teenage writers!!

[hannah_dreamergirl_3]

Hi Nathan,

I am 17 years old and from the uk and I have almost finished the first draft of my story, its the fifth full length manuscript I've written and the first that I feel as equally excited about at the end as I did at the beginning and so I'm hoping (after I've re-drafted many times) to seek an agent. I have read numerous websites and the writers and artists yearbook cover to cover many times.
What i wonder is if I have any chance of actually finding an agent willing to represent a 17 year old(or by the time I finish re-drafting, 18 year old)? I do have writing experience, with a couple of awards, publication in a teenage magazine and I'm a young reviewer for my local newspaper.
Also, what do I need to be aware of legally when looking for an agent, is it different with me being under 18? I was told when I was twelve that if I was taken on by an agent before I was 18 any advance and legally binding contracts would be under my parents names.
And, sorry for this being so long!!! would you say it was ok in a cover letter to get into any personal details for why you like to write...for example, I was dyslexic when I was young and used to make up stories instead of reading and once I eventually learned to write I began to write, then I had a long term illness which meant I had no energy for hobbies or going out with friends so used to write constantly....what I am basically asking, is this too sob story, even though its true. I don't feel sorry for myself and don't want others to, but it seems an intersting bit of info about my 'journey' as a writer.

Hope I haven't prattled on for too long!!
Thanks,

Hannah
:-)

[Nathan Bransford]

Hi Hannah,

First off, best of luck! Here's a post about writers under 18 that I wrote a while back:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08 ... iters.html

I think the important thing to remember is that you're going to be judged against all writers, not just those who are your age. But never fear, there's always a place to start. As for the legality of agreements/whether your parents would need to sign, that's really a bridge to be crossed with your prospective agent.

Good luck!

[hannah_dreamergirl_3]

Hi Nathan,

thank-you very much for the advice, the blog was very helpful :-)
I picked up on a comment someone made and wondered whether they are right in saying that young people shouldn't mention their age when approaching agents?

thanks,

Hannah

[Nathan Bransford]

Hi Nathan,

thank-you very much for the advice, the blog was very helpful :-)
I picked up on a comment someone made and wondered whether they are right in saying that young people shouldn't mention their age when approaching agents?

thanks,

Hannah

First off, sorry it's taken me so long to get to these questions!! I've had an extremely busy couple of weeks.

But to your question: I think opinions vary about this. I personally wanted to know when an author was under 18 because there are additional considerations for working with young authors, but other agents feel differently. So whichever way you decide to go would probably be fine, just make sure they know at some point before you accept representation.