How Do I get It Published?

I have decided to send some of my works to a publisher but I need advice.





1. Do you have any recommended publishers or agents?


2. I'm 13 years old, will that affect it in anyway?


3. How much does it cost?


4. How do I keep my manuscript safe so I don't get ripped off?





Here's a sample of my work:





Risika's eyes darted back and forth across the hall. She felt glares of other students on her back as she walked past them. Call it coincidence, but she felt like they could see right through her; see that she was a Black Angel. She looked down at the floor. Light reflected of the glimmering surface, reflecting her own face back at her. Her familiar gray eyes peirced her mind like a wooden stake. Poisonous realization.





"What have I become?" She thought. "Ever since Justin came along, I haven't been the same. Could he really have The Blank Aura?"


- "Blank Aura"








Please include websites if you have a reccomendation, addresses would be nice too. Thank You!

How Do I get It Published?
2. I'm 13 years old, will that affect it in anyway?





Unfortunately yes. Young authors find it pretty tough to get publishers. THeir works are often atunted of plagiarisms, which in many cases is true. Young age is a dampener.


But anyhow there have been younger authors than you. So if the work is original and worthy, it will be published.





Best of luck.





TW K
Reply:You start by querying literary agents. This is done with a one page letter describing yourself and your book. Sometimes the agent will request you include the first few pages or chapters, but that is an individual preference.





There are several websites out there that will help you find an agent, my favorite is QueryTracker.net at http://www.querytracker.net/ . It is free and has a list of literary agents and also tools to help you keep track of who you already queried and who you haven't, plus more.





They do a good job of keeping the crooks off their lists, but it is still a good idea to double check at http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.h...





There are a lot of crooks out there. Never pay anyone to read or publish your book. A real agent will never ask for money except as a percentage of your royalties.





Keep in mind that finding an agent and getting published is not an easy process. Some people have to query hundreds of agents before they find one who will accept them (sadly, some never get accepted), but be persistent and keep trying.





You should also visit http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums one of the largest forums for writers. They can be very helpful.





Good luck.
Reply:You need a spelling book and a grammar book. No editor or agent is going to read a sloppy manuscript. It doesn't matter how old you are. It matters that you write well. Get a book on how to write decent English. And don't rely on Spell Check or Grammar Check. You need to learn to recognize cliches. You need to practice. Most important, you need to read more.


Good luck to you. You have some style but you need to write more.
Reply:Terry Brooks wrote a book to specifically answer all these questions that you have. Terry writes a book a year and his first book - as they all are - is still selling off the shelves at a regular rate - NO other author can brag that...





http://www.terrybrooks.net/





You should also join his forum.


Just Billee B
Reply:An agent.Mail the important parts of your m/s to yourself via registered mail signed and dated..this ensures your work is proven to be your work..post office. Pitch your work or let your agent do it..if its good..he/she will see the cut %...read before you sign anything..very difficult,but you could get lucky. Good Luck.
Reply:You need an agent.


Most agents will not accept a 13 year old client.





Your best bet would be to try and submit short stories or articles, to magazines. They are always in need of stuff to fill the pages between their adverts, and they won't care about an agent, or your age.





If you can get published there, and get paid for it, then an agent is much more likely to take you seriously, even at your young age.





--- Added later ----





Your existing stories might be too long, but that's not the point. You should write something for magazines. Articles, short stories, etc... You want to get published? That's how to do it at your age.





Get yourself printed, more than once. Get paid for it.





An agent works on a percentage of what his client makes. No agent is going to want a 13 year old who hasn't made any money at all, and hasn't been published.





You need to be able to write *to* *spec*.





Either write something that a magazine would want to print, or if you're very very lucky, get the submissions editor to give you some ideas for articles that they would be interested in printing.





Does this mean you might have to write about something that doesn't interest you? Sure.
Reply:First of all you will need an adult to work with you on getting your work published. I would recommend getting a copy of the Writers Market 2007 and look through all the literary agents and the genre's they are accepting.





I like the way you write your discriptive data. Just remember that 'thoughts' are not usually put in quotes. Some are put in italics, and others are written out as you did, but leaving out the quotes. Although, I have seen a few IN QUOTES...





The agents you will find in Writers Market usually have websites and these sites will tell you exactly what they are looking for and how to go about querying one.





I wish you luck...
Reply:It is difficult to get published. If you really like writing there is a book you can view at the local library it is updated every year or two, it is called the writer's market, it is huge. It lists


publishers,magazines,card companies and it explains what they are about and what they are looking for. Most places want you to send in a letter of inquiry.This would contain information on your ideas for articles or books, if there are pictures, your thoughts etc. You would then receive a letter from the publisher saying yes or no or maybe if you do this or that to change your idea. There is money to be made doing magazine articles. Anyway the book is called WRITER"S MARKET. I also had a friend that did self publishing of his poetry book @ Lulu.com. They assist and work with you to get a final product then they sell you book, etc, on their website. Hope these Ideas help you and keep your chin up a lot of great writers were told no many times before getting published. My best freind's brother is John Lescroart, he wrote for years before becoming famous.