Self Publishing for Tweens and Teens

Self Publishing for Tweens and Teens

Editors are saying the door is so wide-open in internet publishing that it’s like the settling of the Wild West. EBooks are flourishing and what better motivation for a child who is gifted in writing than to invest in his future by self publishing his writing and building his own business?

With a little “literary elbow grease” tweens and teens can publish books online or tap into the freelance writing industry by writing fiction or nonfiction for magazines. And for those who have passion, it’s a great way to develop a ministry!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create a Language Arts project by having the student pick one of the websites below and study the how-to’s of each one. Students can write and polish their favorite story, submit it and see what happens!

  • Amazon Kindle has opened the way for anyone to self publish their writing and sell it. Students who like to write can publish their stories on Amazon Kindle by signing up for an account.  For a wealth of publishing help and easy formatting tips check here.
  •  Keys for Kids is a quarterly print devotional magazine. They accept teen writers and pay $25.00 for each devotion published.
  • Self Publishing on Lulu.com with as little as 32 pages of fiction or nonfiction, a student can begin self publishing on Lulu.com and it’s all free. Lulu even offers a free cover maker. The only fee you incur is the price of printing and shipping. Read all the information on publishing before you begin as they have a lot of options to choose from.
  • Pockets is a magazine for kids 6-12 whose mission is to help children grow in their relationship with God and live as Christian disciples. They accept tween and teen articles and pay for fiction and nonfiction articles as well as poetry!
  •  Devokids.com. For those students looking for a Christian ministry, writing Bible devotions for kids to submit to DevoKids is a great way to begin. There isn’t pay but the eternal rewards are awesome and it’s a great way to get their writing published online and dip their toes into the publishing world.

The best way to get published in one of the above magazines is to study their specific writer’s guidelines and read several issues first. This way students can find out exactly what kind of content and format each magazine is looking for.

Freelance writing is a fun Language Arts project and a great way to make income for a tween or teen. And nothing is more rewarding than opening up a magazine and seeing your article and name in the byline.