how can i...............?

Question

I'm currently writing a fiction book. When i'm finished, how can i go about publishing it? (most detailed answer will get 10 points.)

Answer 1

Try a self-publishing site like Blurb or Lulu. They will even sell your book on their Web site and you make a profit!

Answer 2

There is something called the "vanity press." On the Internet it's referred to as "self-publishing." In a nutshell, you pay to get your book in print. Anyone with $$$ can do it. Will it sell? Will you make your investment back? Probably not, but you will have the thrill of seeing your work in print. And once or twice in the history of the world, a major publishing house has picked up one of these books and eventually the author made a real success.

But publishing is a crowded and highly competitive field. Your first step would be to find a friend, or hire an acquaintance, to proofread and critique your work. The next step is to hire an agent, who can tell you quickly whether your work has merit. If it does, you contract with the agent to shop your book around to publishing houses. If he finds a buyer, you still have a long road ahead before you actually see income. The publisher gets a percentage, the agent gets a percentage, and if you're lucky, you actually make a few bucks. If this sounds discouraging, it's meant to be. A few talented and popular authors do very well. The rest do NOT quit their day job!

Answer 3

Your first step is to get it edited and critiqued. Find a writing group either in person or online and get other viewpoints.

Next, you want to do a lot of research into markets. There are many small publishers that accept manuscripts without an agent. If you want to hit only the big ones, scout out an agent, but be sure to check with Writers Beware to check for scams: www.writerbeware.org

A good free market search site is: www.duotrope.com

You might also want to compare the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing/POD. POD has a bad wrap but it can be very useful for serious authors. Again, check them out. There are many variances. I run an indie-publishing group to help authors sort through them: http://www.writing.com/main/handler/item_id/971987 (you have to be a writing.com member to join, but they have free memberships available).

Once you're published, plan on doing a lot of marketing yourself, regardless or which way you publish. Books only sell if authors push hard to market them.

Through the many years I've been writing seriously, I've found the actual writing the easy part. Everything else is where complications arise. ;-)

Good luck!

Answer 4

There's a great book called Writers Market; it lists agents and publishing companies. It may be helpful to get an agent ; they take care of a lot of the busywork that publishing a book requires, leaving you more time for other things. They may be a bit expensive, but it could be a good option.

Answer 5

I'd think it would be best to get books on publishing. Publishing for dummies or something like that. But the best thing to do is get an agent. Someone who knows the right people and will put in the good word for you.
Good luck!

Answer 6

I would like to know too... But I guess you would ask around or email an author and ask how it’s done. Good luck though!