8 year old just finished a book

madonna123

Hi everyone..

My 8 year old daughter loves to read and write..

Its her passion..

She started writing a book last year and has just finished it and I have to stay its a smashing piece of work.

Very well written and researched. Its a childerns book odviously!!! but its written in amazing language for childern.

I have given it my many people to read and not said it was written by a child and they have loved it.. most are totally shocked when I tell them after its been written by a child.

I have thought over the idea of sending to a publisher.

I wouldnt tell her because of the rejection.. I wouldnt want her to be disheartend by not being published. I love to see her write.

Does have anyone have any advice for me in terms of sending the story to a publisher?

What publishers should I contact and how do I approch them with her story?

pickarooney

Are you absolutely sure that the book has merit regardless of the writer? If so, I would honestly submit it to a publisher without mentioning the author's age to avoid the possibility of her becoming some unwitting freak-show.

madonna123

These are all things I have thought about, and yes the book is good enough. She is a child and she has written a book for a child, its written with good english and researched perfectly.

Its based on a girl who falls into a land in which big giant butterflies rule.

It details the journey in which the girl takes through this butterfly land.. discovering her self and strenghts he didnt realise she had to over come her fear of these giant butterflies and there unreasonable demands.

Kids love stores of adventure and when the little person finds strenght.. and when they are made laugh also.

Would it be advisable to make the publisers aware right away of the writers age???

Also how would I approach a publisher??

pickarooney

Does the book need illustrations throughout or just for the cover? It might be an idea to get some done if images are an important part of the book. If not, just start getting in contact with publishers directly by checking out their websites and seeing what kind of titles they current publish. The age question is really tricky - every writer needs a hook, something that sets them apart, and while her young age is something that would make people sit up and take notice.... see above.

I remember when my brother was a kid I used to read him stories about some anthropomorphic fruit and veg. I can't for the life of me recall the name, but they were cute stories and he loved them. The author was 12 years old and the publishers made a big deal out of this but it honestly neither added to nor detracted from the quality of the books. I imagine it was difficult for the girl to shake off the tag of 'child prodigy who wrote those mr. strawberry books' when she moved onto grown-up fiction.

kmick

Most publishers request a first chapter and a synopsis of the book. Get a real editor to read and tidy up the first chapter and then submit it to the main childrens publishers. Might be worth talking to the people in this article.
http://www.tribune.ie/arts/article/2009/mar/29/beaten-in-to-submission/

iguana

Get a hold of The Writers Handbook or The Writers and Artists Yearbook, 2010 is out now, but if all you can find is an older one that should be ok - you can double check the info online. Libraries should stock it in their reference section.

It includes the details of all agents and publishers in the UK and Ireland. What type of books they deal with and what type of format they want the manuscript in.

You should also "copyright" the book by placing a copy of the manuscript in an envelope sealing it securely and sending it to yourself through registered post.

EileenG

O'Brien publishers will accept submissions from writers without agents.

www.obrien.ie/guidelines.cfm

Send them the best three chapters if the book is long, or the whole thing if it's short, with a covering letter. You don't have to provide illustrations, they'll do that if necessary.

weiming

Am I the only one who was a little "puzzled" by the ambiguity of the thread topic? It does not mention whether this eight year-old finished writing a book (quite a feat) or reading one (kind of 'par for the course', wouldn't you say?).

Second, have you even mentioned the idea of making this work public to the child herself? Great, you don't want to get her hopes up, but suppose you get a definite nod from a publisher and your child is mortified by the idea of her private, special story being trotted out in front of everyone?

Extreme and probably unlikely scenario but I hope you realize you should get the author's explicit permission, daughter or not, child or not.

iguana

weiming wrote: »

Am I the only one who was a little "puzzled" by the ambiguity of the thread topic? It does not mention whether this eight year-old finished writing a book (quite a feat) or reading one (kind of 'par for the course', wouldn't you say?).

No, it's in the creative writing forum so it was quite obvious.

PCPhoto

weiming wrote: »

Am I the only one who was a little "puzzled" by the ambiguity of the thread topic? It does not mention whether this eight year-old finished writing a book (quite a feat) or reading one (kind of 'par for the course', wouldn't you say?).

madonna123 wrote: »

Hi everyone..
My 8 year old daughter loves to read and write..Its her passion..

She started writing a book last year and has just finished it and I have to stay its a smashing piece of work.

think it was mentioned at the start (sorry if my post sounds a bit b1tchy - not intended)

weiming

I was not referring original post, but tho the thread topic. The details explaining the fact that the child has written a book are not seen until the thread is opened and read. That's the ambiguity to which I was referring.

iguana

weiming wrote: »

I was not referring original post, but tho the thread topic. The details explaining the fact that the child has written a book are not seen until the thread is opened and read. That's the ambiguity to which I was referring.

There is no ambiguity. This is the creative writing forum it quite obviously referred to a child having written a book. If it was the parenting forum or after hours I could see your point but in this forum it seems like you are trying to undermine the OP for some reason.

