There’s something extraordinarily remarkable about teen authors.
I mean, come on! It’s no sausage and salad picnic to write a book! And even once one is written, the process of querying and editing and waiting and more editing and then PUBLISHING?! It’s huge. It’s intense. I admire any author a lot, but it seems particularly special to complete a piece of artwork and be brave enough to give it to the whole world at any age — let alone before you’re twenty.
I really wanted to be a teen author. Obviously I didn’t get there (and maybe that made me cry) although I did sign with my agent at 19. In retrospect, I’m okay with it! I don’t think I was ready. (And, I won’t lie, I’m kind of mortifyingly embarrassed about my older books.)
Although, to be honest (and I’m nothing if not an honest cucumber), I don’t think age should define literature. Whether you’re 50 or 15, who cares? As long as you’ve written a good story. And being a teen author doesn’t automatically equal a good writer. It’s hit or miss — same with any author.
BUT STILL. I noticed in my authorly quiz post that a lot of people couldn’t name teen authors. So I wanted to share with you a small list of teenage authorly goodness. Because I’m nice and accommodating like that.
\\ all pictures lead to websites or goodreads because I’m organised //
CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI – age 19
Christopher Paolini is probably one of the most famous teenage authors (well, he’s the first one that pops into my brain). He started working on the famous Eragon series when he was 15 (after finishing school at 15, you know, because homeschoolers rock). His family actually published his book, but Christopher did SO MUCH promotion and tours that he eventually got picked up by Knopf in 2003. He became a NYT bestselling author at 19, bless his disgustingly talented soul.
KAT ZHANG – age 19
Kat Zhang sold her trilogy, The Hybrid Chronicles, when she was 19. To top off her awesomeness, she only queried for 2 months before being picked up by an agent (!!) and she wrote while balancing her senior year of highschool.
AMY ZHANG – age 16
Amy Zhang sold her book to Greenwillow when she was 16. But let’s just clear something up: AMY ZHANG AND KAT ZHANG ARE DIFFERENT PEOPLE! But, you know, both teen authors and both with HarperCollins imprints so that’s not at all confusing. So much disgusting talent. Ugh, seriously.
I also used to follow Amy’s blog before she got published…so I felt very invested in her publishing story (after seeing her shelve drafts and start new books) by the time Falling Into Place came out. SHE IS AWESOME.
KODY KEPLINGER – age 19
Kody Keplinger was 17 when she wrote The Duff and it was published when she was 19. And, as you’ve probably heard, The Duff is now a movie as well. WOW.
And you know, some of us just spent our teen years eating corn chips and having Disney marathons.
STEPH BOWE – age 15
Steph Bowe is, firstly, AUSTRALIAN, which means she was born more awesome than the average pineapple (sorry, but it’s true, Australia is just the best place in the world). Secondly, she sold her book when she was just 15, which is seriously young and she’s amazing.
I also followed Steph’s blog in a stalkish way very loyally and she’s actually been onto my blog and commented! YES! I TALKED WITH AN AWESOME AUTHOR. (‘Scuse me while I hyperventilate.)
She is definitely one of my heroes.
NED VIZZINI – age 17
Ned Vizzini is pretty famous for It’s Kind of a Funny Story (which is NOT a funny story, it’s sad, actually and I sniffled quite a bit reading it) BUT ANYWAY! He actually wrote Teen Angst…Nah when he was 17. Which is pretty awesome.
Also, just to explode your mind, Ned Vizzini also co-wrote a few episodes of Teen Wolf…though he wasn’t a teen when he did that. BUT STILL. He’s famous.
STEPHANIE DIAZ – age 19
Stephanie Diaz published the first of her Extraction trilogy when she was 19. Plus she was in university. Which is, you know, a LOT to handle at once! Also, my small claim to fame is, I used to blog at YAvengers and Stephanie was one of the contributors! YES. I know famous people! I also interviewed her before Extraction was published.
KATHERINE EWELL – age 19
Katherine Ewell was 17 when her book Dear Killer was picked up by HarperCollins. (I’m noticing HarperCollins loves their teen authors.)
LUCY SAXON – age 16
Lucy Saxon was only 16 when Bloomsbury picked up her book Take Back the Skies. I quite approve of the way her hair matches the book colour-scheme here. Well done, Lucy. How are you so coordinated? She also suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and is still a writer.
KAREN BAO – age 17
Karen Bao started writing Dove Arising when she was 17. I’m not sure how old she was when it was published, but I think she was still a teen. Either way…AMAZING, RIGHT? Dove Arising is literally hot off the press…it only came out in February, 2015.
SAMANTHA SHANNON – age 19
Samantha Shannon not only was published with The Bone Season at 19, she also landed herself a 7-book deal. Let me just say: WOW. This is definitely not a typical phenomenon, peoples. Most authors are considered lucky if they land trilogy deals and, I believe (although I could be wrong) that even Sarah J Maas was only originally signed for 3 Throne of Glass books and had to wait on their success to be approved for more. (!!) But I digress, BACK TO SAMANTHA SHANNON. Clearly the world sees enormous potential in her.
ALICE OSEMAN – age 19
Alice Oseman was 19 when her book Solitare came out. She’s studying an English Literature degree, so, you know, balancing huge things like university and novel writing? Pfft. A breeze.
There is just too much talent in this post.
KAYLA KLUVER – age 16
Kayla Kluver was only 16 when she sold her first book, Legacy. She’s gone on to write 7+ books, and I particularly want to read The Queen’s Choice.
LINDSAY CUMMINGS – age 17
Lindsay Cummings was 19 when her book The Murder Complex sold. She looks very happy to be writing about murder. Being a teen is tough and venting space is needed, of course. Also, as always, WOW and TALENTED and AMAZING and murder.
so, my botanical blogglings…what did you do in your teenage years? did you write a book? (i did) and did anyone on this list surprise you?! also BIG QUESTION: do you care about an author’s age? does it spur you to want to read a book more or could you not care less? ALSO: can you add any other teen authors to my list??
Cait @ Paper Fury
…is currently reminiscing about watching Teen Wolf and excitedly thinking about season 5 coming in June (!!) and how many characters are going to survive it. Probably not many. ANYWAY. She also likes reading books by teen authors because, as said, it’s an admirable feat. Her father teen authors are Steph Bowe, Kat Zhang, and Kody Keplinger.
I have heard of some but not all of these people. I love, love, love Kat Zhang. And Falling Into Place was really good. And Eragon is amazing and so is Solitaire. The Murder Complex…well, it involves a lot of murder. And blood. But apart from that , I quite liked it.
I think my sister has read Girl Saves Boy, but I haven’t. I think age does make a difference, and there is a certain amount of life experience that you need to write a book, but really, novel writing is about understanding people. Judging by your blog, your commitment and what I’ve read of The Dead Boy and the Paper Cut, you totally deserve to be published too, and I am would love to read your books once that happens.
I really REALLY want to read The Murder Complex. XD As you can probably tell from this post, ehheh. I LOVE AMY ZHANG.Awwww. *blushes* THIS MAKES ME SMILE SO MUCH, THANK YOU, SHANTI!! One day, *fingers crossed* I hopefully will be published. But, yes, I don't regret not being published as a teen, because my writing has improved SO MUCH since I was 19, and I know it's going to get better if I work really really hard…so in a way, that's really good news that I wasn't published earlier. 😉
Cool post, Cait. I didn’t realise there were this many published teen authors.
I know, right?! It's actually not so uncommon anymore!
Me either! I was having fits of jealousy and revelation!
