Do you know of any publishing companies that will publish a fifteen year old's work?

I have no money to work with but I have a great work in progress. I'll be completely finished with it by late July, but finacially, I'm jammed.Do you know of any publishing companies that will publish a fifteen year old's work?
1. You should NEVER pay any money to have your work published. That is vanity publishing and it is not legitimate. No book store not owned by a family member will ever carry your vanity press book.



2. Publishing companies will publish absolutely any book they think people will buy, no matter how old the author. People younger than 15 have published best selling books. They were usually famous or terminally ill, but it has happened. There is no minimum age for getting a book published.



3. I am sure you do have a great work in progress, but your chances of becoming a rich and famous writer are statistically next to zero--and if you are trying to be a "serious" writer than they are much, much smaller than that. When I was 15 every English teacher in my high school would have agreed I was the best writer in the school--and that's in spite of the fact that several of them held personal animosity against me for my various metaphorical thumbs to the eyes of authority. 20 years later, I have published a good bit. But I am far more obscure than the fifth outfielder on a minor league baseball team and I have never earned more than a little bit of extra beer money.



If you are a real writer, you will disregard my third point, but you really should keep the first one in mind.



edit: Please disregard the person urging you to enter first author contests. If you think you have a shot, send your manuscript to a publisher who publishes similar work. I'd mention your age, actually. It won't be counted against you, and it might get you at least a more personalized and helpful rejection letter.



edit: The poster above who told you "no reputable publisher will enter into a contract with a minor" may be a "published writer and editor" but he is talking out his ****. LOTS of minors have signed publishing contracts, just as many have entered into music contracts, movie or television contracts, professional sports contracts...you get the picture. I am sure a parent and/or legal guardian must become involved, as well, but am not sure how. I am not a lawyer, and unlike some, do not speculate about things beyond my ken.Do you know of any publishing companies that will publish a fifteen year old's work?
Here is advice from Stephenie Meyer's website (she's one of my favorite authors, and she offered advice for the same question):



"After you've got the manuscript cleaned up, go to the library and check out a big book called "Writer's Market" (or you can get an on-line subscription for something like three bucks a month at http://www.writersmarket.com/index_ns.as鈥?/a> which is what I did). Search for agents who specifically represent the kind of literature you write--YA, children's, mystery, whatever. Research these agents as much as possible--find out if they just want a one page query, or a two page synopsis, or a whole chapter (there's lots of information about how to write a query on line--here's a good one: http://www.carolynjewel.com/craft/query.鈥?/a> You have a better chance of getting someone to look at your query if you give them exactly what they want. Be brave, even when you get rejections. All bestselling authors got rejections. All it takes is one person who wants to look at your manuscript."



Here is some more advice from another one of my favorite authors, Libba Bray. :)



"First, you should know that publishers are salivating at the chance to read a manuscript by a teen writer, provided that teen writer is good and has a story to tell. There are lots of avenues for publication. Many publishing houses have contests for first-time authors. You can go to websites for various publishers and see if they have contests or guidelines for submission. I鈥檝e listed the links below. I know Scholastic has an imprint, PUSH, that is solely for first-time authors. You can also get yourself an agent. How do you find an agent? Look them up in The Writer鈥檚 Marketplace for Agents. This is a huge, doorstop of a book that lists every agency and agent, what they like, don鈥檛 like. IMPORTANT: Be sure to pay attention to the agent/publishing house鈥檚 edicts about submissions. You don鈥檛 ever want to give someone a reason to chunk your stuff in the rubbish bin just because you failed to keep your synopsis to one page or you sent the whole manuscript when they clearly state they will only accept the first three chapters. Similarly, if an agent says he/she is only interested in dark, edgy novels and you send him/her your light-as-a-three-egg white-omelet novel about a girl who sings at a nursing home and suddenly becomes an overnight sensation and falls in love with the boy next door and they save puppies and plant daisies in everybody鈥檚 yards so the world will be filled with bright, bright color, you鈥檙e shooting yourself in the foot. (Actually, if you write that book, there might be a line of people wanting to do the shooting for you.) Read what they say and FOLLOW IT TO THE LETTER. Here鈥檚 a list of some publishing houses and their websites.

Simon %26amp; Schuster Random House Penguin/Putnam

Candlewick Random House Teen HarperCollins

Scholastic Hyperion"



I'm sorry if I've bogged you down with info, but it really helps! I'm in a similar situation as you - aspiring young adult (as in who I am, not the genre :P) writer working on a manuscript. :)Do you know of any publishing companies that will publish a fifteen year old's work?
If it is really a "great work", send it off to the proper person at any company that publishes that type of book. I never mention my age when sending something to a publisher. Why should you?



Look for the latest edition of Writers' Market in your library.