By Esha Aggarwal

Esha Aggarwal was a 2022 Summer Intern at Novelly. Esha is an upcoming senior at Lake Park High School, and wants to pursue a degree in business administration, as well as media, culture, and communications. Over the course of her high school career, she has been the Vice President for her DECA chapter, Fundraiser Lead for the South Asian Student Alliance, and campaigned for various political positions under Youth and Government. She has a lot of experience in social outreach, and is passionate about bringing people together. Some of her other passions include writing, playing the piano, and watching The Office!

Barriers & Opportunities for Youth in Publishing

When I was younger, I used to love writing, but I did not know a lot of resources that provided a platform for me to share my writing.  I wanted others to hear my voice, and possibly relate to my journey, but I felt lost and without guidance throughout the entire process.  I wanted to be a written legacy waiting to happen, but my potential could never be released.

According to a Digital Book World and World's Digest Author Surveys, only 23% of aspiring writers find a publisher, demonstrating the clear lack of resources or hope that many writers are provided.  We need to work to change this.  Regardless of how demanding the writing field is, more opportunities and resources should be given to individuals seeking to communicate their stories. We are constantly reading, even unconsciously stumbling upon a news article or a billboard, and we fail to  recognize how important it is to have written content, and how difficult it must have been for the content to have reached our eyes.

There are many benefits to writing and publishing your work.  You can make a positive impact on someone that is struggling or going through adversity, and educate individuals about important issues.  You allow more people to see a different perspective, and be more empathetic of diverse backgrounds.  Moreover, the publishing process allows you to be better equipped with being a writer, and you can continue to write successfully in the future.  One can grow as a leader, and have greater credibility and positioning.

Personally, I have noticed that writing has allowed me to become, simply put, more intelligent.  It doesn’t hurt to also get remunerative benefits, as well, such as more acclamation in the writing industry.  If writing and publishing your work can make your brain cells, societal value, and bank account expand, why don’t more people do it more often? Just like my young 10 year old self that wrote about her insecurities and experiences, many individuals don’t have an outlet or know the publishing process.  I have been able to find more resources in recent years that have allowed me to become a “smarter” writer, and connect with many others.  One of the most impactful resources that I have utilized is Novelly.

Novelly offers many resources to share your voice and learn the skills to become a published author. By applying to their Rising Voices Collective, you’ll be recognized as a Novelly author, be provided a support team, and treated like a professional.  As a young and inexperienced writer, this resource would have enhanced my understanding of the publishing process, as well as given me the confidence to continue writing.

Novelly works to give respectful recognition to their writers, and my younger self would have been encouraged to express myself. Let's work together to have a more literate tomorrow, and not allow the lack of writing and publishing resources to discourage future superstars.  Check out Novelly’s Rising Voices Collective and utilize their resources to become a successful author.

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