TEEN AUTHORS ROCK. Steph Bowe is like my idol (I even interviewed her which…woah, so cool). I also LOVE Christopher Paolini and Amy Zhang (there’s an Amy Zhang in my grade…it’s strange) and Alice Oseman 😀 All the prejudice against teen writers is stupid, I think. I’m going to go with the same goal as you – agented before I’m 20! *fingers crossed*
STEPH BOWE IS JUST LIKE THE BEST OF EVER. I seriously read her blog religiously when she was blogging all the time. XD I sooo think prejudice against any writer (age, race, gender, etc.) is ridiculous. >_<
Samantha Shannon is 19 and has a 7 book deal? Wow. Makes me think what am I doing with my life (not writing books for one). Thanks for writing Cait! Learnt some new things today 😀
Gah, I noooooow. Like SERIOUSLY. She is pretty phenomenal.
I may or may not have become slightly green with envy while reading this post, although that’s completely amazing that they managed to publish their books in their teen years! I wrote my first book last year, so I was 20-21. We can still be counted with the youngsters, right? … RIGHT? I’M YOUNG, RIGHT?
What did I do during my teen years? … sleep?
I was purely green with envy writing it. Seriously, for a few moments there I WAS Elphaba. *sighs*WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH MY LIFE?! lol 😉 We are young at heart, Inge, so let's stick with that. *nods* I mostly ate cake and played soccer, tbh. Totally unproductive.
Wasn’t Sarah J. Maas a Teen Author, too?
I don’t know all of these books, but I’ve read “The Bone Season”, the first book. And I think it was really good. Maybe a little bit confusing because there are a lot of new words that you don’t know, but I like the story. But I don’t know when the second book of these series come out in German and because it takes so long I don’t think that I will continue this series because I will forget all things until then.
But I don’t think that it is something so special to be a Teen Author. I mean everyone can have a talent for good writing, it doesn’t matter which age? For me it’s the same thing with other talents. There are so many young people who can sing good and have a good voice and that’s nothing so special. Either you have a talent or you don’t have, I don’t think that it belongs so much with the age 😀
Ooh, I'm not sure about Sarah J Maas! I do want to look that one up now. I feel like she was in her twenties?? Buuuut, I could be wrong!(I was pretty confused with The Bone Season, to be honest, buuut I'm not really good with that genre anyway. SO. YES. >_< Agh, I totally understand about forgetting things! Sometimes long series are a drawback.
GO YOU FOR PROMOTING TEEN AUTHORS CAIT. And enough of caps lock for a few minutes, I think. This is seriously incredible and such nice-positive thing to do. So many incredible teen authors, and I know this is only the tip of a rather large iceberg.
I AM QUITE OKAY WITH CAPSLOCK ON THIS BLOG. *calms self* aaanyway. YES. I think teen authors are incredible and there are so so many more I didn't mention!
Wow, these authors are amazing. I remember writing my first novel, Final Destiny (gag… in hindsight, it sounds pretty cheesy now :P) when I was in grade school… I just know how hard it is to write a book and find motivation to keep writing that book and not want to feel insecure about it being “not enough”. It’s so inspiring to see that these authors have reached and realized their dreams at such a young age! I’m almost 23 now, but hey! I’ll still write or draw my dream story and one day, I’ll reach their ranks 😉 You’ll see! 😛 (I’ll also thank you, Cait, for also inspiring me 😉 These authors and people like you are the ones that motivate us small dreamers :D)
Pfft, I called my first book The Book. NO JOKE. It was about a book so…you know. *hides in shame* I was totally creative, I swear. hehe. Ohh, I understand the insecurities and I've been writing very vivaciously for 5 years. 0_0 Sometimes I still want to just throw in the towel because look at how talented these authors are and they're so much younger than me! AGHHHH. XD It is kind of inspiring though. 😉
Oooh this is such a good post! Honestly I had no idea about some of these! Clearly there are some very disgustingly talented teens out there, whom I adore greatly. <3
It is absolutely revolting how awesome they are.
Oh thank you so much for this post!! I am doing the Book Riot Read Harder challenge. One of the tasks is to read a book by an author that was published when they were under the age of 25. I was having the hardest time thinking of someone. A few of these are even on my TBR list. I am so jealous these authors got published at such young ages. I am 35 and have yet to be published. But that may have something to do with the fact that I still haven’t finished my book. Ha
Finishing books is HARD. I KNOW THE STRUGGLE. >_< But still, hehe, glad this is useful for your challenge too!! I get really excited when I discover I'm reading a book by a teen. Idek. It's just COOL.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This list just kept going and going! I had no idea the author of the Bone Season was so young, or that Ned Vizzini (RIP) wrote for Teen Wolf.
Ahh, I thought I was going to be a teenage author (I saw, tipping back in my rocking chair … at age 25.) I started writing my ~fantasy series~ at 18 or 19, but am only just now querying the first book. Sooooo that took a little more time than expected! MAYBE I’LL MAKE AN ~UNDER THIRTIES AUTHOR LIST~ if that’s a thing that happens.
I definitely don’t notice authors’ ages (other than to envy their success and shake my fists at the wheels of time.) If you can write a comprehensible, non-jibberish book and get it published and put on shelves, then you are pretty amazing and I’m crazy impressed, however old you are. *stars in eyes*
I knew Ned Vizzini had written when he was a teen but FOR TEEN WOLF AS WELL?!! I only discovered that when I was researching for this post so thaaaat made my day. xD Oh, I know how you feel. 😉 I was certain I was going to be published at 16. But, um, yeah. -_- That didn't happen. It really stewed me up at first, BUT then I realise the more I write, the better I get and that's worthwhile.
I’m still in my teenage years, and I’M STILL TRYING TO WRITE A PRESENTABLE MS. I have 3-4 years left, and I’m just so desperately trying to get something done before adult life sets in. Although when reading, author ages don’t really affect my opinion — I remember when I first heard about Christopher Paolini, I envisioned a 30-ish old dude. Whoops. :S Although I have unlimited admiration for writers who balance uni with writing: like HOW DO YOU DO THIS and TELLLL ME SO I CAN EMULATE. Also, PERFECT Sherlock gif to round up the post 😀
So … are the botanical references a thing now?
YOU'VE GOT TONS OF TIME YOU CAN DO THIS. hehe. Oh gosh, I DON'T KNOW. I think I drafted this post at the same time as that other botanical post, so it just merged together. Soon I'll switch to Brackish Blogglings, JUST YOU WAIT. (Oh, hang on, bracken is still botanical. Blue Blogglings? Blowfish blogglings? Bleary Blogglings? Possibilities of randomness are endless.)
woah exciting! I didn’t realise Steph Bowe was a teen authour, but I quite liked girl saves boy. There was also this other book I read within the same time period about a boy who lives on a farm and has cancer and there’s this girl whose name begins with L and they make friends… never mind. It’s also autralian. I LOVE Kat Zhang and Amy Zhang’s book was pretty good too. I didn’t know NEd Vizzini was a teen authour, and I keep meaning to read IKOAFS (does not acronymise well). I haven’t really heard of that many towards the end of the list. Oh, I got a review copy of Solitaire randomly too. I liked it. This was a very informative post 😀 . I’m still in my teenage years, and I haven’t written a book 🙁 . Also (claim to fame) I know someone whose friend dated Christopher Paolini XD
Is it Zac and Mia?? I know no one begins with an L, but the boy has cancer and lives on a farm and it's Australian. (I LOVE that book, btw.) I quite liked It's Kind of a Funny Story (heh, you're right, it looks funny as an acroynm. XD) but I haven't read his other books yet. GAH. I need more tiiiiiime. I REALLY want to read Solitaire!! It sounds so incredible. OOH. That is a claim to fame. XD
I’m still in my teenage years, and I would love to get a book published while I’m still a teen. But you know what? If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t happen, the world isn’t going to end (even though I do get melodramatic sometimes, and think the world will end if I don’t get published as a teen). I do have that fear that I’ll be embarrassed of my old books if I’m published, but I think EVERY author struggles with that. We will improve, and we will look back on our old writing with embarrassment. I think it’s just part of the job description. There is something to be said, however, for fear of embarrassment vs. not being ready to be published. Anyways, I love reading about teen authors, and I kind of maybe sort of search up their old blogs when they regularly posted about writing and read all the archives because I need to know how they got there. Ahem. I also have another teen author to add to the list. RACHEL COKER! Both her books are wonderful, but Chasing Jupiter is her best book so far in my opinion. It made me laugh and feel like crying all at once, and her writing is gorgeous.
