How Old is Too Old?

I recently had a discussion with a few writers about how old  protagonists can be. To get published by the big six, that is. (The big six are the major publishing companies that dominate the market.) And maybe even smaller, independent presses. All agreed late 20’s, early 30’s was the best age for a main character.

The hero’s journey serves as a structure for much fiction. The hero is always young. It’s basically a coming of age story. Most people will tell you we live in a youth-obsessed culture, at least in the West. The old, no longer revered, become irrelevant, especially with the fast pace of life and technological change.

I read an article a while back in Writers Digest that argues this common view. It said that many readers are 50+ women. They like reading about people their own age. Now a new bestseller has emerged about a 60-something woman who finds love. A romance, no less. New author Hilary Boyd’s novel Thursdays in the Park has become a hit. With its second release–in eBook format. Interesting development. Read about it here.