Owasso Middle School Student Writes Book, Signs Deal With Publishing Company

An Owasso middle school student who started writing a short story as a pastime at the start of the pandemic eventually turned his writing into a novel. After submitting the book to different publishers, he has now landed his own book deal.

Abram Smith, 14, is a student at Owasso’s 8th Grade Center. In just a few months he will become a published author after signing a deal with City Limits Publishing.

Smith’s book, called “The Quantum State,” has themes including science and COVID-19. He said the book is geared towards a young adult audience. 

Image Provided By: Abram Smith

“It’s post-COVID, the United States is in a Cold War with China due to suspicions about the origins of the virus,” said Smith. 

Smith said he started writing the story when his classes shifted online last March because of COVID-19. He would spend a couple of hours writing each day and would set goals on where he wanted to be.

Six months after starting his story, he had a novel on his hands. He got some help with editing from his mother, who is a teacher in the Owasso school district.

“I submitted to seven or eight different publishers over the time and after a couple of months one of them had responded saying they would like to offer me a deal,” said Smith.

Smith would keep in touch with Cathy Hill, his 7th grade English teacher, through Google classroom meetings when classes moved online. They would also exchange emails while Smith was writing the book.

Hill said 7th grade English is where creative writing is introduced. She was one of the first people to get the final copy.

“That he trusted me and trusted my advice or suggestions or input meant a lot,” said Hill. “He’s a student I will never forget.”

Abram admits he never expected a book deal but never let his age get in the way. He said writing is something he will continue to do on the side, but he has aspirations to pursue a career in a science-related field.

“I never thought I would be here even at this age,” said Smith. “It’s really been a good experience for me and I’ve learned that age doesn’t matter in what you can accomplish.”

More information on the book, including pre-sale, can be found by Clicking Here.