Young Authors doomed to write for young readers?

[CourtneyAllisonMoulton]

Do you think that young authors are condemned to write for the young adult audience? I know that the majority of young authors do write juvenile plots/dialogs/ect. but what about those authors who have the ability to write mature content that is intended for an adult audience?

I am afraid that when (not if, I am trying to stay confident!) I am published, I will be told to cut out the profanity, sexual situations, violence, ect. (while not excessive, except for the violence bwah!) because I am 18 so I should be a Young Adult author. Kind of worries me, know what I mean?

Thanks for reading :)

[HConn]

Courtney, write whatever you want to write. Before you worry about editors buying your work and shoehorning it into the YA category, you should concentrate on writing work that editors want to buy.

Write from your heart and to hell with this kind of worry.

Good luck.

[James D. Macdonald]

You don't put your age anywhere in a standard cover letter.

Your manuscript speaks for itself. The marketing department will put it where they think it'll sell the best.

[Coco82]

Good question. I'm 22 and am thinking the same thing. I don't know if my style'll be popular with publishers, an audeince, etc..

[sgtsdaughter]

the best that you can do is write something with passion and heart . . .then query it like the devil (can we tell i have a southern vein in me). Once you get past the initial quick reply responses that provide no feedback, you'll start getting feedback. that's when you'll know exactly what market editors (and agents) think that you are in.

Annessa

[RaptorBpW]

Fear not!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Lf4IrO9B5S&isbn=0786015276&itm=15

That's me. The book was released as a mainstream thriller geared towards an adult audience---and I started writing it when I was 15. So while publishers may be inclined to pigeonhole a young writer into writing for a teen audience, that's not necessarily a fate you're doomed to suffer. I'm living proof.

EDIT:
I should add, though, that if you're going to go for that adult audience, be prepared to face a publisher that basically plugs its fingers into its ears whenever someone mentions your age.

[sthrnwriter]

I write young adult cuz I want to and I feel like i'm more in tuned into that genre and not because i'm 21. But like those before me have said, write what you want to write. If you wrote mainstream/contemporary for the teenage audience, sex, violence, profanity among other things is mainly what you would be writing about. Its extremely hard for me to write something fiction based on reality without using sex, violence or profanity.

Bottom line: Just write what your heart tells you to and what your most interested in. Think of it this way. Yes your 18 and in the eyes of the law, your technically an adult despite how young you are.

[alaskamatt17]

I'm nineteen, and I've been writing seriously for four years (I am still unpublished, but I do consider myself a serious writer). It's a little odd, but I began writing with the notion that I should write "adult" material, but I have decided now that young adult might be more to my liking. It's not that I think I lack the skill to write for an adult audience, it's that I lack the desire. None of my works require graphic violence or sex. The themes may be lost on younger readers, but I care far more about my plot and my characters than I ever have about theme.

[CaitlinK18]

I'm of a certain (younger) age and I tend to write protags that are slightly older than myself. I think this is just because I'm horribly mature and far too serious. Emotional age has a lot to do with what you write and what age your characters are. I have a friend who's 19 and wrote a novella with a 60-year-old heroine. It came out fine.

Conversely, it can be easier to write about an age you've already experienced (I'm co-writing a novel right now where the heroine is 16 for half of it, and that part is far easier than the part where she's 25, simply because I know firsthand what it's like to be 16, but I haven't yet achieved the lofty climes of 25.)

My advice is stick with what feels write. If you're 15 and think you can write a convicing 45 year old character, then go for it.

And like Uncle Jim said, no one at the publishing house or agency is going to care when they're first looking at your stuff. If anything, your age will become a selling point.

[Fishbowl]

To be completely blunt, and fwiw, how old you are shouldn't even cross your mind when you are submitting something to agents/publishers--only when you have a surefire contract tucked in your arms will a publisher (probably) use your age to their benefit in publicity/advertising/whatnot. It has nothing to do with anything. Like Jim said, it shouldn't be anywhere in your cover letters/proposals/queries/etc., because 9 times out of 10 it probably just makes you look unprofessional because of the irrelevancy.

