How hard is it to get a book published?

Question

I'm working on one, and I'm still in school. I was wondering how to get one published since I have no clue.

Answer 1

Well, do you want to self publish or publish like most authors? Self publishing is easy but somewhat costly. Try lulu.com if you want to go that way.

If you want to go the other way. Be warned, its HARD. Its something like 2 out of 90 or 900 authors that get published.

I would suggest buying the "Writers Market". Yeah, it costs about $20 but its worth it. Its kinda like a Writers Bible. Everything you need to know is in there and so are hundreds of publishers, agents, etc.

The best advice I can give is to never give up.

Another good tip is to find a few people you trust and email your book to them by the chapter. Ask them to be honest. They can point out stuff you wouldn't otherwise notice. Believe me, it really helps.

Well, if you need anything else, email me or something. I hope this helps.

Keep writing and never give up!

Answer 2

It's difficult. Many writers--like me--spend years trying to obtain what so many had been able to achieve with greater ease in the past.

These days, the foundation of publishing has changed. Most publishers have either consolidated themselves, merged, or simply faded away because of everchanging business challenges and other ventures.

Most publishers are only accepting agented submissions. Some are accepting only those writers or authors who have a proven track record, and many others, are simply not taking unsolicited manuscript submissions anymore.

Agents are the ones you have to go through now--if you want to be accepted.

Submission guidelines are constantly changing from one moment to the next. So the next time you buy a writer's guide, you may be in for a shock at what the industry is accepting *now*--as opposed to six months ago.

Don't delude yourself into believing that you can get in on the first try. Rarely do any writers do.

Many suffer the stigma of being buried under 100s of rejections--while others are just unpublishable by the mainstream for a variety of reasons.

I've been there and done that. I'm no longer closer than I was before 7 years ago when I had a representation.

But only recently, did I just hang up my submissions and queries hat. Not because the fact that postal rates have tripled and quadrupled since 2000. But because I no longer had the energy to keep this up.

I had to call it a day and move onto greener pastures.

Answer 3

To publish is to sell a book to a publisher. You need to know how to package your idea and how to present it to someone who might buy it. Then, of course, there is the self publishing opportunity. For that you don't really need talent, just money to print up the book. Most of the bookstores refuse to sell self published books unless it has a strong local interest and you could sell the idea to a local bookstore. If you break even with self publishing, you are doing good. As far as having some company publish your book because you are a talented writer, that's tough. A lot of talented writers out there, yet some do get published, and even fewer make a lot of money from writing books. Good luck.

Answer 4

Extremely hard or extremely expensive. Several people here have suggested self -publishing. Self publishing will cost you a ton of money in both printing and publishing your book and then another ton of money promoting it and selling it yourself. Self publishers do not promote or sell books, they just print them. In addition, having your book edited will cost between 2.50 and 4.00 per page or more -all money out of YOUR pocket. Add that to the cost of 5.00 and up to print the books and all the promoting you have to do and you will see it quickly adds up to a significant amount of money.

If you go with a more standard traditional publisher, it is very hard. You will have to go to the Resolved Questions here and read the many many answers to the question. You will need to buy yourself a copy of Writers Market and learn from it. You have the choice of going for an agent who can put your book in the hands of major publishers or seeking a small publisher you can deal with yourself.

However, there are MANY scams out there in the world of agents and small publishers. Visit Preditors and Editors site and research any company or person before you send them a query letter or any of your manuscripts. Otherwise, you may need a lawyer to help you get your material back.

Pax - C.

Answer 5

You need to find the right publisher for you. Whatever genre your book falls under, that is your first clue. If it is romance, maybe contemporary, like I write, you would look at maybe Harper books. They ask you to send them an email I believe, explaining the premise of your book and if I remember correctly, they ask for it to be a certain length. Then, if they are interested, they will request a manuscript. Make sure you have someone slightly more experienced read over your manuscript beforehand, because you wouldn't want it to be sent back with a rejection letter because of something as simple as poor grammar or run on sentences. I began writing in school as well, and while my teachers encouraged me and told me I wrote at college level, I was rejected several times! Be prepared for the worst, but expect the best.

Answer 6

RE:
How hard is it to get a book published?
I'm working on one, and I'm still in school. I was wondering how to get one published since I have no clue.

Answer 7

There is self publishing, but to be honest if you're wanting to be considered a "real" published author to your peers (other authors) this is not the way to go. It's fairly simple and straightforward, but anyone can do it if they have the cash.

Publishing houses have gotten to the point where they do not accept unsolicited works. Meaning if you don't have an agent they don't want to see your stuff.

So, the first step would be getting an agent. This is where I am on my "becoming an author" journey. Check out this list of agents to find one that will work for you.

http://www.writers.net/agents.html

Try here too: http://www.aar-online.org/mc/page.do

Beware of any agent who charges a "reading" or "viewing" fee. A credible agent will not charge any fees to review your materials. Be sure to follow their guidelines for your submissions - they get thousands of submissions and the guidelines are there to help them get back to you faster!

Good luck and happy writing!

Answer 8

Pretty hard if you don't have connections... if you are in hs, wait a bit and go through it in a few years (I used to write all the time in middle school and highschool and now laugh at the garbage I used to think was gold!) ...if you are in college you may want to talk to your professors who could give advice on where you can send your work!

Answer 9

almost impossible...stephen king got shot down LOTS before he got his first novel published...the trick is not giving up

Answer 10

Quickly your book will be published !




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