I was pretty dramatic about it…I was SURE my life as an author was OVER when I turned 20. hehe. It took me a while to recover, but I'm ooookay with it now. I feel like I get better the more I write, so the longer it takes me to get published, the better I'll write?? HOPEFULLY. And yes, I totally don't want to be embarrassed of my old books. That would be horrifying. OH YES! Rachel Coker is fabulous! I loved Chasing Jupiter a lot of a lot.
Wow! That’s amazing. All I wrote as a teenager were English papers and Facebook statuses 🙂
I found that Mary Shelley was 19 when she wrote Frankenstein. Though it wasnt published yet Jane Austen wrote Sense & Sensibility at 19. The Outsiders was published when S.E. Hinton was only 15!!
I didn't know Jane Austen was only 19!! WOW. And really SE Hinton was only 15?! I always thought she was 18, that is just INCREDIBLE.
These are seriously amazing, Cait! I never heard of any of these authors, though the titles of some books are familiar.
I of course am familiar and love Rachel Coker’s novels – “Interrupted: A Life Beyond Words” and “Chasing Jupiter” which she wrote and published with Zondervan respctivally at 14 and 16/17. I especially love “Chasing Jupiter”!
Also Jennifer Freitag wrote and published “The Shadow Things” with Ambassador International at 19, and her sister Abigail Hartman wrote and published “The Soldier’s Cross” with Ambassador International at 14. . . such young ages, yet so much talent!
I BELIEVE YOU ARE AMAZING TO HAVE WRITTEN BOOKS AND EVEN GOTTEN AN AGENT BY THE TIME YOU WERE NINETEEN!! Just wow, that is a huge accomplishment. I am 19 years old right now, and I did get a short-story published an anthology with other teen writers when I was shortlisted in a local library council competition when I was 16 – that was really amazing and fun, though you really can’t buy that anthology except at the local library – but still, it was the boost to my writing that I needed. I have written an unfinished historical novel (2nd draft) with a word count of 90,000 words. . . but I put that aside after some 5 years working on it, and decided to expand my short-story into a novel. . . I have been working on that on and off since 2012. I seriously haven’t gone far at all with it, with my senior highschool. . . 😛
I now just wish to make more with my life. . . not waste it on you know trivial little moments of my life.
I think definitely a writer can write well young and be really exceptional for their age. I also believe that on rare occasions they can be as good, if not better, to an average adult author – I can only imagine how amazing they’ll be when they grow up! However, I do believe that life experience adds so much to the maturity and depth of a work – it is hard to talk and write about life, if you’ve only lived it a few years. That’s probably where I think there is a thing about how successful you can be as a young published author. BUT THAT SHOULD NOT STOP YOU FROM TRYING AND LEARNING and aiming high!!! 😀 <3
Rachel Coker is AWESOME. I wasn't such a fan of Interrupted, but I adored Chasing Jupiter so so much. That book totally made me laugh and cry. XDOMG JOY YOU MAKE ME SMILE. THANK YOU. THAT IS KIND OF JUST SERIOUSLY REALLY ENCOURAGING. XD Ohh a short story! THAT IS SO COOL!!! *flails for you* Highschool + writing is really seriously hard. I think I finished 2 books during highschool, but they were kind of short and not very….good. >_<But hey, it's important to be doing things that make us happy and bring good memories, too right?! I'm not regretful of holing up behind my computer for most of my life, but it IS nice to throw it all and just do weird/random stuff with my family too. *nods*
I can’t say that age matter that much to me, I will love a good story either way. I do prefer reading a book NOT knowing, just to avoid that “this was really good/bad” for his/her age. Because of course, if I read a book and love it, I will be amazed if they only are like 16. That is pure amazeballs.
Ned Vizzini is a writer I started being curious about last year. But when i learned he committed sucicide it just broke my heart and I wasn’t able to read It’s kind of a funny story. But sometime in the future I will give it a try.
OH. I totally understand! I usually do know before hand, buuut, sometimes it does make me think the book needs to be super-awesome-epic. (Although, alternately, sometimes it makes me suspicious of the book before I start too. *sigh*) I had no idea Ned Vizzini died until after I finished reading It's Kind of a Funny Story. It made me really sad, because that book was so incredible. He totally write depression so so well…so it made sense that it was his struggle too. But GAH. It's so sad.
I’m only fifteen, so I guess I still have a chance, right? XD But seriously, it’s really cool that they were able to get published at such a young age. I actually know a girl who got published at twelve-ish, but she self-published, so I guess that’s a bit different. I generally don’t care how old an author is as long as they’re good writers.
One more thing, are Kat Zhang and Amy Zhang related?
YOU DO! GET CRACKING! hehe. Ooh, I don't like to enter the debate of self vs traditional…it gets sticky. >_< Buuut, I kind of feel traditional is a different pot of fish. You have to be approved by SO many people, instead of with self being you just have to work hard/be confident in it.I'm pretty sure the Zhangs aren't related at all.
I never pay attention to author age. So long as the story is good, I just don’t care (although 50% of the reason I picked up Halo by Alexandra Adornetto was that she was a teen author. The other 50% was that the second book was called Hades – blame PJO. I DNFed Halo though, so I never actually made it to Hades…).
I am actually 17 – so teenage years, wahey! I spend a lot of time revising (uh!) and try and spend every other spare minute writing. I really want to be a teen author, but I doubt I will be because I’m STILL rewriting my WIP and then I need to edit the rewrite and query and…okay, I’m going to stop now. You know how it goes. (Side note: YOU GOT AN AGENT AT 19?! THAT IS AMAZING!)
THAT IS SADNESS. I wanted to read Halo but I went on Goodreads and the reviews were abysmal, so I skipped for now. 0_0 I mean, I might try it one day, but life is too short for soggy books. You've got 3 years to go. YAY. GET WRITING. hehe. 😉
A great teen author is Rachel Coker. I think she wrote her first book when she was 14 or 15. And had it published at like.16. She also wrote another book and she’s writing a new one. Her books are so good and inspiring( though they are small). She has a great blog you should check it out.
I love to read books by teen authors because I know I am supporting them.
I LOVE Chasing Jupiter!! It's an incredible book and now I feel so silly for forgetting her on this list. XD MY BAD. I used to read her blog, but I haven't been by for a while now.
This post is for me since I was one of those who could not name any teenage authors at your quiz last week 😛
Anyway, this is very informative post, thanks for sharing this, I learnt a lot 🙂
And to answer your questions. No, I did not write a book as teenager and I do not plan to ever write one. I do not have “cells” for being a writer 🙂 And I do not care about age of author at all. I never pay attention to such stuff, it is content that is important to me. However, I do admire teenage authors, knowing that they accomplished so much so early in their lives.
HA. SORRY, LUCIA. XD I'm not calling you out! A ton of people weren't sure and made me realise I'm actually quite a sticky-beak into author's personal lives. lolContent is important to me too. I mean, I read a lot of books purely for the reason I know they're by teens…but at the end of the day, I rate/review on enjoyment. *shrugs*
I know of two other teen authors. But I had to Google their names.
Okay so one is named Luke Herzog who wrote Dragon Valley. I actually haven’t read his book (oops) but he went to the same preschool as me and visited my school three years ago.
The second one is Flavia Bujor, who write The Prophecy of the Stones, which I have read. She sold it at age thirteen. >_>
I am actually just thirteen so I don’t have any speculations about being a teenager. So far, in my five months of being a teen, I have written a novel, read tons of books, and gone self-hosted on my blog! I really want to be a published teen author, but we’ll see what happens.
