I Want to write a book and I have no clue on what steps to take getting started.?

Question

I need advice on where do I start for writing a book and getting it published. What steps do I take getting their? Should I I type my book on my computer? Hand write? Who do I contact before or after writing my book?

Answer 1

First, you need time and an idea. If you're stumped for ideas, try taking a creative writing course at the community college. You'll definetely revise the idea many, many times before you'll want to submit it to people. If you plan on writing a book based on true events, do a lot of research. Even if your book isn't based on true events, but it's set in a historic period, do a lot of research. There's nothing that annoys people more than incorrect facts.
Eventually you will need to type the manuscript to submit to publishers. I suggest Final Draft if you have a little extra money to spend. It's a word processing program just like MS Word, but it automatically formats many different kinds of writing, so you can focus on the words and not the format.
Finally, get together a group of well-read friends whose opinions you can trust. When you finish your first draft, give them a copy to edit. You don't have to take all their suggestions, but if several people think something should change, then it probably should. You can find lists of book publishers through a simple Google search, and there are also guides of publishers that are published every few years. They can be found at bookstores and online.
The creative process isn't always easy. Keep with it, and eventually you may have a best-selling novel. Good luck!

Answer 2

You really need to slow down. First, be sure your grammar is up to speed, and I fear it is not when you write: What steps do I take getting their? It's THERE, NOT "their." And hand write? Are you kidding? You need to learn proper manuscript style and formatting. Everything MUST be done on computer (or CD-Rom), with no grammatical or spelling errors. Proper margins must be adhered to at all times. Who do you contact? Well, here is a clue: A publisher. But here's the thing. The vast majority of publishers no longer accept unsolicited work (especially from amateurs), and your manuscript will only be returned unread. Publishing houses get hundreds of thousands of manuscripts a year and have room only for a select few. You could go the vanity route and pay someone to publish your book but that is VERY ill-advised, and let's face it, strictly for your ego. And, any other publishing besides LEGITIMATE publishing is VANITY publishing. You need to work on a complete outline and synopsis before you ever set to writing the actual book. This is a HUGE undertaking and frankly, it does not sound like at the point, you are up to the task, especially with that glaring grammatical error in your post. Brush up on spelling, grammar, and perhaps take some writing courses and workshops before you tackle something so weighty as an entire book! And remember, everything that is written has been written before, it's up to the author of each new book to find a different way to present his or her material. Please don't listen to most of these posters. They haven't a clue as to what they are talking about. For instance, the poster who told you to look in Writer's Digest. WD is an almost total waste of time and every year they get loads of unsusuoecting amateur writers to buy their book. It's full of publishing firms that don't even want to be in there! Also, worthless lists of worthless contests that never got anyone any place.

Answer 3

Well, publishing a book can be very expensive. Writing a book can be a very hard job. First you need to plan out the book(unless you are like me and enjoy spontaneous writing), then you need to come up with some kind of schedule for yourself. Set goals. Make sure you accomplish your goals, and finish the book! That's key! I usually try to write about 50 pages a day, but you can surely do more or less, depending on how much time you have, or how much you want to write. After you finish your book, you need to find editors. Send your manuscript to as many editors you can find. A good place to find good editors and publishers are writer's magazines. Writer's Digest, Writer, things like that. They tend to have good publishers and editors in there! You need to get advice from an editor. You can also contact as many publishers that you find. It will not be cheap. I think the cheapest publishing deal I've ever seen is like $400, and you don't get much out of it! Well, best of luck!

Answer 4

I figure there are no set rules for writing a book. All you need is a good idea and the determination to write it down. If you aren't certain where to start, how about an outline? Or maybe a brainstorm session where you just write anything down? If you prefer to use a pen and paper, keep in mind you'll eventually need to type it up on a computer before submitting it to a publisher (or an agent).

Answer 5

Try this, sounds quite easy...

Have you had an interesting life? Trying to make some money, or just impart your family history to those ignorant grandchildren of yours? Here are some strategies on how to write a book about your life that everyone will want to read.
Steps

1. Collect! Write down all the events of your life that you remember. Collect stories, pictures, ideas, and thoughts.
2. Write your events in diary or story form. If you don't remember exact details, you can guess a bit, but try to keep things as similar as possible to what actually happened.
3. Consider the general purpose of the story. (Don't worry, this does not have to be too specific.) After you have the general purpose, ask yourself what you have to offer the reader. Do they want to learn about me or about what I have accomplished in my lifetime? After this is established you can begin to narrow the purpose of the story. Is it just going to be informative or will it give the readers a true sense of purpose? After narrowing your purpose you are ready to begin piecing the story together.
4. Keep recording things daily, so that when you're ready to write about them in the future, they will be more clear.
5. You can even write about lessons you have learned in your life. Include your embarrassing moments, or anything interesting!


Tips

* Keep a diary with clear thoughts, so you can picture what went on and describe things.
* Be creative, but be yourself!
* There is software called "The New Novelist" that can help you a lot.
* Be truthful about your life.
* Add whatever special touches you want...pictures, decorations, etc. It's a book about you, so it's whatever you want.


Warnings

* Be careful not to pass off a work of close truth as complete truth. You may have heard of "A Million Little Pieces" and the controversy over that - people expect the truth and will not be happy if they find otherwise.
* Also, you'll want to be careful, not making generalizations and keeping the language moderate.

Answer 6

put pen to paper is a good start