Am I too old to be an author?

Your age isn't stopping you from writing a book. Your fear and excuses are.

“Am I too old to be an author?” is a question I’m often asked. It tends to relate to the likelihood (or otherwise) of becoming a first-time, début author in later life. This might be based on preconceptions about the publishing industry (honestly, no one cares how old you are). But I suspect it also comes from fear. And fear leads to avoidance, resistance and excuses. So let’s try a mindset reset here.

Fear of rejection is something all writers feel. Fear of being rejected by agents, publishers, readers or critics. One flavour of that fear is being turned down by an agent or publisher because you’re ‘too old’. You may worry that you’ve left it too late, you’ve missed the boat, or that there’s not enough time left.

But agents and publishers care about your writing, not your age. So stop inventing reasons why people are going to reject you before you’ve even put yourself out there. Don’t make excuses to not pursue your dreams.

You can be a début author at any age

Writing is something you can do at any time of life. No one is born a writer. Most people do something else, have other careers, then become a writer. That age and experience is something you can draw on. Whether you’re writing a memoir or a novel, a long life provides a treasure trove of valuable material to mine.

For some people, ‘finally writing that novel’ is their retirement plan. When you no longer have work, parenting or caring responsibilities can be the perfect time. Besides, the best time is always when you’re ready.

It’s easy to think of début authors as bright young twenty-somethings. This can lead to a sort of impostor syndrome (if you’re not a bright young twenty-something). But many (most) of the début novelists I know are middle-aged. Yes, that might reflect my own age… But it’s not unusual, and the publishing industry doesn’t care about your age. It’s your work that matters: if they love it, they love it.

Do agents only want authors whose careers they can help build into bookshelves groaning with dozens of novels over a long lifetime, though? Not necessarily. You might have one book in you, you might have 20. And far fewer authors than you might think knock out a novel every year.

Publishing success comes down to the quality of your writing and your unique voice. After that, it’s down to the ability of your agent to place it with a publisher — and your publisher’s ability to find a market for it.

Ultimately, publishing is a business. So the only question that really matters to an agent or publisher is: “Can I sell this?”

So if you’re still alive, it’s not too late. (And even if you’re dead, maybe you could be published posthumously?)

Writers of a certain age

Earlier this year I read the wonderful Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. She was 64 years old when it was published (and after 98 rejections from agents). It’s her first book, a huge international bestseller — and the Apple TV+ adaptation starring Brie Larson launches this week.

While we can’t all be bestsellers, it shows that publishing success is possible at any age. Here are a few other examples.

• Toni Morrison. Won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved, aged 57, and her first book, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970, when she was a youth of 40.

• Julia Child. Published her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, aged 49.

• Raymond Chandler. The Big Sleep, his first book, was published in 1939 when he was 51.

• Penelope Lively. Won the Booker Prize with Moon Tiger in 1987, aged 54.

• Bernadine Evaristo. Won the Booker Prize with Girl, Woman, Other in 2019, aged 60.

• Laura Ingalls Wilder. The author of the children’s book series The Little House on the Prairie, later adapted into the 1970s TV series, was first published aged 65.

• Frank McCourt. Won the Pulitzer Prize for his bestselling 1996 memoir Angela’s Ashes, published when he was 66.

• Mary Wesley. Though she wrote children’s books when she was younger, her first novel for adults, Jumping the Queue, published after she was 70.

• Diana Athill. The author of publishing memoir Stet was still writing and publishing books at the age of 100.

• James Lovelock. The author of Gaia was also still writing and publishing books aged 100.

You can probably add some of your own (feel free to do so in the comments!)

The books linked to above are Amazon affiliate links. You can also find all these books on a dedicated shelf in the Publishing Talk bookshop, which helps support independent booksellers in the UK.

You can get what you want or you can just get old

My favourite Billy Joel song is Vienna. The main thrust of the lyric is slow down, don’t rush, everything will happen in its own time. “You can get what you want, or you can just get old.” You’re going to get old anyway — so don’t worry about it.

And don’t worry too much about getting published at this stage either. Just enjoy the process. Focus on the present moment of writing, and trust the future to look after itself. Who knows what tomorrow brings? As another lyrical philosopher once sang.

If you’re still not convinced, or think that it will just take too long and you’re already so old, consider these lines from an episode of The Golden Girls:

Sophia: “I’m going to go to college to get a degree.”

Dorothy: “Ma! You’re 80 years old. You’ll be 84 when you finish!”

Sophia: “I’ll be 84 anyway. May as well have a college degree.”

By the time you finish your manuscript and get it published, you’ll be older anyway. May as well have a book to show for it. So if you want to write, write!

Stop thinking you’ve missed the boat. It’s a continuous ferry service. And, unless you’re being ferried across the Styx, it doesn’t matter when you hop aboard.

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Time marches on, and we are where we are. But your age isn’t stopping you from writing. Your fear is. Your excuses are. You can overcome both and start a new chapter now.