Ohh, that is COOL I mean, if you kind of sort of know an author like that! XD Claim to fame?! WOAH. 13?! THAT IS INSANELY YOUNG. Dude. You are on fire already. When I started reading your blog, I thought you were at least 16 or older. 😉 Talented? YES YOU ARE, OKAY?!!
Such a fantastic post, and most of these I’ve not read anything by, WHAT ON EARTH?! I shall be checking out some of these youthful, talented authors pretty soon, so heartbreaking that they’ve achieved so much in life and I’m here eating sandwiches with a cold, wondering what to eat for tea you know? Not on a level with the awesome in this post.. STILL, fantastic Cait, you could be one of these one day, not a teen author, but an author, YES!<3
You and me both, my friend. Although, you know, I do write, but lately I've been about as authorly as a piece of pasta. SO THERE'S THAT. Hmm.
It’s disgusting, it’s terrible! xD
To be honest, I would count you as a disgustingly talented teen author, too. I have much jealousy towards your prolific writing-ness and your plot-shaping. (You should do a post on how you plot, or something, as it’s something I’m worried I’m not doing well at the mo’.)
I follow Lucy Saxon’s vlog (her being a British teen and all), and I think I remember her saying she did dye her hair to match the cover release.
Lost half of my comment…? Silly phone posting.
OHh, that is cool that she DID dye it for the cover. XD Ha. I was watching some of her vlogs and she's quite awesome, although, I wasn't a wild fan of her book. But it wasn't really my style of book, I think, so nothing on her.AFJDKLSAFSD THANK YOU, ALEX, YOU JUST MADE MY DAY. Although I really do suck at plotting. Seriously, it's the pits. I call myself a plotter, but I really am a panster. I have no idea how to do anything. I just DO it. Which is why The Dead Boy and the Paper Cut is semi-rotting in a draw right now. lol But it would make an interesting post,s o I shall try!!
This is a great post–I didn’t realize that all these authors were teens when their books were written/published. I wanted desperately to be a published teen author, but things didn’t go that way. I would say, though, that it’s impressive even for 20-25-year-olds to be published. It blows my mind that Veronica Roth wrote Divergent while she was still in college.
That said, I think we place too much distinction on the success of young people, to the point that many of us feel less accomplished for not being able to publish a book during our teenage years. I read this point with half astonishment and half regret–seeing that others were able to do things like this makes me feel bad that I wasn’t able to, too. This doesn’t just apply to teen authors, though. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to do everything quickly, like finishing school early. I took college classes while still in high school, so now I’m a year into graduate school and only 21. Some people see that as successful, but I honestly think I would have been better off to wait. Not because I wasn’t capable of doing it all early, but because I needed more time to be a kid.
DUDE. YES. All of this, JUST YES. I felt a lot of “gee I really failed didn't I?” while I wrote this post…because it was a huge dream of mine to be a teen author. Like a HUGE dream. But, at the end of it, I just reminded myself of all the huge reasons why I'm glad I didn't, mainly: I wasn't ready to be published at 16. Sometimes I dont think i'm ready at 21!! (But, pfft, I kinda really am. XD) I think it's about everyone's personal journeys, for sure. *nods* And I think this group of authors are all AMAZING, but there is a lot to be said for maturity and practising. I'm pretty glad 16-year-old-me's-version-of-my-book never got seen by the public. I would die of same. >_<
Well…I’m still in my teenage years…and I’m doing a lot of school. 😛 and some writing. I wrote a novella, two actually. The first got published in a collection of other Cinderella-themed novellas. I’m editing the second novella to self-publish it this summer. THOSE TEENAGE AUTHORS ARE SO COOL! The one who got a seven-book series…woah….every author’s dream…
Anyhoo, um, I don’t think the age of the author really bothers me. Though I might be more interested in a book if a teen author wrote it…and if it had good reviews.
That’s so cool you have an agent!!!! Hehehe, I hope to one day buy a book that says “by Cait Drews” on the cover.
I WANT TO HOLD A BOOK THAT SAYS BY CAIT DREWS ON THE COVER. *hyperventilates* Aaanyway. xD YOU ARE AMAZING!!! You are totally a published teen author, so, just, gah. I'm just going to throw cake at you and dance in a circle of triumph on your behalf. 😉
I knew a bunch of these authors were teens when they wrote their books, but a few surprised me — like Samantha Shannon! Totally was not aware she was only 19. Anyway, this list kinda depressed me. From the time I was 9 I knew I wanted to be a writer and decided I’d publish a novel before I graduated from high school. Well, that totally didn’t happen — although I did end up writing three full novels and sizable chunks of about twelve more. And I don’t care about an author’s age. As long as their book is good and their writing is, too, I’m totally cool with it. Another teen author I know about is Nancy Yi Fan, who wrote her book Swordbird when she was 12, and was published by Harper Collins (I think) a few years later. She wrote a trilogy, which I read and thought were quick reads but not very impressive. This was an awesome post, Cait! Now I’m really interested to read these books by these young, talented writers! (That I haven’t read already.) 😀
*whispers* It kind of did depress me too, buuuut, then I reminded myself of all the ways I'm actually a better writer now. And hey, I might not get published till I'm 32, but I should be a REALLY good author by then if I keep practising right?! #postivityFTW(But I totally sulked about my failure to be a published teen author, btw, haha. XD)OHHH, I hadn't heard of Nancy Yi Fan before! And at 12?! UM. OKAY THAT IS INSANELY AMAZING.
I’ve heard of some of these people, but not all. I’ll need to check them out.
And I had no idea that Eragon was written by a 15 year old…I didn’t like it all that much, but still…wow. And me not liking it had nothing to do with the writing itself.
*whispers* Well, I didn't even finish it! XD But I do actually want to reread Eragon because I'm actually interested in fantasy now, whereas when I tried to read it, I wasn't. XD
The only thought in my mind right now: HOW? I mean, how? (I am a terrible writer.)
I KNOW RIGHT?! HOOOOW DID THEY DO IT. I'm sure there's a particular potion they make from unicorn tears and elf hair and drink under a full moon. <– legit
Ugh, I’m closer to 30 than 20 and this is just so depressing. What have I been doing with my life?! Mad props for these people, in my teen years I was certainly not writing, except for my creative writing classes. That’s when I realized I enjoyed writing and was somewhat decent at it. And then college came and I only wrote creatively for my, again, creative writing courses, and the rest was rhetoric and literary analysis. Then I graduated and got a role doing business communications, only writing corporate speak for the masses. Now I am getting back into writing stories again, and it feels good, but I just feel so far behind! Especially with a list like this. Grumble grumble… 😀
THEY PUT US TO SHAME, RIGHT?!! Although to be honest, I did feel kind of ridiculous while I wrote this list… just because I hadn't achieved what they have. But we're all different right?! And I'd much rather be published later, with more experience. So that's ME. But…hehe, they're all still insanely talented. 😉
Wow! Thanks for sharing this!! It’s so impressive to learn of their achievements at such young age! My teen years were spent watching tv lol. Ya….. Lindsay Cummings surprised me! I didn’t know she was so young when she sold The Murder Complex. It kind of gives me a new perspective on the book and makes me want to try it more 😀 I don’t care about the age of the author as long as the story interests me~~
I NEED to read The Murder Complex!!! It's really high on my need-to-read-or-pass-out list. *nods*
Holy cow! I never knew Kody Keplinger was so young when she released The DUFF, It was one of the first few YA contemporary’s that I read, and I adored it!
Happy Reading <3
The Duff is just AMAZING and is still my favourite book of hers. xD
I didn’t write much during my teen years. All I can recall is a cringe-worthy short story that I wrote for Grade 8 English. I thought it was pretty awesome… but it really wasn’t, now that I look back on it with adult eyes. I even view the writing from my early 20s with a certain amount of eye-rolling.
