How do i get my book published?

Question

I have just recently completed a very good book and everyone tells me that I need to get it published. But the only problem is I don't know of any place that say's you don't need an agent, and I don't have any money to afford an agent. I tried scholastic but you need an agent with them also. Is there any place to get published that do not require an agent? Or can I just use my mom as my agent or another fmily member? Or do agent's have to have legal papers to show the publisher's that they are certified? But please help I can't afford an agent. And don't suggest lulu.com. They are a bear trap for anyone with a story and a valid credit card.

Answer 1

You shouldn't have to pay an agent anything until they sell your book to a publisher.

An agent who charges a reading fee or any kind of upfront fee should be avoided.

So you don't need any money to start querying agents. The advantage of an agent who represents the kind of book you've written is that they know all the editors who might be interested in your book. So even though I suppose your mom could try to play the agent's role, she wouldn't have the connections that an established literary agent has, and you wouldn't get very far.

Some agents will help you polish your book before taking it to publishers, which is also a big help. Your family and friends might not be able to look at your book and comment on it objectively and tell you what might need to be fixed.

Even though "everyone" tells you that you need to get your book published, be prepared for a lot of rejection. Your book might not be as good as people have told you (friends and family like to be encouraging and supportive, or might not be looking at the same things that an agent or editor will be looking at).

Even for good books, it can take a very long time to find just the right agent to represent it, and then another very long time for the agent to sell the book.

As you look for agents to query, be sure to follow their instructions exactly, query only agents who represent the type of book you've written, and query widely. It's OK (and expected) to query many agents at once, until one asks to see your full manuscript or asks for an "exclusive."

Good luck!

Answer 2

Th best thing to do is to do most of the editing yourself do this by reading the entire novel in print and checking any grammatical errors and miss spelled words. Editors cost a lot of money to check grammar so this is something you Want to do ahead of time. But you should never have to pay an agent before you get paid from the book. Stay clear away from agents like that.

Answer 3

Elissa is absolutely right. But look at what I've listed below for you. This is what Elissa an I had to know and do to get published.

Writing a book takes more than just sitting down and putting your idea into words. There are a lot of things that you have to consider.

You need a good grasp of the English language. Spelling and Grammar. You will also need to check and recheck your work. Editors are very expensive these days.

You need to know how to write an effective ‘query letter’ to a literary agent.

Can you write a synopsis that will hold the interest of the agent, and want to make him or her ask for the first three chapters of your work?

Do you know how to outline?

You’ll need to know how to format your manuscript. This includes the fonts that
most agents, editors, and publishers want.

Do you know what Point of View is? (POV) Do you know how to write in First Person Point of View? The can’s and can not’s?

Do you know how to write dialogue? How to format dialogue?

It’s a good idea to know some of the publishing laws. The use of names and places.

These include
o Delivery Of Satisfactory Copy
o Permission for Copyrighted Material
o Grant Of Rights
o Proofreading and Author's Corrections
o Advances and Royalties
o Author's Warranties and Indemnities
o Copies to Author
o Option Clause
Do you know how to get a ‘word count?

Do you know what a prologue is? An epilogue? Do you know how both of them are used and why?

Do you know what the word ‘genre’ means?

You’ll need to know how to use the proper ‘page set up’ for your work. Margins, indents, paragraphs.

Are you prepared to do a lot of ‘research’ involving your work? Many professionals such as, doctors, lawyers, nurses, public accountants, judges, architects, bricklayers, engineers, and police officers read, too.

Do you know what a plot is? A sub-plot?

Can you take rejection and constructive criticism? If you’re easily hurt in the feelings department, then this hobby is not meant for you. Critics will tear you apart or build you up. The best writers in the world “King, Patterson, Koontz, J.K. Rowling, and many others” have been torn up one side and down the other. You can’t please everyone.

If you decide to hire an editor, remember: Your manuscript will be double spaced, which means there will be twice as many pages. A 600 page novel could cost you around $1800.00, some even more depending on what the editor charges a page.

These are the things you must know to work at your craft. But don’t let these things deter you from writing. There are books in libraries and bookstores that can teach you all of these things. Buying these books (if you want to be a serious writer) is the best thing to do. Why? Well, because you can use a yellow marker to highlight all the points of interest. Then you can use the front of the book to make page references to those markings in order to check back on them at a later date, when you need to.

You’ll need to get a copy of Writer’s Market for the current year. This has literary agents whom you can send out query letters to. Some of them allow email queries.

I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 4

Well you can always self publish, or try contacting an agent. A good website for self-publishing is

http://www.infinitypublishing.com
or
http://www.authorhouse.com

Infinity will send you a free guide to help you format your book, they print up as ordered, and it will be placed on Amazon.com, borders.com, barnesandnoble.com and others. They also have a new website http://www.authornation.com
You can check out the site where they sell their books at

Http://www.buybooksontheweb.com
or
http://www.bbotw.com

thanks.