Young Author Project – FAQ Page – School Boost Online

What is the Young Author Project?

The Young Author Project (sometimes called YAP for short) is a teacher-led initiative with the aim of creating the opportunity for students to become published authors before graduating high school. It started off in May 2023 as an unofficial book club with 8 students from my own English Language Arts classroom and has had more of an impact than we could have ever predicted, not just for those who have read our flagship novel, The Art of Giving A Crap, but for everyone involved in writing/producing it.
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What is The Art of Giving A Crap?

The Art of Giving A Crap by Natalie Wilkinson and the Young Author Project is an insightful collaboration that bridges the gap between adults and teens. Written by teens alongside their teacher, Natalie Wilkinson, this compelling middle school fiction delves into the raw emotions and challenging social dynamics that teenagers face daily. Meet Asher and Lucy, two middle school students navigating the turbulent waters of adolescence, friendship, and peer pressure. Asher battles an unstable home life and overwhelming isolation, while Lucy grapples with the pressures of fitting in and maintaining her social status. Their worlds collide in a dramatic incident, forcing them to confront their fears and insecurities. Ideal for parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians, this book sheds light on the intricate lives of teenagers. It’s a fantastic resource for understanding the emotional rollercoaster of middle school, offering a heartfelt look at how teens deal with bullying, anxiety, and the longing for acceptance.

The Art of Giving A Crap is more than just a story; it’s a guide for adults to empathize with their teens and provide the support they need. If you’re searching for an authentic, relatable read that addresses the complexities of teen life and offers guidance on navigating peer pressure, this is the book for you.
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What are you raising money for?

Current Goals:
1. $400 for our editor’s services on the next novel
2. $10,000 for two of our young authors to work with Scribe Media to professionally record and distribute the official The Art of Giving A Crap audiobook. (Excellent addition to their resumes!)

Funds raised to date (as of October 8, 2025): $196.40
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How can I support the Young Author Project?

There are lots of ways!
1. Purchase the novel on Amazon and leave us a review. This helps our book’s ranking and allows it to be more easily found by others.
2. Sign up as a Buy me a Coffee sponsor here. We have very reasonable monthly memberships with lots of perks – every little bit helps us a lot.
3. Purchase and share swag from our shops. For mugs, hoodies, and other cool gear, check out Team Lucy’s shop. For pins, stickers, and surprisingly good hot sauce, visit Team Asher’s shop.
4. Donate directly to the Young Author Project Cash App here. This goes into the “pot” for our fundraising efforts.
5. Share your experience reading our book on social media – you never know who needs to see it.
6. Send us a note directly with your feedback using the contact page or on social media – we love feedback and take it seriously.
7. Like and subscribe to our channel on YouTube!
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How can I stay up-to-date on latest updates?

Sign up on our mailing list here. (It’ll say School Boost Online because that’s the company sponsoring the Young Author Project.) It’s free and the best part about it is: the emails are sporadic. We won’t flood your inbox – writing a novel takes awhile, so updates can at times be few and far between.

If you want access to insider updates we don’t provide on our general mailing list, a chance to win free stuff, and other perks, consider becoming a Buy me a Coffee sponsor. This one does get more frequent updates, but even so, it’s not more than once a month (unless something absolutely crazy/incredible happens). Every little bit helps a lot!!
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When is your next novel coming out?

As soon as we can get it done! We have babies being born, young people writing 10-page papers for early college, and other things going on, but we did it the first time, so we can do it again. 🙂 Once we have a projected launch date, I’ll post it here and share it on our mailing lists.
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Do the young authors receive royalties for their work on The Art of Giving A Crap?

Absolutely. It’s only fair that an artist is compensated fairly for his/her time and talent. We split the royalties from Amazon and in-person book sales every quarter. I truly wish I could give them each a million dollars every time. Maybe someday!
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Do the young authors have registered copyright claims for their contributions to The Art of Giving A Crap?

Yes! It was a LONG application to get all 9 of us in there!
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How involved are the families of the young authors with this project?

Inextricably. We could not have done this without the help and support of each of the young author’s parents/guardians. I will be forever grateful to each of them.
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Is this a program my child can apply for?

The Young Author Project is a private, teacher-led initiative for talented aspiring authors to have a chance at becoming published authors before graduating high school. It’s not something that’s affiliated with any school district or public entity. The Young Author Project started off as a crazy idea with 8 students from my own classroom; it would be amazing to see our book collection expand. I would consider a serious inquiry from a parent if the student is proven to be self-driven, can work independently, and can write well. The Young Author Project is not a tutoring program (although I do offer this service), but rather an opportunity to work hard and accomplish something many people never do out of fear, laziness, or both. The Young Author Project is also not a guarantee of any book’s performance. There’s no way to know if a book will take off or not, and I suggest sending an inquiry only if you want to do this for the joy of independently publishing a book. Sending an inquiry is not a guarantee of acceptance. Acceptance is not a guarantee of making any money. It is also up to our discretion what topics and talent we choose to work with.
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I see on your GoodReads page that there are many novels by the Young Author Project. Are these all yours?

No, the only novel we wrote and published was The Art of Giving A Crap: You never know what someone is going through. This is our book’s GoodReads page. It just so happens that there was another group with the exact same name as us, and we ended up lumped together. We didn’t realize it until we went on GoodReads. Go figure!
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