I think I’m probably biased against teen authors, whether that’s fair or not. I’m afraid that publishers will often publish teens because they’re teens… and not necessarily because the book is all that great. It’s a great marketing hook, for sure… but I’ve read an awful lot of really negative reviews of some teen-written books.
I can’t help but wonder if some of these young writers are going to regret publishing so early. Like, if they had just waited a few more years and written the book with a bit more life experience and skill under their belts, the final product might have been a lot better. I recall reading a book a couple of years ago that I quite liked. Apparently, the author had first written it when she was sixteen… but had waited to publish until years later (presumably with a lot more editing in the intervening years). I have no problem with that. But authors who are rushed to print just so the publisher can take advantage of their age? I don’t like that. There may be genuinely good teen writers out there… but how do you sort them out from the ones who are just being used by the publisher as a marketing gimmick?
Sorry if this sounds… negative. This kind of thing just gets my goat. I think a book should be published because it’s good, not just because it looks impressive for a teen to have written a novel.
John Scalzi has written a couple of interesting pieces that sort of tie into this topic. They’re worth a read:
10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing
On Teens, and the Fact Their Writing Sucks (it’s actually less insulting than it sounds)
Oh, I do see where you're coming from. And it's okay! Not too negative. 😉 I've considered all this before, too, and while I absolutely DIVE for books by teen authors…I actually don't usually like them as much. Like I adore Steph Bowe and Kody Keplinger on this list, but I actually didn't really like Samantha Shannon or Kat Zhang or Christopher Paoloni's books. *shrugs* Sometimes it's taste. Sometimes it's writing style. I think publishers CAN go for the “oh it's a teen this will sell better” gimmick…but I don't think that it's always the case. I know a lot of these writers conceal their age until they're signed, just for that reason.
So talent. Much jealous. What have I done in my teen years? Uhhh…well today I made cake…
Close enough?
YOU MADE A CAKE? CAN WE BE BEST FRIENDS AND CAN I COME OVER TO YOUR HOUSE, LIKE, NOW?
Most of the time I am not aware of the author their age and it doesn’t really feature into my descision whether to read a book or not. I am actually surprised to learn how young these authors where when they sold their book. Although I did used to write during my teens, I just never got my shit together and did something with it. I know much more about the publishing industry now compared to then. I knew I liked to write so I did, but I had no clue what came next so I just stayed with writing. I kinda wonder what these authors do when they are not writing and how they balance school, writing and other hobbies.
I cannot imagine balancing something as complex and exhausting as uni AND publishing a book. Gosh. I find writing stressful enough and I'm not balancing study to that high degree. *collapses just thinking about it*
Yes, yes, and yes! I love know about teen authors, because it tells me if talent is really all about practice, or your born with it. Maybe a little of both. And yes, I DID write a book as a teenager. But too lazy to do anything with them!
I feel like there's a combo of talent and hard work involved in writing…which is WONDROUS NEWS. XD
I’m always wary of teen writers, but some of these books look good. 🙂
I'm usually excited about them! Although I don't always love their books. 😉 *whispers* I still have to finish Eragon…hha.
I used to be super excited about them. 😀 And then I liked other things. But I still respect the work these guys had to do in order to be published! It’s quite a feat. 🙂 lol me too.
WHAT AM I EVEN DOING WITH MY LIFE AAAAH.
I mean. I’m very happy all of these people are so accomplished. Really. I actually only knew Christopher Paolini out of these, and I’ve heard of Falling Into Place, but I haven’t read it. Okay, that’s enough commenting; I’m off to write a book now. Well, maybe another episode of Gilmore Girls first, but AFTER THAT I’m going to write a book. If I’m not too tired. We’ll see.
CLEARLY WE HAVE FAILED, EH? WE ARE JUST TOO INTERESTED IN CAKE AND READING BOOKS, YOU AND I, WE SUCKERS. heehe. I kid, I kid. I have no regrets for loving cake.
I never think about the person’s age – most of the time I don’t even pay attention to the name/gender. I haven’t actually heard of a lot of these books, but knowing they’re all written by teens makes me want to read them! To be writing well enough to get published so young is definitely pretty amazing.
It IS pretty darn amazing. And they've got like a whole publishing house backing them too, so the talent and belief in their skills is HUGE and that's just exciting. xD
What did I do with my teen years? I…honestly have no idea because it was so damned long ago. Do you think I can blame my lack of having published a book as a teenager on the fact that we only had one computer for most of that time? And that it’s hard to write a book when your little brother wants to use the computer to play Civilization 2? Yeah. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.
Dude, YES. Stick to it. I remember typing up my books at 12 on the family computer. Fond times. (Not.) Although, to be fair, my “books” were like 30 pages long. -_-
OH MY GOSH. So many talented authors right here. I can’t imagine what it would be like publishing a book while you’re still balancing high school / college life. It boggles my mind.
I read Amy Zhang’s Falling into Place and Lindsay Cummings’ The Murder Complex, and really enjoyed them both. They both are fabulous writers, and if they write books this awesome at only 16 and 17, then who knows how good they’ll be when they get more experience!
And I’ve heard nothing but good things about Eragon and The Bone Season – definitely going to have to check those two out sometime. And haha – funny story about Extraction… 😉
Thanks for sharing these wonderful authors Cait! ♥
IT BOGGLES MY MIND TOO. I didn't write a ton when I was in highschool so I can't even imagine doing it while tackling college. HATS OFF TO THESE MULTI-TASKING AUTHORS! hehe. I really want to read The Murder Complex and zomg, I didn't know you liked it, so that makes me SUPER keen for it. xD (I wasn't such a fan of The Bone Season, but I might have been in a weird mood reading it?! I was just too confused. >_<)
So if I want to make it on your list, that means I have to publish a book within the next ten months.
Yeah.
No.
These individuals are truly truly talented and I really respect them. I think it’s crazy how some of them balanced their first year of college AND publishing a book. I mean, I kinda almost died this first year of college, and barely READ (let alone WROTE) anything. They are superhuman, perhaps?
I don’t really care about an author’s age. If they write eloquently, engagingly, and interestingly, I will read them – if not, I won’t. No other criteria for me! But if I note that my current read is by a teen author, I’ll make a complimentaly little eyebrow raise in their honor.
Kat Zhang really impressed me with the fact that she only queried for two months. WHAT EVEN
And during senior year of highschool? See – superhuman, I tell you.
AW COME ON. 10 MONTHS. YOU CAN DO IT. hehe. XD I'm pretty sure they are superhuman. Or else just have an unnatural amount of talent, which is totally unfair. Talent should be shared. I want some. *stomps foot*
*cough* Umm… Well… *raises hand slowly*
Take off the “Disgustingly Talented” part, and I qualify. 😛
OH REALLY?!!! THAT IS SO COOL!! I AM IN THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER DISGUSTINGLY TALENTED TEEN AUTHOR!! *flails*
I’m fourteen and I’d like to think that I’m a good writer. I know that I have MILES to go, like a lot of people but I do think i can write.
These authors!!! I know some that I don’t particularly like but a lot of them that I do! I mentioned Katherine Ewell in the quiz because I remember reading Dear Killer and really enjoying it!
I’m trying to write a book right now but I’m having weird esteem issues with it so it’s definitely slow going
Oh oh if you're already being awesome now, think about in a few years?! YOU ARE GOING TO RULE US WITH YOUR WILD MAD SKILLS. #justsaying The esteem issues are totally part of writing. DO NOT WORRY. And I'd like to say they pass but, um….*struggles with esteem issues after 5 years of writing* XD HA. But, I shall be here to shower you wtih cake/encouragement/pineapples/normal stuff.
gah this post just makes me realize how much I am NOT doing with my life… Jealousy doesn’t quite cover it…
Jealousy? I HEAR YA. I had a bit of greenness while writing this post. XD
Oh god, all the disgusting talent is making me feel insignificant! 😛 I spent the beginning of my teen years doing a lot of writing, but that soon fizzled out when high school took over and I ended up not reading at all for a few years. I KNOW WHAT THE HELL. I do really want to get back into writing, and I have a cool concept in my head but the process of actually doing it? IT SCARES THE SHIT OUT OF ME. I have never finished a book before. I’ve started so many but I’ve never finished one off…not a good sign heh.
