What’s the Best Age to Become an Author?

The answer is as straightforward as this: How old are you? Well, there you go. That’s the perfect age to begin a career as a writer. Anyone can dive into the world of writing at any time. It’s never too early and it’s never too late. 

A Story for All Ages: Your Time Is Now

Here you are, you have a book idea. It could be a fantasy, a whodunnit, a How-To book with tips from an expert, a cookbook, or a picture book about your favorite topic. It’s your story and there’s no time limit on when you can put your idea in writing and get it published..

Take a look at people like S.E. Hinton, who wrote “The Outsiders” at 15, Mary Shelley who wrote "Frankenstein" at age 18, and Nancy Yi Fan, who published "Swordbird" at age 12 and went on to become a New York Times bestselling author. Then there’s Raymond Chandler who published his first novel "The Big Sleep" at 51, Richard Adams published "Watership Down" at 52, which went on to become an international bestseller, and Harriet Doerr published her first novel "Stones for Ibarra" at 74 which went on to win the National Book Award.

Believe in Your Potential

Being an author is all about expressing yourself and telling the stories that matter to you. Your imagination and creativity are your greatest tools and will be the things that make the most difference in how people see your stories and engage with them. There’s no need to wait for the “right time” to start. Time has nothing to do with it. Now is the best time to begin your journey toward being a published author. Just pick up that pen or sit down at your computer and start!