When I started out, publishers seemed reluctant to take chances on new voices. And in the pre-Potter industry, there wasn’t the widespread idea that writing for young readers was a viable and attainable career path (or at least one with the potential to generate a livable income). Consequently, fewer younger people were pursuing it. As a GenXer, I also entered the field as a shockingly young writer by the standards of the day. I knew only a couple of published authors (and only online) who were around my age. The overwhelming majority were at least fifteen years older. Most were a full generation older. Now, the pendulum has swung hard the other way.Read more here.
Writing Survivors: A New Series
If you enjoyed the Writing for the Long Haul series, head over and check out Cynthia Leitich Smith’s new Survivors series, where well-established writers talk about career endurance as a writer for children and young adults.