Sarky

If the bitchiness continues, there'll be no free exchange of ideas and opinions for anyone.

weiming

Ugh. I don't even know why I'm arguing this. The title is by definition ambiguous, as it can have two meanings. Your assumption that it means one thing or another does not change this. The thread starter could just as easily be coming to a writing board to ask what the child should read next, or to ask advice on nurturing early interest in reading.

Something else which is rather unclear, what exactly do you mean by "undermine"? Since I　would have to be undermining (or trying to destroy) something such as the OP's authority, credibility, stance, efforts in a certain direction etc. How does pointing out the vagueness of the thread title attempt to "undermine" anything?

I really don't like getting off topic esp. in someone else's thread, but I guess I like groundless accusations even less.

claire h

As a general guideline, it's really, really difficult for family members to judge whether something is worth publishing or not. Even if they're professionals in the bookselling/publishing world, it's difficult. Similarly it's not uncommon for friends/relatives to tell someone that something's really good whether or not they really believe it is - I'm not saying that that's what's happened in this case, but it's worth keeping in mind that most people aren't great at giving constructive criticism and that the important opinions are the ones from publishers or agents. (As others have said, Writer's Handbook 2010 is the way to go on that front!)

Secondly - you're worried about her being upset about rejection, but it is her work and she has the right to choose what happens to it. As someone's mentioned, she might not like the idea of not having control over who reads her work. Also keep in mind that it's very, very, very unusual for a book of any kind not to have to undergo some revisions after it's been accepted - do you think she'd be able for that, or would you feel it might upset her or be something that she'd get bored with?

One possibility is that you take on the role of co-author, so that you'd be handling a lot of the editing/revising/business side of things. Legally you'll certainly need to be involved - you'll need to sign contracts on her behalf etc. It really is worth considering whether taking action on her behalf is really the way to go - writing a book is one thing, but publishing it is another, and while someone may be at the stage where they're capable of writing something well, they may not be at the stage where they're capable of dealing with the business side of things regardless of how wonderful the book is.

iguana

weiming wrote: »

Since I　would have to be undermining (or trying to destroy) something such as the OP's authority, credibility, stance, efforts in a certain direction etc. How does pointing out the vagueness of the thread title attempt to "undermine" anything?

Because you are nitpicking needlessly accusing her of being vague when she wasn't. It's the creative writing forum, "finished a book" can only mean written.

If I go on the animal/pet thread and start a thread titled "My boy is off his food." I would obviously not be talking about my son. However if I started a thread of the same name in parenting forum I am obviously not talking about my dog. It's about context.

Sarky

Sarky wrote: »

If the bitchiness continues, there'll be no free exchange of ideas and opinions for anyone.

Infractions issued. Next time I'll ban people.

weiming

claire h has added dimension and depth to what I was essentially trying to say. More than just "More people should read my daughters work" (you could circulate it yourself to friends and family, or *cough* post it on a website somewhere *cough*). Publishing the book is a lengthy legal procedure which may or may not benefit the child in the way the OP has in mind.

madonna123

weiming wrote: »

Am I the only one who was a little "puzzled" by the ambiguity of the thread topic? It does not mention whether this eight year-old finished writing a book (quite a feat) or reading one (kind of 'par for the course', wouldn't you say?).

Second, have you even mentioned the idea of making this work public to the child herself? Great, you don't want to get her hopes up, but suppose you get a definite nod from a publisher and your child is mortified by the idea of her private, special story being trotted out in front of everyone?

Extreme and probably unlikely scenario but I hope you realize you should get the author's explicit permission, daughter or not, child or not.

Are you ok???

I am quite shocked by the anger and sarcastic tone of your comment.

Odviously she wrote the book.. I didnt realise the title '8 year old just finished a book', was such a cryptic message.. when I actually explained she had written it.

AnCatDubh

OK, can we let the argument lie, please. Warnings have already been given and the matter closed.

The discussion either moves on or the thread will not remain open to allow people hop off each other subsequent to previous moderator direction.

Thank you.

weiming

madonna123: I'm quite fine, although slightly sauced at the moment, thanks for asking.

Now being fully aware of the tendency of written text to rob language of much of its ability to express critical nuances in tone and subtleties, let me restate my original viewpoint once more for your consideration (and then I won't do it anymore because I've already been vilified and threatened with banishment):

The instinctive desire to put a child's talents on display is understandable. I myself agree that full play should be given to a child's exceptional talents.

At the same time...

I feel fair and careful consideration should be given to the full impact of the full reality of displaying the child's ability, and how the child may view, or be affected by this display.

To put it as succinctly as I am able: Talent at an early age is wonderful. The way the world handles talent at an early age can be (in worst case scenarios) devastating, and I think you should give long consideration to this.

For further insight see movie "My Kid Could Paint That". No really, at least read the review.

Seriously.

Check it out.

Cheers.

looksee

By trying to get it published you would be turning what has been a joy and pleasure and source of great satisfaction to your child into a commercial hassle. Just enjoy it, let her enjoy it and keep it safely as a memento of her childhood.

smcelhinney

Agreed with looksee.

You may be unwittingly sending your child down a path which she will later resent you for. Did she write it with the intention of selling it on? Does she even want to be a writer?