I am working on a piece, historical fiction, and I was wondering. Could anyone give a breif outline on how the publishing process goes for someone under 18? It is simply to brace my self and for me to be aware what is to come. Thanks! Also please do not think I am so nieave to think it is query letter then done! I know you must painstakingly edit and such, I would simply like an outline of the steps needed to get a book published.
I'm no lawyer, but as far as I know the publishing process is identical except your parents will have to co-sign the contract and any other formal agreements between you and the book's publisher. The rest is the same. Writing, checking for errors, sending the first pages out to publishers in the genre, and so on. One point you might consider is this: don't mention your age in the cover letter. It probably won't affect the editor's decision, but it might, either because the editor could look more critically at your story than he or she would otherwise, or because the editor doesn't want to deal with the hassle of arranging things between their office and you and your parents, plus your agent if you decide to use one. When they've read your book and had the chance to really appreciate the story, then your age can come up. No one's going to break off a deal just because of age; Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and Hannah Moskowitz show that. (Both were first published before the age of 18.) But before the editor has gotten to the story, when they're still just reading the cover letter, they might let bias sway them. So you might do well to, ah, fail to mention your age when you submit your manuscript, and not let them know until an acceptance has been received.
age has nothing to do with it, unless you're under legal age and then it only means you can't sign your own contracts... everything else is the same... as noted above, you should not mention your age... the work must sell itself... you need to first have a marketable ms to offer... meaning it must be edited and polished to a farethewell... once you have that, you need to query agents and/or publishers... you keep doing that till someone bites... if you get an agent, s/he will shop the ms around to publishers... if/when one offers a contract, the agent will handle the details for you, but it's always a good idea to have your own literary attorney take a look before signing anything... go here to learn about agents and what they do [and shouldn't do]: http://www.invirtuo.cc/prededitors/pubagent.htm also check out agents/publishers on that site before you contact them, to make sure they're legit... and check their websites carefully... many won't be listed on the site, but that doesn't mean they're ok, only that no one's reported them to dave yet... so check all out on your own, as well as on p/e...
Thanks! It was some usefull insite, can anyone else vouche for the idea of not saying age? I think I will go that rout either way I just want to know other's opionions. Well thanks
