I wrote a book my freshman year and got it published by a mainstream publisher and got a deal with the largest and most prestigious distributor in the country. My book is sold in Barnes and Noble stores across the country, as well as various other retailers in many states. My book was a “Barnes and Noble Featured Hardcover” and won a national award (gold sticker and all that good stuff). It sold really, really well, and I was able to donate over 6000$ each to two different charities from its revenue. I got a really good Rec Letter from my publisher which highlighted these achievements. I included the ways in which this genuinely let me serve the community and give back in my essay. My book was featured in local news papers radio stations and things of this nature. The only thing was that it is not some giant novel. It is a kids book. Will this accomplishment have a significant impact one way or another on my application? I mean although it was a children’s book it still took literally hundreds of hours - not to write necessarily - but to sell, promote, edit, etc etc etc.
I don’t think there is anything much to add to comment #1 above. I expect that your published book and everything that went along with it will be regarded as a very nice/impressive accomplishment. However I don’t expect that it will in an of itself get you into a college you are not otherwise qualified to attend. Academics are always a primary concern and accomplishments after your freshman year, essays, LORs etc will all be important parts of your application.
Congratulations on your accomplishment and good luck in the college process.
Issue is, have you done anything impactful since/written more? And the fact writing a successful children’s book isn’t one of the qualifications colleges use. Is this book part of a pattern of interests you devvoted solid time to? Does it tie to your major, was it followed up with a lot of hands-on work with kids, working with a local advocacy group, etc? Just donating the money isn’t going to show colleges your match.
And this was self published, then you got a distributor?
His very first sentence in the OP answers your question.
OP, my interpretation would be that the book deal is an interesting factoid about you. Not enough on its own to get you into a college, but a very good thing to have on your app. If the rest of your app - GPA, level of rigor, test scores, ECs, LORs, essays are good interesting factoids like this can be the thing that helps your app stand out from the other qualified apps. As lookingforward pointed out, though, it will have the strongest impact if you show that it’s just part of the other things you’ve done and part of your overall story as opposed to being the One Sole Impressive Thing. Good luck.
Yes, I missed that.
But I’m still curioushow he/she got on that publisher’s radar, in 9th grade.
And then, the rest of the story, whether there’s a strong follow up record or the usual hs patterns.
@lookingforward this was not self published ever. I sent copies to a punch of different publishing houses and received responses from a few of them and offers from even fewer. I have only written this book, but I am a leader in the newspaper club at my school and am still involved in the promoting of the first book.
What you are describing is an incredibly difficult accomplishment and you shouldn’t discount it. Only around 2% of authors ever get an agent, and a very small percent of those find a publisher. It is much worse for first-time authors. I am envious. I have many friends who have been trying for years to get a nibble from an agent or publisher. I (an adult) have had to form my own publishing company to get my work out there. What I don’t know is what you mean by a “kids book.” Do you mean middle grade fiction, or a picture book, or a chapter book for early readers? They are very, very different.
Anyway, you also haven’t indicated if you are a junior or a senior. If you’re a junior, there’s still time for you to “milk” your status by giving talks at local schools, maybe a lecture at your public library or trying to get a slot at a writing conference. Those sorts of events, I think, will help you portray yourself as someone who doesn’t see this as simply a one-off lark, but that you’re trying to build on the experience, advise others, and possibly continue to publish in the future. Have you created a web site to sell the book directly to the public, maybe including a blog about your writing adventures? For instance, do you plan to write a follow-up book, perhaps start a series? That could help show your passion and determination, which I think is what schools want to see most. Good luck.
Just understand, this isn’t about life ccomplishments in high school. It’s about getting into colleges, what ticks for them. And you asked if this would have “significant impact.”
OP said it didn’t take much time to write, that the larger effort was in marketing. And marketing skills (or following the plans the published/distributor set) are not a hook. Similar holds true for academic publications by teens.
I’m not dismissing this, it’s great. But in holistic, it all needs to line up. It’s not just “passion” and 9th grade, but a whole picture.
What’s “a leader in newspaper club” mean?
And what’s the major? If you want, say, education, have continued to work with kids or advocate for them, that’s different than, say, if you want someting not related to children.