Getting published as a serious author?

Question

I write books and short storys.

How do I get published seriously to start a career?

Answer 1

If you cannot get a publisher... after you have tried... You can get your book printed very cheap at www.lulu.com

You can get as many copies as you want, because they do something called printing on demand... which means you could buy 1 copy at a time, ten copies etc...

If you self publish your book, you may have a better chance of it getting in a publishers hands...

Often there are just teens, or college kids reading a manuscript that you send...

And it never gets read by the person who runs the company or makes the final decision...

I'm going the self publishing route myself...

You can also sell it on your own store front at lulu.

If you cannot get a publisher... self publish it, and donate it to libraries in your area, and send copies around to book stores, and the newspapers, and media in your city or town...

Get some stories news paper stories together, get people to review your book, etc...

And then send it to the publishers again...

If you garner the right amount of publicity, the publisher may come knowcking on your door...

I guess what I am saying is don't give up...

Don't let a publisher determine your "CREATIVE FATE"

They get hundreds of manuscripts a year...

Do you buy the writers market???

All the publishers are there...

Major and minor...

Beware of pay to publish print shops, where you have to put a tonne of money up front...

lulu.com also has services such as editing your manuscript, and other services...

I'm going that route with a fiction novel I wrote...

You can also turn your book into an e-book...

And so nobody can tamper with it, you can convert it to pdf format...

You can also sell it on amazon.com

I think lulu has that option as well...

I haven't checked it out in awhile, as I have been tied up with a few other things, and haven't got around to it...

Other advice: GO FOR YOUR DREAMS...

YOU CAN DO IT...

YOU CAN BE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR...

Take Care...

Answer 2

Skip everything you read from most of these people. The plain and harsh truth is, the publishing field is very hard to get into, and most don't. Number one, the short story genre' is very limited and the magazines that do publish them (very few) are backlogged and of the highest literary quality. I don't think you are ready for the New Yorker, no offense. Secondly, the world of real book publishing is very tough because contrary to Writer's market and similar publications, most publishers do not accept unsolicited submissions. They deal through agents for the most part, and agents get most of their clients from referrals. Unless you have the next big blockbuster no agent will speak with you (and if you are a minor, double that). You need to realize that only about 1% of all the manuscripts submitted ever see publication and publishers receive literally hundreds of thousands every year. Your chances are very low that yours will be one of those published. Also, you need to understand proper MS form (it has to be perfect) and how to write a synopsis and query letter. You also need to research the market and be able to predict what will be popular down the road, then write it. This is a difficult task. As far as the vanity presses (that is where you pay to be printed on line or some other venue), those are not considered real publishing. There is also a huge difference between printing and publishing. Again, your chances are very low indeed. Not trying to discourage you, but that is the harsh reality. This is not fantasy land (as so many teens here seem to think) but the real world of real publishing and it is a business like any other, and publishers want one thing: To make money! So do agents! It's a very tightly-knit and discouraging business, mark my words.

Answer 3

Getting published seriously is like committing yourself to a long marriage: You exchange vows and you're stuck for life with the person you love and care about.

But somewhere along the line, a divorce happens, and the **** starts hitting the fan soon after.

This is what the traditiional publisher is like.

If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, you gotta write books that's going to knock your readers' socks off.

And you have to take pride in your work.

As they say: "Everyone wants to be called a writer, but very few actually get there."

Answer 4

i would suggest trying the short story route first-- there are more outlets for your work and you don't need an agent. be humble, start with the small litereary mags--you may not make one cent, but you'll be apublished author. if you're in school, try the college rags. try some of the websites for authors-- writersnet is decent. they have resources for asking questions like this, but you'll get answers from six or seven published, experienced authors.
finally, beware of anyone wanting money to read your stuff--they're bogus if they want anything up front--don't waver on that one. there is no policing and no agent's guild to help you. But there are plenty of hucksters preying on young, anxious writers. Good luck and keep writing.

Answer 5

I know a teenager who got a book published. Find an agent or self-publish, but good luck!

Answer 6

well.first you need to grab one of your stories and take it to a publishing agency,then have them read over it...if things go well,then you might have a shot at the authoring business .

Answer 7

try surf on :AUTHOR ASSIST....helping writers succeed: Universal Class; etc. almost endless in web. Everything you need is provided.