write for little kids or young adults. My writing is more mature and more for people who are older. My ideas mostly deal with problems kids don't have, such as death, violence, and war. And lastly, if it is published, how do i get people to read it?

I also do not want to be hated. As most of my ideas end up being contreversial. Especially at school.

I think i am mostly afraid that not even a publishing company will take me seriously.

I also spelled controversial wrong. Sorry.

Answer 1

take your idea to a publishing company, a real one, not one that promises to get you eyes, and see if they like it. If they do, they will publish it and advertise it for you, for a percentage of all of your sales and the rights to do a bunch of junk for it, I.E. make it into a movie, don't listen to anyone who promises eyes for a fee, they are usually con artists. Keep in mind that some people will not take you seriously no matter which path you decide to follow, because noone ever has everyone liking their work, so don't really worry about that. Also try self-publishing one of your items first (one of the ones you are proud of, but not one you'd showcase as your masterpiece) and see what friends, teachers, senior citizens(volunteer they're and see if they like it) think. Maybe submit a short story to your school newspaper. Remember if you do get published the kids that see the story in the newspaper and laugh would be the same ones who pick up the book and laugh so don't pay them any attention whatsoever. Before you're assume you're work is too mature for teens/young adults (your age group) see if they do like it. Once you know who generally likes your work the best, you'll be able to remove certain things or add certain things to fit that age group, make yourself more marketable. And make sure you dress appopriately for any jobs interviews you have, dress in nice, generic work clothes, ie button down top, nice blouse, slacks, skirt (a work appopriate one!!) etc, I know marketability may sem like selling out in some cases (and it is some) their is a difference between selling out and compromise, and nobody is perfect. You may have some things that truly do need changing, take good reviews and bad review into careful consideration, don't dismiss a bad review as someone thinking they're better than you, or that they "just didn't get it" see if their something in common that people aren't liking, is the gore a little much (after all their is a difference betweeen a movie and a book some people like to see gore but not read about it in excruciating detail, most like just enough descriptiveness to get a clear idea in their head without being dictated too, after all book are the gateway to your imagination, and good books keeps you reading about a place for hours, but a great book takes you there, are your readers maybe very aware that they're reading a book because you're overly descriptive or maybe you're not descriptive enough?) take these things to consideration and if you have the talent you can be published. And most importantly Remember this saying fall seven times, get up eight times. Just because one publisher doesn't like it and doesn't think it will go anywhere, doesn't mean another one won't. If you believe, and you have the talent, you can achieve. Maybe not this book, maybe not that publisher, but eventually. You just have to want it bad enough.

Answer 2

Age doesnt' really matter when it comes to writing and authoring books. I started on the path to my writing career when I was in the fourth grade. (young huh, lol) Though I haven't had a book published as of yet, I have had several poems and short stories published along with a few articles I've written as well.

What matters when sending your work in, is the quality and voice with which you write. I've read books that were published by teenagers and it gave me hope while in highschool that I could do it too. Specially when I realized my writing techniques were more advanced than some of what I was reading, and it was published. So why couldn't I, right?

The one thing you should be prepared for though is the harsh reality of denial. You have to be persistant, and ignore the rejection slips that come your way. If these people who deny you are kind enough to include constructive critisism, then take that into play, but realize that you will have more rejections than any offers. Just keep sending your work out there. It will happen for you one day.

So what if your work is controversial. That makes for some of the best reading out there on the market. It all depends on how you display your viewpoint of it. No matter what you write, you will have people who love what you have written and people who will hate what you have written. It's a fact of life. Just remember to take the good with the bad, don't focus on the terrible things and believe in yourself.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

You need to know the right people, or know people that know the right people. You can submit your book to any publishing company. I would send it to as many as possible. Once your book is out there you just need to publicize it [MySpace, etc.].

There are young kids your age that have written books. Christopher Paolini wrote the "Eragon" trilogy at the age of 15 and I believe had it published at 19.

This kind of thing takes time. Just be patient and persistent. I'm a writer as well and am currently working on a book myself.

A real writer, writes about the things are afraid to be said. The written word is a powerful tool. Don't be afraid to be controversial. Don't worry about kids your age who have no opinion. Write from your heart kiddo.

Good luck, best wishes.

Answer 5

I think that if you write well, you have an even better chance at getting published. I see contests for younger writers all the time. I knew someone when I was in school who wrote a very touching poem about different races of people being like different colors of crayons. Her message was if we find beauty in all these colors then why can't we love people of all colors. That poem one her a good chunk of change and a free trip to New York where she was shuttled around in a limo to receive an award. At her young age, if she continued to write I'm sure many doors have opened for her.

