What is the best way to get a book published?

Question

I am writing a book for children ages 10-12. Should I try to send my manuscript off to publishing companies hoping to hear something back from them or should I go with something like AuthorHouse where you have to pay for the book to be published?

Answer 1

I personally would avoid any site where they ask you to pay. You can self-publish at Lulu.com. Or you can get Writers Market and find some publishers of children's books, then submit your manuscript to them.
e-mail me for more info.

Answer 2

I would recommend self-publishing. I self-published a book of poetry through http://www.lulu.com/ (you don’t need an agent for self-publishing)
Lulu is completely free and very easy to use. You can then buy a global distribution, or ISBN, which will put your book on Barnes and noble, borders, Amazon.... I really like lulu, I think they are great. They also offer a great customer service if you get stuck. Once published with them, you automatically get the copyright, and you keep all rights to it. You can have books printed in b/w or colour, hardback or soft back, and in a variety of sizes.
If you think they are too good to be true (which was my original opinion) you can view my book at http://www.lulu.com/dchooper
Hope this helps. Good luck with your writing.
For any more information about Lulu you can contact me at [e-mail] (if you do contact me, put Lulu in the subject line, or I might report as Spam)
Cheers, Deanna.

Answer 3

Send in a short story to some magazines. Once a publisher knows you, it is easier to sell a book.