how do i publish a book?

Question

i kinda write book on my computer how do i publish them

Answer 1

I don't know how many books Fourcandles has written or submitted, but her information is totally wrong. NEVER NEVER send a manuscript to anyone unsolicited. And Scholastic Books does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. They deal with representation - aka agents.

First of all, you have to do more than "kinda write book" on your computer. You need to learn how to write properly. Your sentence is poorly worded and I hope your books are better written.

Your book must also be edited. For that you need to hire a professional editor to take your manuscript and hone it so it is in marketable shape. That means far more than just checking your punctuation and spell checking. It means making margin notes with regards to things like the pacing of your story, the style, description, character study etc. Unfortunately most of the novice writers who come to this forum feel they have no need for editors. They think they can spell check themselves and that they write well enough to forego a professional edit. That is a HUGE mistake. There has only been one author in history who wrote without the use of an editor and that was O Henry. So unless you are turning out work the quality of The Gift of the Magi (and I assure you none of us are!) you NEED an editor. Confidence in your abilities is good - overconfidence is professional suicide. Those who choose to skip over the editor part will learn that lesson the hard way -- when the rejection letters start rolling in and just don't stop. Their loss. Have your work edited.

Then, you can either use Writers Market (which you can buy for 30 dollars) or Literary Marketplace (use it at the library's reference section - it costs 300 a year.) and seek out agents or small publishers who are seeking works in your genre. Note - You cannot get through to large A List Publishers directly. Only A List agents can. They do not accept unsolicited submissions.

When you have found a couple that interest you - research them! Google the hell out of the name. Start with Preditors and Editors site and Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks forum for any information on the publisher/agent. There are a lot of fakes, frauds and companies on the brink of bankruptcy out there. When writers have been hassled by a publisher/agent, we write about it! You will find information in these forums involving other writers issues with the publisher/agent. If so, find others and steer yourself away from problems.

What you send first is a query letter and synopsis. Each agent and publisher has their own set of submission guidelines and they must be followed to the letter. You will get rejected if you do not submit properly.

You have to learn to have a hide as tough as a herd of elephants because you will get rejections. It's the nature of the beast. Gone with the Wind got 50. Just send out another letter to another agent or publisher and try again.

Eventually when you get a "bite", they will ask to see either a full or partial manuscript and a book proposal. That is a very specific document. You can get books on how to write one.

This is one of the ways using a professional editor comes in handy. They will also be able to work with you on your book proposal. That is the document your agent will use to sell your book to a publisher. An editor knows how to prepare and sell a book. They know what sells. They cost money, but it costs money to make money. But it's extremely worth it. It will take a good book and turn it into a GREAT book. Very few of the overconfident wanna-be authors here even know what a book proposal even looks like let alone how to write one.

Then you wait again. There is a lot of waiting involved. While you wait, you keep writing and working on a new book. If you wind up not getting any bites on your first novel, try another one. Very often, an author has one or two books they never sold. Consider them practice novels.

You can also go to Resolved Questions and search keywords publisher and publishing. There are a lot of answers here - some good some not so good. But they are good to print out and study. You have to learn to advocate for yourself. The more you learn, the better off you are.

Good luck. Pax - C

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. may have a lot of books in print, but they are hardly in the caliper of O Henry and will never never never become classics.

Answer 2

Agents will not touch anything that is already Published (if it's a reputable company) niether will they publish things that have been put on the Internet. Synopsis's is okay but if you upload chapters then no. Also with self-publishing you have doomed yourself. Your book isn't getting anywhere so you write something else and approach an Agent. They want to know whether you have any matrerial Published, then they want to know whether it sold. Yours has not, they wonder why and wont accept your work. You need to ask why your work hasn't sold. Self-Publishing can make or break you and very often it breaks you, now you'll struggle to publish anything with your History. I can't urge people enough to check every angel of Publishing and in my honest opinion steer clear of Self-publishing. Sorry to give you only bad news, but it's not your book that wont be accepted but you as well. I can't even tell you what to do and you'll not get out of it I'm afraid. I'm not an Author myself I work for the 'Dark Side', people shouldn't be so afraid of Agents we don't bite that hard.

Answer 3

If you're serious, you'll probably want to find a literary agent. Very few publishers are willing to accept unsolicited manuscripts. If it's fantasy, I know you can try Tor, but other than that, an agent is the way to go.
If I remember correctly, you don't want to go with an agent that charges you too much for an initial read, and you usually want to look at dealing in percentages rather than up front fees.
In all honesty, do a little research into different publishers that fit the genre of your book and see what they want.

By the way, Hellcat is wrong on one thing, though she has some good advice. L. E. Modesitt, Jr. has become a successful author without an agent or an editor, but he is the exception rather than the rule.

Answer 4

Submit it to a publisher on paper. There are very tight rules about typing, sizes of paper and binding, etc, so get a look at the Writer's & Artist's Yearbook available many bookshops and librarys. All the information you need is there use it.

Answer 5

Are they childrens books?

Scholastic books have an address on the website for manuscripts to be sent to, but they only accept childrens books.

I would send the hard copies to the different publishing houses. Include a stamped addressed envelope and don't be suprised if you don't hear for months.

Good luck.