When I was 15, I wrote an essay about a person who was speaking from the grave (a soldier) and even though I cussed in it, I got an A++. Just put your best foot forward and dont let any obstacle steal your dream.

Answer 6

You can write a piece and then look for a place to publish it. Start with an article or a short story. There are anthologies that accept short stories, regardless the age of the writer. Go to 'google' and type in the grid the word'anthologies'. You get a list and check them out. You can a slo get paid for your work if it is good. But I would advise you to post your work to non paying markets as well to get exposure.
A great site to get exposure is this: http://www.aggelia-online.com. This is a bilingual site(Greek/English).

You can post your articles there for free but you can add your link for people to find you. They accept informative articles, see the list on the site.

You can also post a free ad there saying you are a young writer that wants to work with a publisher. Some Greek publishers want to find out new writers and translate their work into Greek. So, gain publicity first, and you can do it!

Lian

Answer 7

According to "The New York Times," last year, a young girl had her first book published, by a major publisher.

Answer 8

Of course sixteen year olds can get their work published if they know how to do it. You should probably have a look at writer's market and try to find a literary agent to get your book published for you. Just make sure that you are careful while choosing agencies as some are just out there to rip you off.

Good luck.

Answer 9

it all depends on this

1. what you wrote. is it good enough that a publisher thinks he or she can make money off of it and entertain or interest the reading public. is it mature enough in terms of structure... i'm talking about the story being writen as if a grown, well-read, educated man or woman wrote it, not in the way of a young kid writing it up as if he or she thought they were beyond their years in terms of skill ? are you sure your writing style is beyond that of high school creative writing classes? look at this way, people are not forced to pay $7 to $8 for a paperback novel. for all that money, they sure do want to have a good or decent story in it and not feel ripped off. Just think, they have to pay $25 to $35 for a hardcover edition.

2. with all due respect, most 16 year olds do not have enough life experience to know about violence and war to such a profound degree that they seem to know what they are talking about and can somehow influence or edify an adult about the subject matter. I could be wrong, but chances are a typical 16 year old, no matter how studious or dedicated, just doesn't have the life skills and emotions to deal with such topics. i'm sorry, but just because someone thinks they are an Ernest Hemingway at 16 does not mean they truly are a 16 year old Hemingway in reality

3. it's very rare for anyone to get their works published no matter their age. there are skilled writers out in the world who create novels and short stories left and right, yet they never, ever see their work on the printed page. The book business is quite cutthroat and hard to breach. there is no guaranteed way of success unless your parents own a publishing company (which brings about the dubious methods that Christopher Paloini used to get his fantasy novels into print. by the way, he was very young, like you when he wrote his book. look into him for inspiration if you want.)

4. you should not, if you do submit your work to a publisher, reveal your age. most editors share my predjuices that i said in point 2 of this response. if they see 16, they won't even bother looking at the manuscript. look, the story should speak for itself. if it truly is good enough for printing, your age, race, creed, and looks should have absolutely nothing to do with that decision.

5. if you did get your novel published, how would you get others to read it? well, honestly, unless the publishing company markets your work with advertisements or sends you out on a book tour, there is little you can do but hope word of mouth helps spread the popularity of it. by the way, the Internet is not the solution. people who truly read for enjoyment and are legit bookworms (aka your target audience) do not waste away their existence on websites like YouTube or Facebook looking for the next great book to read. Only teens and fantasy geeks (examples being Harry Potter and Eragorn acolytes) do this sort of word of mouth. People who read adult material, which you focus on, get their advice from either other adult bookreaers or serious sources..

6. never, ever, ever send your whole book. publishers/editors do not want to read a whole novel. they only want 1 or 2 chapters to get a feel of the story and to see if the author has potential. also, only send your work to a company interested in said genre of the work. if you write science fiction, you send it to publisher who has a history of putting out sci-fi stories. you do not send it to a chic-book publisher or a history provider. also, it take months until you receive a reply from the publisher regarding your work. you have to send it out to as many likely companies as you can.

7. just so you know, there is a saying from the Old Testament that is quite true in life I believe. It is ....... there is nothing new under the Sun..... which basically means, everything that can be done or thought up has already been done before in the past. So, if you think your story can be somehow orignal, you are most likely very wrong on that account. Moreover, there is absolutely no way you could check to see if your idea has been done before in another book. Do you have any idea how many individual books and short stories have been published in English? Quite literally millions. You just have to accept the fact that most stories share basic elements within themselves.

8. I know my advice sounds harsh, but the field of books is ironically a fierce land to triumph in. My best advice to you is simply this.... persistence and keep your eyes on the ball at all times. if you really want this, you are going to have to sacrifice and work your butt off for years and years to win it.

Answer 10

Your chances are as good as a 90 yo. When you send your book to a publisher, you don't send your birth date with it.