How do I specificly get something published?

Question

I have alot of poems and some short stories, that I would love to get out there in the world. Do you know how I could make it into a book? Does it cost alot of money to do that? Please if you can, tell me all the specifics. And please tell me if there are any easy ways of getting things published. Thank-you.

Answer 1

Unfortunately if you got hold of a copy of Writers Market you would find that most agents won't read short story and poetry collections. The market for them is very small. Major publishers aren't interested in them.

Go to Barnes and Noble. Find the poetry shelf. Count the number of books there. It is very small. Now ask yourself which is going to sell more. The latest high body count thriller by Dean Koontz or a collection of poems. The Koontz wins hands down. That is why major publishers don't bother. And if agents cannot sell your work, they are just wasting their time when they could be selling high body count thrillers that will make them lots of money.

Your answer is smaller presses that publish "literary works." You will find some in Writers Market. However you must be very careful. Not all of them are legit. Check with Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks, Preditors and Editors, Writers Wall, Writers Weeklky, Anne Crispin's site and every other site you can find. If there are complaints against a publisher, pass them over and find another.

Remember to always query in exactly the way the publisher asks for submissions. I do not recommend any self publishers. They may claim to be free, but they are not. And the average sales for a self published book is less than 100. Not worth it. Pax - C

Answer 2

Try booksurge.com (a subsidiary of amazon.com). Give them your email address and they'll send you details on how it works. It's inexpensive and they use Print-On-Demand, which means that they print the books after an order has been placed so that you don't have to worry about selling a certain amount of books. They offer editing service too for a fee. Another great thing is that it only takes about three months to complete the process as opposed to a year or more with traditional publishing houses. And the best thing is they don't turn anybody down.

Answer 3

Getting an agent would be the best way to go, especially if you are an adult. But agents are extremely picky. If you don't want it hugely published just yet, I reccomend self-publishing. www.cafepress.com (click on make your own stuff and scroll down until you see the link with a book on the bottom left) is a good place to start. But get it copyrighted and an ISBN. Just, whatever you do, DON'T go to lulu.com. They'll screw you and your customers over!