Write what you think you can write to the best of your ability. If you have a knack for writing YA, then go for it. If you think you have enough life experiences to write in the mindset of an adult, by all means, charge ahead! :)

Having said that, for the most part a young writer hasn't had enough life experiences to be able to write adult fiction. It's just truth. (Of course, there are exceptions like Mary Shelley and S.E. Hinton, but on average....)

[RaptorBpW]

only when you have a surefire contract tucked in your arms will a publisher (probably) use your age to their benefit in publicity/advertising/whatnot.

In my experience this isn't quite right. Even if they do sign you, they're more likely to be panicked about your age and do their very best to cover it up than to take advantage of it in some way for publicity. At least that's how it worked for me.

The reason? They all believe this:

Having said that, for the most part a young writer hasn't had enough life experiences to be able to write adult fiction. It's just truth. (Of course, there are exceptions like Mary Shelley and S.E. Hinton, but on average....)

And I don't agree. Kensington didn't believe I was 15, based on the quality/maturity of the manuscript. They literally had to fly my mom and I to New York (in 2001...on September 10th...Yikes!) to confirm my age. Seriously!

[Fishbowl]

RaptorBpW, I have no doubt your book is a good one! After all, it's published. That speaks for itself. (And also why I was careful to say "for the most part.")

I can't agree with you on the publicity issue, though. Look at what it did to 17-yr old Anselm Audley's first novel (which, in my most humble opinion, wasn't all that good). The first thing the publishers did was to announce to the world "teen writer pens novel" and then go on to compare it to Lord of the Rings. Ditto for Chris Paolini (except this time the promotion worked, and the book was better).

So basically, what I'm trying to say is that age shouldn't be a factor that young writers hook on to, whether in fear of being disciminated against or in hopes that it can give them an advantage. The book will be judged by the words on the page.

[RaptorBpW]

I can speak only of my own experience. Kensington is a major publisher, and they were literally horrified of the so-called age factor. They never mentioned it. The packets they sent to the bookstore reps mentioned nothing of it. In fact, when my mom began to garner much publicity on the local level, capitlizing on my age for television, newspaper and radio interviews, a Kensington publicist actually demanded she stop. She didn't. ;)

Most published teens DO write teen or young adult fiction, however, so you're talking about something entirely different. There, perhaps, publishers see a young author as a positive.

[victoriastrauss]

I wrote my first novel when I was 17. It was written for an adult audience (sex, violence, etc) but I had the sense to realize I couldn't write from the point of view of an adult, so the protagonist is a teenager caught up in adult events he doesn't fully understand even though he plays a pivotal part in them. There are numerous adult books where a young protagonist is observing half-understood adult goings-on, so I thought this would work.

I submitted it to various places as an adult book and had some near misses, but no takers. When I found my agent a couple of years later (she had no idea what age I was when she agreed to take me on), she felt that the book had a YA feel--beyond the teen protagonist--and should be marketed as a YA book. I didn't see that at all--I was totally certain it was a mature work of adult fiction and was very, very reluctant to let my agent submit it as a YA. But she was right, because that's how it ultimately sold. My editor persuaded me to take out the kinky sex bits that weren't suitable for the YA market--and she was 100% correct, because at 17 I simply didn't know how to write that stuff. The violence got to stay (everyone but the hero dies at the end).

I could write that same book today, with the same teenage protagonist, and it would be an adult novel--not just because I myself am an adult now, but because my writing skills are vastly better than they were. But the book I wrote at 17 was not suitable for the adult market--though I was many years older before I properly realized that.

This was my experience. I'm not trying to imply it should/would be anyone else's.

- Victoria

[RaptorBpW]

In my case, Kensington didn't want people assuming the novel was a teen book based on my age. Hence they never mentioned it. Oddly enough, they did nothing to market the book. My relatively decent first-time sales (somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000) were due primarily to my mom's efforts on the regional level, and the Teen People article my agent, Neil, was able to secure.

Anyway, I can see the point, and I suppose it's valid in most cases.

