Is it possible to get a book published writen by a child?

[Marne]

My dd is writing a book and has big plans to get it published, i have been going along with it, encouraging her to write etc... (well its keeping her quiet), a few days ago she read me the first chapter and i was suprised how good it was (for a 9 year old).

I dont know much about getting a book published but i know its hard, has it been made any easier now books can be published as ebooks?

Should i just tell her now that theres no chance it will ever get published?

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

Ebook publishing would appear to be quite straightforward, sales might be a different matter.

[BitofSparklingPerry]

You can pretty much self publish anything, I think it is free on kindle, about £25 a book for a physical copy.

[Screaminabdabs]

Let her have a go; but explain how hard it is; JK Rowling and thousands of others failed to get their books published at first. If her first great work fails, she can write another one...There's always a chance. At least as an ebook it would have some kind of readership, however small.

[fuzzpig]

Well done to your DD! :)

I loved writing at that age. Totally obsessed with Famous Five type stuff and wrote my own adventure stories. I was lucky to meet Enid Blyton's daughter at a library event (she lived locally) and she gave me her address so I could send her my book! A little while later I received a 2 page letter full of advice and constructive criticism. :) I wonder if there are any authors your DD admires who might be able to write back? (I'm guessing some might be too busy so perhaps this would be something to research a little first before getting her hopes up).

Wish ebooks had been around when I was a kid as I'm sure I'd have loved it. It's not like she needs to worry about making money from it right now! It is more about confidence boosting perhaps. And I bet you'll be able to persuade loads of kind MNers to read her book if it's on amazon :)

[pleasedtomeetyou]

Hi there,
Was really pleased to see this post! I'm in publishing myself. She's done exactly the right thing in writing the first chapter. When we're scouting for books, we almost always ditch ones that are already completely written. Like it or not, publishers like to have some control over content. With a first chapter, and some chapter summaries, you can approach them. You should also go with an idea of the next book, and hopefully the one after. I know this seems a bit tough for a child's book, but you have to approach it as a business and not an outlet for your child's creativity. Of course, if she shines, that will be the absolute winner!

[Marne]

Thank you everyone, and thank you pleasedtomeetyou, dd1 thinks it will take a while before she's completed the book, she loves reading and is a great fan of Terry Pratchett and is obsessed with J K Rowling and how she first started out. Dd1's book is about fantasy and dragons (she loves magic and dragons), she has asked me to video her reading the first chapter so we can show a few people and see what they think. Dd1 has Aspergers, she does have a good imagination but it may not be everyones cup of tea, it may apeal to others on the autistic spectrum.

[fuzzpig]

I have Aspergers too (although not diagnosed in childhood) :) it's a common and frustrating misconception that people on the autistic spectrum can't be creative!

[SolidGoldFrankensteinandmurgh]

You can certainly use a site like www.lulu.com and get a physical copy of the book printed for really not much money. Good for your DD - I remember writing my first 'book' at around that age and being ever so proud of myself. Illustrated it with crayon drawings as well, but actual publishing never occurred to me.