Did you say, no sausage and salad picnic? *sniggers*
Are you sure Alice Oseman is 19? Geez, she looks like she’s only pushing her teen years, she’ll love that in 20 years, that’s if the hard and fast paced life of an author doesn’t age her quicker. Wow, apart from Lucy Saxon, I actually had no idea any of these authors were so young. Incredible. Clearly I’ve made terrible life choices. Are Kat and Amy Zhang related though?
But most importantly, can I take the quiz again?
I know right? She is a tiny adorable looking thing. She's probably found the fountain of youth as well as published a book, darn her. I mean, BLESS HER. I'm pretty sure the Zhangs are not related. It's a common name? Maybe? ARE SALLY GREEN AND JOHN GREEN RELATED? I WANNA KNOW THIS.
NOW THAT I HAVE READ THIS POST… I’m going to dig a hole into the ground and bury myself in there. There is just way too much talent for me to even be sitting here writing this comment.
Anyhow, I’m 15 now and my days consist of reading, blogging, and *trying* to write. Of course, there’s also homework on school days. Shit tons of it, in fact. I’ve never even come CLOSE to finishing a novel, and these authors published their books at almost my age (my age for Steph Bowe…WHAT). These people are crazy!
Also, I think Alexandra Adornetto wrote her book (Halo) when she was a teen. Not too sure about that, though.
I KNOW IT'S JUST A BIT INSANE. I know Christopher Paoloni was homeschooled and I think Steph Bowe did distance education too…so #homeschoolersrock I can't even imagine feeling like writing after slogging through endless homework. 0_0 That's always a creativity killer. LE SIGH. Too much talent for me. I'm 21 and feeling like a pineapple here.
I love this post!! I had no idea there were so many talented teen authors out there! It’s pretty amazing that they had so much talent at such a young age. Now I feel the need to go read all of these books.
I haven't read a fair few of these books yet BUT I WANT TO SO BADLY. (Mostly The Murder Complex. It sounds soooo good.)
Ah, all these crazy amazing people. Teens are rocking it these days, aren’t they? I didn’t know the author of The Murder Complex was a teen! 😀 Ah, life goals.
Hmm…does age matter when you’re a writer? I think yes it does, but in a good way. I mean I think there should be more teen authors published because I think we need to listen to ourselves more. In the same way I like older authors and the age-perspective they bring to the table. But on the actual writing thing? Nah. I couldn’t differentiate between a teen or an oldie goldie for my life if it was about the writing. And I think that’s a very, very brilliant thing.
I feel like it's more common to hear/see teen authors too!! I wonder if this is because we've realised it's possible to achieve a lot young, or if there's more resources available these days with the internet and stuff. EITHER WAY IT'S AWESOME.The age-perspective is ALWAYS interesting. Age doesn't usually bother me, so much as debuts vs. older books by an author. I often find an author's work matures as they go…which is awesomeness.
Wow! I had no idea there were so many teen authors! My heart swells with pride when I see how much they have accomplished and are still accomplishing! Thanks for sharing this Cait. You’ve given me a new perspective on balancing life, college, and writing. 🙂
Oh GOOD LUCK balancing it all!! I cannot even imagine trying to tackle college/homework AND keep the creativity up for writing. xD
The only one of these authors I’ve heard of is Christopher Paolini, although I have heard of the book/movie The Duff before.
In my teenage years (which will be over in august[!!]), I did…..not much. I STARTED plenty of projects, especially writing ones, but finishing them was another story. Ah, well. X)
Age doesn’t really matter to me for authors, especially when I’ve read all or part of the book before finding out their age. Like, “Wow, this is a great book! What’s that you say? The author is 15? AMAZING!!!” Although, I might be a littllllle hesitant if I hear the author is 15 BEFORE I read the book, because, as you alluded to…..the works of our younger years are not always the best. But I’ll probably give it a go, anyway. ^.^
Also, I feel you on that “mortifyingly embarrassed” thing. There was one “book”……Uh, mmmm, nope. Not gonna go there. XD Great post!! 😀
Finishing is super hard!! I have an embarrassing number of unfinished projects. >_< ERGH. Yes. there's always that “one book” we don't want to talk about, right?! I'm really glad I don't have to feel embarrassed about attempting to publish something awful, and that I DID wait until I had something good to query. XD
Every time I hear that someone has done something around my age or younger I feel like a couch potato! I’ve heard of a few of these authors but I’ve only read one book (Eragon because it has dragons!!) I however did not know that a lot of these authors were that YOUNG!! I’m really bad about getting to know the author sometimes, heck sometimes I barely read the summary on the back of the book!! Like you said I don’t really care about the age. As long as its great i’ll read it! I hate that people put restrictions or stereotypes on what type of people should write certain books.
I finished my first book as a teen, but getting it published is on a whole other level. Good for them! I only knew a couple of these authors. Oh and Cait I read ‘The Raven Boys’ and I am absolutely hooked. You’ve ruined me, such an awesome book.
AFDKJLAFD THIS IS THE BEST NEWS OF THE WORLD, SKYE, ISN'T MAGGIE STIEFVATER CRAZY INCREDIBLE?!!! SHE IS MY LITERARY HERO. Also…those books get BETTER. The Dream Thieves is a ride of awesomeness and feels. And omg, Blue Lily?!!! READ IT ASAP.
I’m 13, soooo I have quite a while to go to write a book! I hope to publish a book in my teen years, and I might be a little disappointed if I didn’t, but the ultimate goal for me is to publish a book, not publish a book IN my teens. The age of an author certainly doesn’t matter to me (equal awesomeness is ensued!) (wow, look at me using big words) buuut if I happen to know of a teen author, then OF COURSE I’ve got to read their books. I mean, come on, most teenagers are lucky if they remember to get their dirty socks off the floor, right? (I know I am.) 😀
I think blogging is excellent writing practise, so if you're already being a fabulous blogger you are TOTALLY on the path for publishing. (I reckon, anyway. lol. I only started blogging at 16.) I feel like I tend to go extra-fast for teen authors, just because I think they're awesome. 😉
I absolutely love this post because I’ve been thinking about all the teen authors myself. There is also Maya Van Wagenen who is the author of Popular. I own the book but haven’t read it yet. I believe she was 15 when the book was published and it’s such a bit hit!
http://mayavanwagenen.com/
OH YES!! I forgot about her! Is her book fiction or part memoir?!
Oh my goodness! Who would have thought that all those books are written by teen authors. Unbelievable. And damn all the Zhang, such raw talent they have. lol.
I don’t really care about the age of an author. Honestly, I don’t even know the age of the authors I’m a fan of O.o Is that bad? What I care though is the book and if that book is such a huge hit for me I’ll probably know everything about the author. Haha
Clearly Zhang is the name to have. *innocently changes name to Cait Zhang*
Well. I feel like a life failure. Okay, a quick recap of my teen years: Swimming. End of recap. Well, okay, I mean, I was in high school (swimming, also) from 13-17. I considered myself relatively successful, I did well, and I was always really busy. And then, I went to college at 17, where I also swam. But was otherwise fairly useless. I mean, I hated college, and since I spent my last 3 teen years there, it counts. I also did not know what I wanted to “be” (don’t worry, I still don’t!) so I just took all kinds of random classes that tickled my fancy. I couldn’t have wasted more money if I tried, I’m afraid. So no, I wasn’t authoring books, I was wasting my parents’ money and my own time.