You want to know the REALLY ironic thing? Check out the Publisher's Weekly review of 11th Hour:

This electrifying debut from 18-year-old Warshauer will elicit roars of approval from sports aficionados and thriller enthusiasts for its knowledgeable portrayal of pro football and hard-charging suspense. Drafted to the Missouri Gunners with an $18-million signing bonus, Heisman trophy winner Julian Lloyd can't believe his good fortune. But when a career-ending injury leaves the running back sidelined before the season even begins, Julian fears he'll go down as the "all-time biggest bust" in football history. Unscrupulous team owner Vince Petty, desperate to recoup his capital, offers the unwitting rookie as a guinea pig to a financially struggling genetics company. Through illegal and highly controversial treatments, Julian recovers, returns to the game and starts breaking records. But when skeptics of Julian's performance start turning up dead, St. Louis detective Anthony Sutton makes it his mission to ferret out the truth. Warshauer's writing occasionally suffers from repetitive prose and rusty dialogue, but it's clear from his skillful portrayal of secondary character Ryan Walker, a veteran athlete clinging to his career and his youth, that he understands human nature. The book's primary virtue, however, lies in Warshauer's infectious enthusiasm for football and his lively, play-by-play descriptions of the game.

Go figure. LOL!

[Mistook]

I'm in my mid-30's but I actually really enjoy writing characters in their teens and twenties. I'm far enough away from those periods of my life that I can finally understand what was going on, but I'm close enough to still feel the passion and romance that is so strong in early adulthood.

There are older characters in my story too - on up through 60, but they function either as foils, or mentors. I see young adulthood as a struggle not only to survive in society, but to change it where possible. The foils work to exploit and/or control the young, while the mentors show them the ropes and encourage their dreams.

[katiemac]

The age range for a lot of adult material seems to have characters from 20-50 years old. My characters fall at just the bottom rung on that age span, but I have no idea what kind of audience I would have. I read all over the place when I was younger; I skipped through first novels pretty easily and was reading teen stuff before I should have, then moved on to adult fiction fairly early as well. And now, when I should be more concerned with adult fiction, I'm eating up the likes of Harry Potter and watching Toy Story and The Incredibles along with the rest of the world.

I like the idea of letting the publisher decided. It's much less confusing on my behalf. But in MO, unless you're consciously writing children's or young adult material, don't edit your characters in case of your age. Do according to their age, I say.

[Hummingbird]

I'm 18 and my writing is aimed more at tweens and teens. Not because of my age, but because that's the type of books that I like to read and write. I have loved some adult novels, but I have a place in my heart for the ones aimed at younger audiences. Something I've gotten teased about, but I just go on my merry way. ;) If someone doesn't write those books, who will?
Anyway, I guess I'm just repeating what others have said. Follow your heart! Besides, it's much more fun that way. ;)

EDIT: I haven't published any books, but at least I'm having fun! Besides, I'm a newbie to trying to complete ones worthy of being submitted. But, I've been writing for fun for a while.

[Roger J Carlson]

I'd say write the novel you want to write. If you can get an agent that will sell it as a YA novel, DO IT! If you can find a publisher that will publish it as a YA novel if you take out the sexy parts, DO IT! Then write another novel. By the time the first one's on book shelves, you won't be a young writer anymore.

No one will fault a young writer for writing a YA novel. If it sells, you've got a lot of clout to sell an adult novel next time. The important thing is getting one sold!

[maestrowork]

There's no reason why a young author can't write for adult, mature audiences. If you can write it well, go for it. No one puts their ages on queries and mss.

[Roger J Carlson]

By the way, it is no longer certain that YA novels cannot have sex or violence. Here are a few recent Publishers Marketplace listings of YA novels:

"a sixteen-year-old girl blames her bad track record with boyfriends on the pressure surrounding the big question -- who will be her first? -- so she decides to have sex already with her best friend, causing more complications than anticipated"

"about a girl whose is changed forever when her father kills her mother, and she and her younger brother must rebuild their lives and begin to look for normal"

"set in the late 80s and featuring a high school freshman who, still reeling from her parents divorce, soon finds herself in love with the 20 year old rocker across the street and desperate to make the leap to womanhood"

"a gay guy and a straight girl -- try to figure out if their crush, a new guy at their Upper East Side private high school -- is gay or straight"

"using science and poetry as metaphor and backdrop to reveal the complexities and passion of a high school senior's love affair with her English teacher"

Obviously, I can't speak to how explicit these are, but the point is that YA is not all Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew anymore. Many publishers are looking for fiction that is more edgy. Maybe being published as a YA novel is not a "doom" afterall.

