Writing Books???

Question

Anyone know where to start? Are there people that help you organize your thoughts? When you're finished... where do you go? How do you get a publisher?

Answer 1

Guitarpicker had a pretty thorough answer, however there are a couple of points to add.

1) Don't worry about what happens after you finish. You have an enormously long way to go before you have to even consider publishing. Start by sitting down and outlining what you'd like to write about. Include all of your thoughts and ideas. Then start organizing them.Take a writing class if necessary to help you get going.

2) Yes, there are people who help you 'organize your thoughts' and create a book. They're called ghostwriters, and the good ones are expensive. But if you have the money, you can have a book created, in part or in full, by someone else and then put your name on it. Most famous actors/musicians/news sensations who have ever published "their story" have used ghostwriters.

3) Editors and agents, if they fall in love with your completed work, will make suggestions on how you can make changes to make it better. But they will not do the work for you, and even if you make the suggested changes, it's no guarantee they will then represent or publish you. These people are looking for something that is great when it gets to them, not something that needs a lot of work.

You can hire a freelance editor, much the same way you'd hire a ghostwriter. Editors offer everything from copy editing (punctuation, grammar, etc.) to comprehensive and developmental editing (an overall assessment of the book, structure, plot development, etc.) Again, if you have the money, this can be very helpful.

4) Depending on the genre, lack of publishing credits will not hurt you at all. In others, it will completely hinder you. It entirely depends on what you're writing. If you're going to do nonfiction, you'd better have some sort of credentials to show why you are an expert on the subject matter and therefore qualified to write the book and expect readers to pay attention.

Good luck. Writing and publishing are not for the faint of heart.

Answer 2

Where do you start? You start with Chapter One and continue until its completion. If you have no idea of a plot and certain characters to fill the scenes you will have a long way to go in the writing arena.

The editors of the reputable agencies will help in rearranging the manuscript to suit the literary agent's tastes.

Consult the Writer's Market or Novel and Short Story Writer's Market books at your library. They are also available at bookstores.

Within are lists of literary agents and publishers that will state their preferences in genre, type of manuscript, and methods of submissions. A literary agent is the best approach for an unpublished author. Always check their websites for additional guidelines.

Another must-have reference grammar tool is “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and Williams.

Format your manuscript in accordance with acceptable guidelines--always double-spaced with pertinent contact information on the cover page. Find the booklet, “Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript” by Cynthia Laufenberg. It is an invaluable tool for the writer.

Edit your story and then hire, if you must, disinterested editors to go through it and catch those areas that you did not or cannot find. Don't ask relatives or close friends to edit your manuscript; they will hesitate to be truthful with you because they already have their biases. Concentrate on catching errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Any manuscript submitted prematurely without corrections will surely be scrapped immediately upon receipt.

Learn how to craft a powerful query letter; they are the door openers to representation.

Unpublished authors having no credible writing references stand a severely limited chance at publication. Many new writers resort to having a vanity publisher do the printing and publishing for them. While this gets their manuscript in print, it will not get the book to the masses. The writer must execute all the marketing strategies. The cost of such printing and publishing can start at $6,000 up to $20,000, depending on the size, content, and covers of the book.

Some writers have indicated that Lulu.com can help and do it as the least expensive way to go.

I wish you success. Start writing and concentrate on correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and good writing form.

Answer 3

Don't worry about a publisher/agent until you finish the book. 99% of people who start a book never finish it. So let's see if you can finish it first, then you can work on the publishing aspect.

I would highly recommend the following three books:
Noah Lukeman's THE FIRST FIVE PAGES
SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Rennie Browne
Stephen King's ON WRITING