For Writers Over 30

Right off the bat, let me just say that I applaud every writer that has managed to get an agent and sell their work to a publisher while they are still in their twenties (even their teens in some cases). Seriously, congratulations on figuring out what you want to do while you’re young, and successfully pursuing that goal. I’m sure you worked hard and I honestly wish you every success.

For those of us over the age of thirty–and ten or so years beyond that–who are still trying to hunt that elusive agent who loves our work (which sometimes feels like the high school hunt for that one true love), however, it can sometimes be a little discouraging. We see young authors being snapped up by young agents, and we can get to thinking that perhaps we missed the boat. If we were ten, twenty, thirty years younger, perhaps this would be easier.

This is why I am so grateful that “The Intern” posted this article on her (I presume from the picture) blog last week: Publishers Weekly: The Deals You Don’t See. Many of us don’t care about huge advances–we just want to see our work in print. And while you may not often hear about 30, 40, or 50 somethings getting debut book deals, it still happens. So let’s not be discouraged and continue to work on making our novels the best we can. After all, great novels are really what get agents and publishers interested, not the author’s age.