Young Writers Society

Hi guys!!!

So I have been looking for publishing companies for a while now, I have spoken with Tate Publishing a few times and I really like everything they have said! On the other hand I found some not so good reviews online that are kinda making me nervous about signing a contract with them! :/
So I was curious, do any of you have an experience with publishing companies that will publish when your under 18? Im 16 right now, and so far the only ones I have been able to find do mostly ebook which I dont really want to deal with! So any ideas? Im trying to stay away from just totally taking the chance of working with one I have never heard of, so I figured if any of you had worked with them then you could give me first hand knowledge of how they work! And that would be AWESOME!!! Thank you so much for your help!!!

Josie

I don't know what your research has found, but here's some quotes from mine:
They are a hybrid company that falls between self publishing and a traditional publisher. They require the author to make a financial contribution between $2000 and $4000 that won't be returned to you unless you sell 1000-5000 copies. My friend recently published through Tate. His book The Night the Moon Ate My Room, launched in sept. He already had a marketing platform, the book is based on his play that he tours. He said Tate is hands on and a stepping stone for him.

They have a dicey reputation at best. Most consider them to be a vanity press (one where the author forks over megabucks for a self-published book). If you want to self-publish, you are better off going through Amazon's program, which has almost no upfront cost.

After doing some further research I had some questions, so I called my rep at Tate; Trey Hudspeth. During the 25 minute call I asked the same questions several times, yet he avoided answering them. After a while it felt like I was talking with a used car salesperson. When I asked the questions again, he said that we weren't getting anywhere in our conversation because I was being "evasive" and "unclear". I, like many other authors, feel that my book would be suitable for national exposure. I asked if one of their authors had ever been on national TV, and if so, could I speak with them? He replied "Yes", and to give him "three days to make that happen."

Also: "you retain all rights" and "get the highest royalties" and "Christian-based."

Ok thank you @OliverWilliams...
I spoke with Tate today on the phone, when Im on the phone with them I like everything I hear but reviews and comments are suggesting otherwise. Does any of you others know of publishing companies that will actually work with minors? Have any of you worked with the amazon publishing?

I came thiiiiis close to putting something out through Amazon, but I hadn't even queried it, so I decided to do that first. It's really simple and straightforward, but make sure your MS is properly formatted. I would say Amazon/CreateSpace is your best way forward, I don't know about age restrictions though. But of course, they can be sidestepped by asking your parents to do it through them?
The only other paid self I know of is AuthorHouse?

I'm fairly sure Amazon/CreateSpace allows publishing by minors with parental or guardian permission, but I'm having a hard time finding anything on their website that says so. If I find anything, I'll definitely edit this post or update this thread with it.

But really? My honest advice at this point is to wait until you turn 18. At that point, you'll have more agents and houses willing to look at your work, considering they won't have to do contract negotiations considering you as a minor, and it's just two years—not a super long time, and who knows? In that time frame you may produce something you want published even more than this manuscript you're working with now.

I know it seems forever, looking from 16 towards 18, but I think it would be in your best interest to wait, and edit, and write more, and read more, and generally get a bit more experience under your belt. And trust me, vanity presses—and self-publishing in general, unless you're really good with marketing—will not do you any favors in 99% of situations. You could be the 1%, but would you put money on those odds?

I would not go with Tate. It looks pretty bad.

I might submit Oliver Twist, after search+replacing all of the names. If they say something like "yeah, you ripped off Dickens, dawg" we'll know they a)read submissions before asking for money, and b)know about literature. IF they say "oh em gee homie, this book is awesome, we're gon' make you bigger than hoolahoops! Can we haz money now plz" we know a)they don't read submissions before asking for money, and b)they know nothing about literature.

Thank you guys for all the replies. Ive decided to definitely not go with Tate, and I actually like @Arkhaion 's idea of just waiting! :/ To me it doesnt seem like too long to wait, and who knows I might come up with something 100x better then anything I have now! Plus then I dont have to deal with all the minor troubles. And I dont want to have to deal with marketing my own book AT ALL!!! so seems like that is the best bet just to wait! Unless of course there is a publishing company out there that will do all the marketing for me... while Im still a minor!