How old do you have to be for a book contract?

[Christin K]

A manuscript is the document that you wrote. There's a specific way they are supposed to be typed out: double spaced, one inch margins, title page, your name and the book title in a header at the top, and the number of words total in that header as well. The pages should be numbered also, centered, at the bottom of each page, in a footer.

BUT--do NOT send a manuscript to anyone except a publisher or agent. If you do, you are opening yourself up to intellectual property theft.

And please DO NOT sign any contracts for publishers until you see an attorney. Your age doesn't matter. Anyone of any age may be a published author.

Do you know this person who asked you for your work? Do you know if she is an agent? A publisher? Has she given you a proposition for publishing? If not, DON'T SEND ANYTHING.

Ask for credentials. Ask for the past books this person has handled or published. Any REPUTABLE agent or publisher will give you this information. And ask for the guidelines for manuscript submission. All publishers will tell you exactly how you need to submit your work.

If you need further information, go to your local library and go to the reference section and find a book called "Writer's Market". In the front of the book are some guidelines for finding publishers, submitting manuscripts and dealing with agents.