Teenage writers script success stories

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In the world of publishing, teenagers have come of age. The number of teen writers telling their own stories is a testimony of it. Many 15- to 16-year-olds are turning writers and not just penning down their stories but these stories are also seeing the light of the day as publishing houses are readily opening their doors for the new talent.

Young author Anirudh Vasdev at 19 wrote Ghosts, Ronen Chatterjee at 18 penned Fire Within and Ready to Rock, and Asmita Goyanka at 15 had her first book, The Mystic Temple published.
Senior commissioning editor, Penguin, Sohini Mishra, agrees that this is an emerging trend. Penguin recently published a book On The Top of The World by Arjun Vijapai from Delhi. “There is definitely an increase in number of teenage authors. Till five years back a teenage writer was a rarity but now there are at least 25 such writers who have books in their names,” says Sohini.
When Tishaa Khosla wrote her first book Pink and Black it took her two years to find a publisher. “I had a hard time finding a publisher. Everyone was sceptical about how readers will take teenage-fiction by a first-time writer,” she says. But Tishaa was not just appreciated for her creative skills but is right now busy penning the third book of the Pink and Black series.
“We are paid as per sales of our books. My first book recorded a good sale. But if the book is lost and forgotten too soon then there is hardly any money. However, as a writer, the real satisfaction is seeing your work in print,” says Tishaa.
Vani Shriya, who got her collection of 32 poems, A Wish, published this year says that she was a closet poet for a long time and used to cringe at the thought of someone reading her poems. “My poetry was my way of expressing my personal emotions and experiences. Since not many teens have been published, I was a bit intimidated by idea of getting these poems published. But when the publishers showed confidence in my writing, I decided to go ahead with it,” says Vani.
Age is no bar for Anshuman Mohan, who was just 15-year-old when HarperCollin published his book, Potato Chips. The book was about his school life that many students could easily connect with. He says that he still feels proud when people call him one of the country’s youngest writers. “But that is not important for me. For me, being an author comes first and my quest for writing has just begun,” says Mohan.
These light reads are gaining popularity among the reader, and if not a teenager, who else could be the right person to tell their own stories, says Saugata Mukherjee, publisher, Pan Macmillan.
“Teen writers were not seen as a safe bet till recently. But the publishing industry is growing and is finally tapping the young potential. Their stories are much closer home to the target audience and a teenager telling them as first-hand account becomes the USP of the book,” says Saugata.
A different kind of marketing strategy is needed when it comes to promoting teenage writers, says Sohini. “Online promotion on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks is very important to reach the target readers for this kind of writing. Even schools and bookstores can be an ideal platform to promote these writers,” adds Sohini.