How can i get my book published?

Question

Im 16 years old and I would like to publish my book, how do i do that?

Answer 1

Not every legitimate sale requires an agent. Many small publishers still deal directly with the author. Once you have a completed, polished manuscript, you can figure out if you should seek a big "name brand" publisher, in which case you need an agent, or if a small publisher will do just fine.

You can find publishers in the most recent edition of Writer’s Market (US) or Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook (UK). Each listing will indicate “agented submissions only” or not.

Remember, reputable agents charge the author NOTHING up-front. Some agents may deduct the costs of doing business (copies, mail, phone) from your first check, but nobody legitimate needs that in order to get started.

You can determine whether an agent is reputable at sites like Preditors and Editors (http://www.invirtuo.cc/prededitors/) and the AAR (http://www.aar-online.org/mc/page.do). Besides being a real agent and not a scammer preying on writers’ dreams, you also want to research an agent’s recent sales of books in your genre before sending a query letter.

Researching whether a publisher is the real deal is easier. Go to a bookstore. See any of their books? Good. No? If it’s a small press, it might still be legitimate. The biggie is that no publisher needs money from the author. None at all. Any publisher who does is cause to run the other way.

Why? Because for fiction, paying to publish just about guarantees very low sales, regardless of the quality of your work. If you really put a lot of effort into your novel, it deserves better.