Now at the ripe old age of 32 (TWICE the age of these amazing authors, which makes me want to cry and maybe scream a little) I haven’t even written a full chapter. The good news is, if I DO ever finish a book, instead of the lovely author’s notes that people write to their spouses and stuff, I am going to write an epic note, stuffed full of words inappropriate for your lovely blog, that amounts to “thanks for nothing, you dirty louse”.
Ooookay, now that my rant is done, I want to clap loudly, and nod furiously at you and all these authors. Because WELL DONE!!
Wow! I didn’t know most of these were only teenagers. I knew Alice Oseman was and just to put this out there, her book Solitaire is probably one of my favourites from last year.
This post shows just how awesome teenagers actually are.
#TEENPOWER
Wooooo!
I sooo want to read Solitare. It sounds incredibly PLUS TEEN AUTHORS FOR THE WIN, I SAY.
GOD this is so DEPRESSINGGGGGGGGGGG!!! I mean, was your aim to make us all DEPRESSEDDDDD, Cait?!?!?!
Aw, I couldn’t be moody at youu *huggles* I wanted to be a teen author as well. But when I hit 20, I suddenly started telling myself “It’s quality that matters, not age!” *nods desperately* to hide the fact that it bothered me more than I thought it would. Now, to be honest I’m too stressed with other stuff to care, so I can only be happy for all these authors with such amazing talent. Man, I need to write faster XD
YES IT WAS TOTALLY MY AIM. ahh. Actually I felt kind of miserable afterwards thinking, “Gee, what have I done with my life?” XD But in retrospect I'm okay with it. hehe. I wrote SO MUCH when I was 19, I was literally frantic, and it was a bit of silly stress I was putting on myself. I'd rather be personally ready to be published than meet an age coolness factor. YAY WE ARE NO LONGER STRESSED ABOUT THIS! *hi fives*
Not gonna lie, I’m pretty disgusted by this post, ha ha. But I agree with you, I’m so glad I wasn’t published as a teen (in hindsight at least) because that would have been embarrassing! But to think of all that talent these people had before me… sigh…
WELL. I titled it disgusting! I called it! I DID. XD
Teen authors are awesome and generally explode my mind with their productivity and genius. I don’t favorite authors based on their age, because I don’t believe age/gender/sexuality/anything else should matter when it comes to the story. BUT, their success stories are pretty freaking amazing, considering all the stuff in their life they have to balance (like school, for instance). And a seven book deal?! Wow.
THANK YOU FOR CLEARING UP THE ZHANG CONFUSION THING. I thought they were the same person for so long, then I thought they were related, then I doubted myself about everything. This solves all the problems.
Ned Vizzini wrote “Teen Wolf” episodes?! *mind explodes*
Me too. XD HEHE. I don't like to judge anyone before reading their book, but I guess I do find teen authors especially cool because it was my aim in life for, like, um…6 years?! I didn't quite get there, but I still have infinite respect for teens who balance it all!Ned Vizzini = pure awesome.I MIX UP THE ZHANGS TOO. STILL. EVEN THOUGH I'VE READ BOTH THEIR BOOKS. AGH.
OMFG I’m going to fide away now BECAUSE I always thought the person who wrote Eragon was a lady. What. Ok maybe I was thinking about Deltora Quest (is that even a thing??? DID I JUST MAKE THAT UP???)
Age matters not to me. I’ll read it if I’m interested. I don’t discriminate LOL
What did I do in my teenage years? Waste my life away on the internet. Leave the house way too much. Read, I suppose. Binged on tv shows. You know, quality achievements.
HOW DID YOU THINK CHRISTOPHER WAS A GIRL'S NAME?!! JESS. COME ON. XD lol I forgive you. I used to think Lemony Snicket was his actual name. I cried when I discovered the truth. True quality. Add in, also, eating cake and that lists my achievements also.
Goodness, Cait, this is just depressing. I don’t need to be reminded of my incompetence.
Hats off to Paolini though. Eragon was so complex, and how do you do that after high school? WHAT LIFE IS THIS OF MINE. And I’m so proud of Kat and Amy Zhang. Go you two diverse, young authors, stupefying us all with your skills. I couldn’t last a day of high school without needing ten hours of sleep.
ME TOO. WHY DID I EVEN WRITE THIS POST?! *glares at self* Ahem. ANYWAY. I can't imagine school (or college/uni) plus writing. My brain would die.
I knew Samantha Shannon was very young when she wrote The Bone Season but i didn’t expect she’d be THAT young! LOL And I really love The Bone Season 😉
Right now I’m working on a book that I can hopefully publish before I turn 19 this May. It seems really arbitrary to have the title ‘teen author’ but at the same time it’s a great accomplishment. 😉
SHE IS PRETTY TALENTED. I wasn't a huge fan of The Bone Season, but I really appreciated the world building! WOWAH! It is a cool accomplishment, and I hope you get there!!
I seriously don’t know how these amazing people do it – to write a book and have such insight into characters and writing style to create a full, published novel is astonishing. With Falling Into Place especially I was impressed with the book to begin with, but to then find out it was written by a teenager made it even more astonishing. I guess we expect adults to have more depth and insight into human nature to portray that in their novels, but on the other hand to get a teenage perspective writing about teenagers themselves it does provide a closer perspective. I’m definitely going to check out more of these authors now!
Falling into Place was jut so so incredibly beautiful. I knew she was a teen before hand, but her writing just astounded me. XD
Jeeeeez!I feel a complete idiot!I mean,writing is a huge part of my life but somehow I more likely find myself reading other people works!I seriously have to do something about that!C’mooooon great ideas!Come to meeeeeeeeee!!!!
BTW I’ve loved loved loved your post,as usual,nothing new on this horizon!hahah
Let’s just cry all together!
It's just soooo much easier to read other people's genius. XD HA. Ahem. That's my excuse this year for having written, exactly nothing, and it's already April! >_>*cries with you**offers us both consolatory chocolate*
19 year olds landing a deal for 7 books. Meanwhile, I turn 19 in two weeks, and I’m sitting on the internet while I eat off-brand Mac & Cheese. Incredible.
But I bet you eat Mac & Cheese LIKE A BOSS. And pfft, I turned 21 this year and have done exactly nothing except burn through Leverage and Agent Carter. -_-
WOW! Wow! Speechless. . That gif thoXD
That gif had me busting up laughing. xD
I wanted to be a teen author so bad, but I’m super glad that I didn’t succeed. My writing has changed so much in the last several years, and it’s all been for the better. I don’t think I would have been satisfied with whatever I might have kicked out way back when.
I wanted it so bad tooooo. Gah. But SAME! I would've cringed so bad if I'd tried querying any earlier than I did. I was the one who wasn't ready, too, I NEEDED TIME. hehe I am ready now. *crosses fingers and hopes hard*
WOW. WOW. WOW. I’m 19 now, and just reading this list is making me want to lock myself in my room with a bag of barbecue chips, a gallon of sweet tea, and my laptop and stay in there until I’ve finished my book. Writing is what I’ve always wanted to do, and I always knew it was possible for me to be a teen author (well, it’s probably next to impossible at this point), and it’s just amazing to see how many of my favorite authors (NED VIZINNI, RIP) were teenage authors. GAH it makes me wish I had spend less time after school and after rehearsals (I did theatre in high school) hanging out with friends, and more time writing. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved my time in high school, I just wish some of my NaNoWriMo’s had turned out better.
For those of you still in high school, don’t stress about how to spend your time. Write if you want to write, hang out with your friends if you want to hang out with your friends. DO WHAT YOU WANT. And embrace it.
Okay, I didn’t mean for that to turn into what it did, but I think becoming a teenage author is amazing. But it isn’t for everyone! It wasn’t in the cards for me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a 20-something author. Or a 20-something author. It just means it wasn’t right for me.
