Can you give me some advice on getting a book published?

I just want to know the basics of what to do please.Can you give me some advice on getting a book published?
1) Finish the first draft of a manuscript. Let trusted friends read it. Revise.





2) Read these two books:


Noah Lukeman's THE FIRST FIVE PAGES


and


SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS (forget the author)


Then edit your manuscript again.





3) Once your manuscript is perfect, it's time for the query letter. You can google ';sample query letters'; to get a feel for how they're done. Make sure your query letter is perfect. Post it on writers.net for critique.





4) Once your query is perfect, start to research agents. Look in books that are similar to yours in the acknowledgments--authors usually thank their agents there. You can use agentquery.com to find out what genres agents accept and whether they are looking for new clients. Also, sign up for the free newsletter from publishersmarketplace.com and you will read some deals in there. Pay attention to which agents are making deals for debut authors.





5) Most importantly, check Preditors %26amp; Editors before you query each agent and make sure the agent is ok! If the agent is not recommended, do not query them. Here is the link:


http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/





The rule is... money flows to the writer. You should not pay a cent to get published. A real agent takes 15% of the sale and does not charge you unless he/she makes a sale. Do not pay anyone anything.





After you sign with an agent, they will submit the manuscript to publishers.





Good luck!Can you give me some advice on getting a book published?
OK- there are 2 ways to get published:





You can self publish- there are loads of places you can pay to have your novel published. This will give you a copy(s) of your book. If you wish to sell that book- you would have to advertise it and market it yourself. Some websites do this in a package for you.





Otherwise, you need to send it off to an appropriate publisher. It's no good sending off Bridget Jones's Diary to a place that deals in sports books for example. How do you find these publishers? In the Writers and artist yearbook.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writers-Artists-鈥?/a>





Buy a copy or borrow one out of the library.





If you are serious about writing I would subscribe to writing magazine- full of competitions, advice on publishing and help with writing novels and competitions.





http://www.writingmagazine.co.uk/main/wm鈥?/a>





here is one competition that's going on now





http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/index.php/鈥?/a>
First you have to finish the manuscript and edit it to the best of your ability. No agent or publisher will consider unfinished work from an unproven author. You are entering into a business world full of contracts and responsibilities, and you should know as much about the industry as possible.





Were you looking to self-publish, or go the traditional route? If you want to self-publish then I would second the recommendation to check out http://www.lulu.com but keep in mind that this road has many limitations.





As far as novels go, different publishers specialize in different things, and fiction is a broad word. If you try to sell a fantasy novel to a publisher that only works with romance, you are going to get a rejection no matter how good your writing is. There are some smaller presses that will look at unagented material, but none of the bigger ones will.





So do your homework. Take a look at the most recent ';Writer's Market';... or even better, try the ';Guide to Literary Agents';.





I absolutely suggest getting an agent instead of approaching publishers directly. I'm assuming you are not a contract attorney, so you will need someone to look over any offers and to guide you through the publishing world.





Also, you will not be seding your manuscript to agents unsolicited! Send them a query letter and see if they ask to see a partial, then a full. If you send the whole thing, it will just get you a form rejection letter. Research each agent's specific submission guidelines and follow their rules!





No publisher or agent should charge you any money up front! That is the sign of a scam! They make money by selling your book. Agents work on a commission (generally 15% of the amount of money the publishers pay you).





Here are five websites that can help. Read them thoroughly (especially Miss Snark-- love her!) and research, research, research!


http://misssnark.blogspot.com/


http://www.agentquery.com/


http://www.publishersmarketplace.com


http://www.absolutewrite.com/


http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/


http://www.duotrope.com





And be warned of the people on this list:


http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.h鈥?/a>





You will face a lot of rejection, but if you really want this then keep at it! Work hard, and good luck!
First, join a writers' group. They will provide you with valuble criticism as your novel progresses.


Second, when you've finished it get other people to read it and give you feed back on it.


Third, find an agent. Publishers don't accept manuscripts from unpublished authors. To find an agent look them up in something like the Artist %26amp; Writers' Yearbook. I have a friend who's written a novel. She had to try many agents before she found one who would take her on. The agent, in turn, is trying different publishers to find one who will publish the book.





It might take longer to get the book published than it does to write it, so don't give up the day job just yet.
Write about a boy wizard that doesn't know he is a wizard, until one day...