What do I do

killerbaboonbud · #1 Jun 29, 2009, 01:51 PM

I started to write when I was about when I was 10 and I written 5 books to one series but I'm sure what to do now I want to publish at least one book before I'm 18 which is in 3 years but I need to take another step to making it happen

Altenweg · Jun 29, 2009, 02:16 PM

Unless you have an agent it will be hard to get your book published.

If you send it to a publisher sans agent it will end up in the slush pile and probably won't even get read.

Self publishing is probably your best bet.

Good luck.

Eileen G · Jul 1, 2009, 04:35 AM

Start by going back and rewriting your earlier books. Read them out loud, ideally to someone else. You'll soon hear the wobbly bits that need work.

Check your plot too, it's amazing how often writers don't notice massive holes in their plot, but everyone else will.

Look at your characters. Are they real people with their own voice, characteristics and history? Are they copies of living people? Are they lifted from any other book or film?

What are your locations like? Sometimes it seems that descriptions of places are just padding, but without some, your story takes place in a black hole. You need to have just enough to set the scene, not enough to bore the reader.

Go back to your link scenes. Your book should focus on the action (emotional and mental as well as physical) not on how people get from one place to another. Cut out the chitchat and travel unless it is necessary.

You do not absolutely have to have an agent, but you do have to have your book in the best possible shape before you even think of approaching a publisher. No-one these days will spend time correcting your spelling or punctuation, or read anything that it not properly typed, double spaced on white A4 paper.

HamAtom · Oct 7, 2009, 07:14 PM

Hey. Wow. Fifteen and looking to get a book published? For the record, you. are. awesome.

As far as how to do this, if it's at all possible for you to go to a writer's conference, it could be invaluable to you. Going to workshops, it's amazing what you can learn about the business side of the writing industry, not only in the classes themselves, but by talking to whoever you end up sitting next to! Writers of all different levels go to conferences, and just chatting with some people who have been where you are can help get you pointed in the right direction. (I was *really* tempted to say "pointed in the *write* direction, but just so you know, I resisted.) Not only writers, but editors and publishers as well attend these functions. Networking, my friend, is a beautiful thing. It could not only help get you started, but help you make friends with the same passions that you have.
And don't worry about not being taken seriously because of your age. Honestly, I'm sure some people probably won't take you seriously. But it's amazing how many great people are out there who love helping aspiring writers get their start.
Oh, and, I do have a warning about self-publishing: *very* few of them make it. Unless you've got a whole lot of dough to put into printing the books and the advertising for them, it would probably be a much better investment to go to a conference. It may take a little longer to get your stuff out there, but once it is, your work will have the potential to reach a much larger audience.
Anyway, best of luck, killerbaboonbud! Keep writing! (Heh, like I have to tell *you* that.

InfoJunkie4Life · Oct 7, 2009, 07:36 PM

If you're not looking to get any money out of it, there are several places you can post your book online, that will protect its copyright. Then, thousands of people will have access, and you get your name out there. Its just a different form of publishing.

Altenweg · Oct 7, 2009, 07:38 PM

Guys, this thread was from June and the OP never came back.

InfoJunkie4Life · Oct 7, 2009, 07:53 PM

Good point...

Thanx