Teen writers

age, technically, has nothing to do with their process. but probably if they do look at it, unless something about it really grabs them, they probably will look at your age and think 'eh, he/she can wait' and toss it aside.
it sucks, but that's a publisher for ya'.

S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was 17. So it can happen...

Seems to me there's a more recent example too, but it doesn't come to mind right now.

I would not suggest mentioning your age in your query letters to agents or publishers, though.

trypd- what do you mean when you say he/she can wait?
Jordie- i think the book is twelve that guy was 17
So do guys suggest going along with the book or waiting and building up my prewriting and ideas and then write it when i'm older. BTW, how much older is good enough for a publisher technically?

Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters all wrote extensively when they were young, as did HG wells, CS Lewis and Lewis Carroll. those are just some of them, but most of the ones i mentioned above didn't get published until later on in life.
just do your best, and keep trying. it's tough for anyone who tries to get something published, no matter what their age.

just try anything, at any time. don't wait, because if you start now, you'll end up being able to play the publisher's game with a bit more ease latter on in life.

I think the person you might be thinking of is JT Leroy, who was already having his short stories published in magazines at the age of 16. He then went on to release "Sarah," his first novel a few years later.

[url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1582340765/officchuckpalaha]
[img]http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/sponsors/books/sarah.jpg[/img][/url]

I read "Sarah" last month and I loved it. Lately, it seems I've been on a lucky wave, enjoying everything I read. From Sarah to Jennifer Government to The Contortionist Handbook, I'm checking out all these new authors and loving what I read by them.

Here's a picture of JT Leroy.... and yes, that's a boy, not a girl.

[img]http://members.tripod.com/finnchristopher/20490110.jpg[/img]

Sarah is an autobiographical tale of JT Leroy's life as a gender bending truck stop prostitute at the age of 12. It's both disturbing and hysterical at the same time. Chuck's even got a quote at the front of the book:

"Sarah is surprising, upsetting, offensive, and fun. It's everything a good read-or good sex for that matter-should be." - Chuck Palahniuk

JT's follow up book was a collection of all his short stories that put him on the map. It's called [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1582342113/officchuckpalaha]The Heart is Decietful Above All Things[/url] and I think I may have liked it even better than "Sarah".

Currently, the director of "Secretary" is developing a film adaptation of "Sarah" and Asia Argento just purchased the rights to the short story book. Not to mention JT also co-produced Gus Van Zant's new film "Elephant" which took the Palme D'Or at Cannes this year.

JT's rise to game is very inspiring and yes... I'm trying to get an interview with him for the site too. He's just gotten pretty popular the past couple of years (he's now 23) so I'm not holding my breath.

Check out his official site here [url]http://www.jtleroy.com[/url]

Hope this helps!

I don't care what gender, J.T. Leroy is a fucking hottie .

And another really great teen writer is Zoe Trope, who you all should check out right the hell now at: [url]www.zoe-trope.com.[/url] Her first book, a novel that will be out this fall, she wrote mostly when she was fifteen. And she's absolutely amazing. I mean, I'm twenty-six, and some of her shit just destroys anything I've done.

jzk87, I might suggest that you look into smaller / independent publishing houses at this point. That's what Zoe did. A short version of her book was put out by a little house called Future Tense Press ([url]www.futuretensebooks.com[/url]) in Portland (like Chuck, there must be something in the water there ). The short book was passed on to an adult writer who wrote a book about highschool life. He loved it, and passed it on to his agent. His agent loved it, and sold the rights to an expanded version to Harper Collins for a cool $100,000, with the movie rights still pending.

Zoe is one of my best friends, so I'm probably a little biased towards her work (I interviewed her while she was still "indie" for a magazine called Punk Planet). When her book comes out, you'll in all likelihood see an exclusive interview w/ her here on the Cult (she called the other night, and said she wanted to do it). But that's my suggestion: don't look just at the big houses. Look around, see if you can sneak in some other way. If you're young and you have talent, they'll without a doubt want to hear what you have to say (write).

Also, for Chuck completists: there is a character in the expanded version named "Tupperware," and a "Will T." is thanked on the last page. This MIGHT be the same loser who is a character in Chuck's book "Diary."

Man... that kid would have had me fooled if I walked into a room and saw that shit hahahaha.....

Thanks guys I appreciate all your advice and will take them to heart. I have decided to keep writing and when I think my story is as good as it is in my mind, I will submit it.

that's the way to be.

Good luck, JZK.

I'm still looking at that ass and wondering how that could not be a girl's ass....
That kid better not end up in Jersey or it could get ugly HAHAAAAA

we've had enough about asses from you dear sir.
and if you're so hung up on him, print the pict off and enjoy.

Wyre - I should do that... but how the fuck am I gonna explain that one to my gf? I think she might be a bit enraged if she walked in on me rubbing one out to a picture of a teen ladyboy.... I'll just enjoy that pic quietly....
mmmmmmmm mmmmmm good

yeah the guy who wrote Twelve was 17. Damn that's a good book.

Teen writers piss me off. I've been trying to finish a novel since the age of 14 (not the same novel), and I always fail. I get bored, or worse, I get writer's block.
Damnation unto all ye teenie bopper authors.

Thats a pretty inspiring story, science, I'm on my way to barnes&noble.com to check that book out.