And in conclusion, I agree. These writers are disgustingly talented and gahhh why can’t I write like them????
THIS IS LIKE THE BEST COMMENT IN THE WORLD. YOU ARE INCREDIBLE. YESSSS. It's important to enjoy your life too and while gluing ourselves to the computer will probs turn out golden things, it's cool to do other things and embrace other interests too. xD I didn't quite get there for being a teen author but I'm okay with it! I'd rather be ready, personally, than have the “teen author” title. *nods*WE SHALL BE 20-SOMETHING AUTHORS TOGETHER, YES.
This list should come with a disclaimer. Something along the lines of, “This list will make you feel like a complete underachiever”. Just wow! I agree with you that it doesn’t matter what age you are – if it’s a good story, it’s a good story.
I’m reading Paolini at the moment and I am completely jealous of him. To be able to write such a great story is one thing, but to invent an entire world with a history is something else. I struggle to come up with options for lunch sometimes.
I haven’t heard of any of the other authors on this list. With the movie coming out, I know of The Duff, but had no idea who it was written by. It must be such an awesome feeling to have your book turned into a movie AND SHE’S STILL ONLY 19 NOW (according to Goodreads). Yep, I am a complete underachiever in comparison.
I DID!! I called it in the title! I said “disgustingly” haha. XD But yeah, gee, I feel like a massive blob right now. Whatever did I do with my life? -_- Hey, don't underestimate lunch preparations. Those are difficult and life changing.Ah, yeah I don't think Kody Keplinger is 19 anymore. >_< The Duff is her first book and she's written like 4+ since then.
I definitely knew some of these on your list but WOW I did not know Samantha Shannon got published at 19! She is so young, that is so incredible! I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to Steph Bowe in Brisbane last year, she was so inspirational. I loved hearing her speak!
I'm pretty darn envious. HAHA just kidding! I think that's phenomenal and WOAH to her. XD Oh my gosh, meeting Steph Bowe would be like, amazing.
I have written a few, but balked at publishing because EXPENSIVE!!!! I really wish I could, but money! I wouldn’t even mind doing some of the stuff myself, but oh dear I just do not have $3,000 to indie publish or self publish or whatever it’s called. And I do so wish I could. :/ Oh well.
And I had heard of a few of these people actually! 🙂 YAY ME!
Thanks for sharing Cait!
Ergh, yes, to self-publish properly it's insanely expensive. I mean, people do it on the cheap tons, but I think it's better to hire and editor and get your book looking so so perfect before attempting publishing. *nods*
Wow yes, I didn’t realize so many of those were teens except Paolini. I did know about a few of them. Age doesn’t matter to me, and no I don’t know any others because I just don’t pay attention to that lol
I feel like I really really am more likely to pick up a book by a teen author, but not necessarily to love it unbiasedly. As long as the author is telling a good story I DON'T CARE IF THEY'RE A 100-YEAR OLD FISH. XD
Thank you so much for sharing this! It’s super encouraging. I didn’t have time to read all the comments (sorry), so I don’t know if I’m repeating people, but my understanding is that Karen Bao just turned twenty-one within the past month or so. Also, you didn’t list Stefan Bachmann (one of my favorite authors) who got picked up by his agent at 18. His book came out when he was 19. Anyway, this is all massively encouraging, and while I am only 18, I’ve already had some agent interest, so maybe someday I’ll be one of those “younger published writers”. We’ll see. And I agree, age doesn’t define quality. It’s really drive and talent and practice and learning, and that doesn’t come with an age requirement. Thanks again for sharing! Now I have some new books to add to my TBR list. (I’m actually reading DOVE ARISING right now–like, I got it in the mail today, so that was a cool coincidence.)
Omg, I would never expect everyone to read all the comments!! YOU ARE COMPLETELY FINE. xDXD And yes, I did forget Stephan Buchanan. xD Gah! Total mistake. I haven't read his books, but I'd like to. Omg, agent interest?! *flails for you* I really hope you get picked up soon.
I don’t think age matters at all when it comes to talent,but still I deeply admire these authors for starting out so young.Plus I also think that sometimes teenagers can be more open minded and creative than adults,so it’s not actually a great surprise that these authors managed to write books in their teens.
I am 16 right now,and it’s my dream to write and publish a book by the time I am twenty.I just hope,it’ll happen.
I HOPE YOU REACH YOUR DREAM GOAL. I think creativity can come to anyone at any age, but I think teens are especially special because, particularly if they're writing YA, they're like THE TARGET AUDIENCE while they're writing!! And that's just great. xD There's no “now I have to remember what it was like to be a teen” because they're living it and writing it.
So it would appear that nineteen is the magic number when it comes to teen authors. As a nineteen-year-old who’s never published so much as an article in a school newspaper, I can say that I too find these people disgustingly talented 😉 .
Usually, an author’s age doesn’t matter to me, although I must say I usually don’t expect very young authors to be as good as older authors. I suppose that’s a prejudice I need to overcome. 🙂
Yes 19 is that lucky age, right?! And as a 21-year-old who hasn't even gotten anything published in a newspaper…I hear ya. -_- WE SHALL WORK HARD AND SUCCEED SOMEDAY, THOUGH, RIGHT?!
Yes, yes, yes! I have been looking for a post like this, SO THANK YOU!! Wow, so much talent and goodness and amazingness coming from this list. Hell, I barely made it through high school, and these people sold books WHEN THEY WERE TEENS? JUST HOW?
I’ve always wanted to be published young, and still do (and I think 22 is relatively young, yes?) but that’s probably not going to happen if I don’t finish a book. This just makes me want to work harder. It’s inspiring, and there is just something special about young people publishing books.
I also, um, haven’t read ANY of these books yet. I know, I know. Buuut I did pick up Falling into Place and want to read that very, very soon. So I can see just how talented Amy Zhang is. And also The Bone Season. Wow, a seven book series deal? IMPRESSIVE!
22 Is totally young. I HOPE IT'S YOUNG. HAha, I'm like nearly 22 and still hoping desperately. XD It is so totally inspiring and makes me want to work harder. I prefer to be inspired than depressed by the whole thing anyway. 😉 HA. They're such incredible humans.
I have never read any of these books, but I hope to remedy that soon. Or at least at some point in my lifetime. In any case, they are all going onto the Never-Ending Stories list (AKA my TBR), and hopefully, I will get to them someday.
I’m actually 17 right now, so I guess I’m still doing my teenage years, haha. But I’m trying to get published so hopefully, I’ll be on a list like this sometime soon!
One teenage author I really like is Heather Manning. Her book Swept to Sea is quite good.
Alexa
thessalexa.blogspot.com
let’s not forget Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein as a teenager.
As someone trying to become a teen author (get published before high school graduation!), this post really showed me that Christopher Paolini isn’t the only one out there. That there is more and that it’s not impossible.
Thanks so much for this!
*goes and reads all these books*
This page was really helpful! I’m aspiring to one day write a book, I have a solid idea down but i;m only 16, and don’t know how to get started. Seeing that there was lots of young talented authors out there makes me feel a lot better about all of it.
I believe that I may be in that list someday…
Great list!!! Here are a couple others I know of:
Beckham Lawre,17—Promises Left for Dead
Forest Evergreen,13—the Enderbrine series
Erin Forbes,17—Fire&Ice series
Millie Florence—Honey Butter
Olivia J Bennett—A Cactus in the Valley
Olivia Faye Scott—Wings
Brittany Kristina—Forsaken&Fifty Days
Joy Chappell—Farryn
My original list was for traditionally published authors! but I’m glad you’ve found so many you like!
I’m actually a teen author of two books working on my third before turning 19!
I’m writing a novel now, I’ve planned it for a three book trilogy, I’m 13 and my mum is helping me find an agent. I’m about 26,000 words in, I can’t wait to send a query letter to any agents my mum finds!