[WerenCole]

Ah, let the youngin's have their say, let us gripe, we are so young and hopeful that we need to vent a touch. . .

Are we doomed to write for our own peers? Is our age going to affect our chances at being published, or our sales if we do? I would be of the notion that no, our age does not diminish our chances at all. Immature writing does not get published, but there are a lot of people out there older than us would be novelists who write some of the most ratty, trashy books that are out there. Quality is quality, regardless. An exciting, well written book sells over all demographics (Harry Potter for instance) and that is what should be striven for, whether you are young or old and no matter what type of subject matter you are writing about.

-W

"Those who make declarative statements are more likely to look foolish in retrospect." Quentin Taratino in Four Rooms

[Mistook]

Ah, let the youngin's have their say, let us gripe, we are so young and hopeful that we need to vent a touch. . .

Are we doomed to write for our own peers? Is our age going to affect our chances at being published, or our sales if we do? I would be of the notion that no, our age does not diminish our chances at all. Immature writing does not get published, but there are a lot of people out there older than us would be novelists who write some of the most ratty, trashy books that are out there. Quality is quality, regardless. An exciting, well written book sells over all demographics (Harry Potter for instance) and that is what should be striven for, whether you are young or old and no matter what type of subject matter you are writing about.

-W

"Those who make declarative statements are more likely to look foolish in retrospect." Quentin Taratino in Four Rooms


I think this is probably a very good time in history for young writers to break into adult markets. The generation that is currently in their 30s and 40s (the ones running everything) are very sympathetic to the younger crowd.
That's my impression at least.


<rant>
When I was in my teens, the leading edge of the baby-boom generation were taking control of the world (shows like "Thirtysomething" and "wonder years" come to mind).

Even though they were the most rebellious generation ever to happen upon the face of the earth, as soon as they got into power, the whole country was forced to re-live their glory days of the 60's to the point of nausea.

My generation isn't so self-centered, and we're interested in what you guys have to say. That's my take on it. I see evidence of this all over the airwaves and in print.

</rant>

[Ace]

I just started writing a novel a few months ago. I'm 17, and my biggest hurtle is finding the patience to keep writing. I, like most, I assume, have started and given up many stories. This is usually because I look back on what I have written and realize how childish and poor the writing was because I am in a constant state of growth. This could be an incentive to give up and wait, but I fear that I will keep doing this my entire life. We should always be learning and there will always be those who are smarter, so why try to please all of them? How people like it is of little consequence, but if it holds to my standards, than I will be content. Perhaps my other childish outlook is that the entire idea of looking to get anything published seems ghastly and I want very little part in it.

[Mistook]

I just started writing a novel a few months ago. I'm 17, and my biggest hurtle is finding the patience to keep writing. I, like most, I assume, have started and given up many stories. This is usually because I look back on what I have written and realize how childish and poor the writing was because I am in a constant state of growth. This could be an incentive to give up and wait, but I fear that I will keep doing this my entire life. We should always be learning and there will always be those who are smarter, so why try to please all of them? How people like it is of little consequence, but if it holds to my standards, than I will be content. Perhaps my other childish outlook is that the entire idea of looking to get anything published seems ghastly and I want very little part in it.

I had the same problem when I was about 20. I wanted to write, but had nothing to say. I waited all these years, and in my case it was probably the right thing to do, but everybody is different.

I had other interests in music and art that I wanted to persue, and after years of activity in those circles, I have a core of life experience to work from for my writing today.

But if writing is your one passion, I would very much advise you to keep at it. Don't look at youth as a stumbling block. Look at it as an gigantic head start. The older you get, the less time to get things right, and the less freedom to work on it. In ten long years, you'll only be 27, but you could master the craft in that amount of time, and get published.

[Ace]

I think at some point, we all need to take stock of our futures. I figure that I've had a lot of life experiences; more so than most others my age, and I doubt that the coming years will bring a lot of excitement.

That said, I thought about the question of characters with ages that I've experienced. I don't think it really matters to me. The characters in my writing that I like most are usually much older than I am. I find it more difficult to write about younger people because they don't have personalities which have had time to ferment. Younger characters do have a lot of possibilities in that they haven't mastered the art of being very predictable so as to not make waves.