Can 16 year olds get their manuscripts published?

Question

Or is that ridiculous?

Answer 1

No, it isn't ridiculous. Not if your work is good. But what you have to do is start learning the business and how to advocate for yourself. Start with a copy of Writers Market and really read it. You can also get a lot of good information right here. I star all the great Q and A regarding publishing and writing. You can print a lot of them out and read them. There is a lot of good information here written by published authors. Take advantage of it. Pax- C

Answer 2

No it is not ridiculous. But it must be good, just as any literature should be if it's going to get published. Just find reputable companies and look into the process of sending out your manuscripts. If you do get people interested in it, definetly make sure that you don't jump on the first offer without knowing every detail about the contrac between you and company. The book Eragon, that was made into a movie, was written by a teenage boy. So anything can be possible. Good luck . You should have someone you trust to proof read and edit anything that needs work.

Answer 3

It's not ridiculous, however it may be difficult from what i hear. I too, am a 16 year old writer. I definitely agree with the 'top contributer' (what's the name?) but as a teenager some publishers might not take our work too seriously upon first glance. Find out which publishers are used to young writers. and beware any publishing schemes. Do your homework.
note: while Eragon was writen by a teenager, it should be noted that he 'self-published' it before it was taken up by a company.

Answer 4

Look at the Author of Eragon, he wrote it when he was 15 and his parents own a self publishing company and they published the book themselves when he was about 17. Then a professional publisher Random House, published it in 2003. Even though the author was nearly 20 at the time. It was still hyped that he had written it when he was 15.

If someone has a really good book you might as well go for it. If you find someone willing to publish it, great.

Answer 5

Getting a literary agent is an art in itself. Most agents won't give new writers the time of day because they have a general fear of representing people who have unproven sales records. They are mostly in it just for the money. I think your age is an asset, because the most marketable commodity about an author is his/her own story -- what makes many people want to read a book is knowing the authenticity of the author's voice. If you can convince an agent that you have an authentic voice and speak for your generation, then you have a better chance. If a reputable agent picks up your book, you might be expected to pay some office fees, like copying and postage, usually less than $500, until your manuscript is picked up by a publisher. Some agents won't charge this, but some will. Do not get into a situation where an agent wants something like $2,000 up front for "submission fees" or something like that. You shouldn't have to pay such fees, and can easily self-publish for that amount. Self-publishing is a different route, and a different question. So-called publish-on-demand packages offered by some online companies are a waste of time and resources for the writer who wants to make a living at it. They are OK if you just want to see your work in print, but those books will get you nowhere in your career (except for having such an unpleasant experience to b**** about later). I can't think of any college courses that will prepare you for the publishing world. But you can ask many of the professors in the English or Literature department about their experiences with publishing -- all of them should be published authors in order to get to that level.

Answer 6

Depends on how good the manuscript is, there is no reason why age would stop a person's manuscript getting published - just send it to different publishers and see what happens.

Answer 7

No. A publisher does not even have to know that it's a 16 year old until it's too late. Someone mentioned the Outsiders. SE Hinton was a chick. Her name is Sarah or something, but she initialized to get published. GO FOR IT!

Answer 8

Anyone can get a manuscript published if it's good enough. But be honest with yourself about your writing abilities, and listen to feedback before and during the query process.

Answer 9

yup just look at the outsiders it was wrighten by a 16 year old and turned in to a movie

Answer 10

uhhhhh idk
but i know a best seller for 25 years that was written by a 16 year old girl