A Teen's Guide to Getting Published: Publishing for Profit, Recognition, and Academic Success

So you look at this book and you think, Hey, that looks like a pretty good book. Maybe I should get that because I want to get published. At least that's what I thought. I got it, I read it, and I liked it. But I wish that instead of buying this, I'd bought a book more tailored to me. The most interesting part was the first, which gave information on how to write what you wanted to publish. The rest was uninteresting and it repeated itself often. Now I know that what I needed was a book for my beginning stages of writing.

I'm a pre-teen writer, and I'm new to the whole publishing buisness. This book helped me out tremendously. I submitted a short story to a magazine before I bought this, and have realized a lot of things I did wrong. Things covered in the book include: how to actully write (but that is only one chapter; if you want a how-to-write book, this isn't for you), preparing a submission, rights and copyright, online publishing, mentors and professonal/peer crtiques, writing clubs or camps (with actual camps listed in the back),school publications, book publishing, self publishing, markets, contests, and additional resouces. It gave me a lot of information and was easy to understand. If you are looking for a book on how to write or are familair with publishing, this book isn't what you need, though. On the other hand, if you are looking for a nice informative, well written, easy to understand book that is a nice introduction to publishing, I would highly recommend this book.

Now in an updated second edition, A Teen's Guide To Getting Published: Publishing For Profit, Recognition, And Academic Success is a "user-friendly" introduction to the business end of the writing world written especially for young adults. Written by two successful former teen authors, A Teen's Guide To Getting Published covers the writing skill, freelance publishing, rights and copyright information, common mistakes, scams, and risks (of particular note is the warning against distributing one's address, phone numbers, or other sensitive contact information - such things can lead to harassment by stalkers and worse), the basics of writing camps and workshops, and much more. Written in a friendly, down-to-earth tone, A Teen's Guide To Getting Published is recommended to anyone getting started in selling their writing regardless of individual age.

As far as I know, this is the only book on publishing written by teens for teens. As we adults know all too well, teenagers listen better to their peers than to us. If your teenager wants to be a writer, by all means, get this book. The Dunn sisters (who were 15 years old when they wrote this) draw on their own experiences to present a clear, no nonsense explanation of how the publishing process works. They explain the do's and don'ts of getting into print, and the pitfalls to avoid when dealing with editors. Readers of all ages will learn the usual things about cover letters, the all-important SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope), some basic terminology that editors use, etc. Plus, the Dunns give excellent tips on using professionalism (no cutsy stationery or fancy fonts, don't dot your i's with little hearts -- just use plain old-fashioned standard type styles, and never address the editor by his or her first name!) These are the pitfalls that so many teens fall into, thinking that custy "individuality" and a "chummy" first-name basis will sell their work, when, in fact, it just makes them look amateurish and gets their work rejected.Speaking of rejection, the Dunns cover self-esteem issues, too, pointing out that even long-established professionals get piles of rejection slips, and this should not be taken personally. O how right they are! My first book, "Beyond the Ashes," took five years to get into print --- I could have papered the walls with my rejection slips. But once I found the right publisher, it was a "go" all the way, and the book has been in print continously for a decade. So, as the authors of this book so rightly point out -- BE PATIENT and don't beat yourself up if your work gets rejected by an editor. These knowledgeable authors also warn new writers about various publishing scams, such as poetry "contests" that are really just ways to sell you an overpriced anthology, or contests which charge entry fees that kids can't really afford and have little chance of winning anyway. The Dunns recommend starting with your school publications and/or reputable children's magazines, and they list the ones that they've had success with. You may not get paid much (or anything in some cases) by these pubs, but you will build up a portfolio of successes that can lead to professional writing jobs later. (Most writers start this way. As Richard Bach once said, "A professional writer is an amateur who never gave up.")My only complaint about this book is that it's a bit thin for the price. I realize they did it through a small press that probably doesn't have the capital of a large press, and short-run books are always costlier to produce. Still, I hope they will consider expanding the book when they do a new edition. As it is, the information itself is priceless.

A Teen's Guide to Getting Published is far and away the best guide to help anyone get published! Anyone can try to write a book, but the Dunns truly know what they are talking about. The book is an incredible resource in discovering the exact process through which one must go to actually get published. The Dunns provide the key information that will get most books published. One of the most helpful things in the book is a step-by-step guide to getting started. The Dunns provide excellent help in how to write those first letters that can make or break a book's chances of getting published. This guide on how to get published also discusses the benefits of an author working directly with the editor. The tips given by the Dunns in this book are solid gold! This is an excellent book, and anyone interested in getting published should definitely read it as soon as possible to avoid all of those rejection letters! I wish I would have read it five years ago!