Have you ever published?

[mom-from-missouri]

I have 2 books I started on in the late 70's. One is about finished. Has anyone ever published something? How do you go about it? Both have been read by others, who have indicated I need to have it printed, and the one that is about done, I used it for a college writing class project and the instructor told me it was publishing material. I can't go back to that instructor as info he is deceased, and I don't know any of the other instructors as I haven't been on campus for several years. I have found some info on the internet, but some places want money sent in with the manuscript and that just doesn't seem right.

[jeffrey]

It is a process of patience. You have two routes to go...publish the book yourself or try and find a publisher or agent. If you do it yourself, you have to put out all the upfront costs, but you also gain the rewards if it's successful.

If you want to send it to publishers, the book to get is <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761537457/002-7991260-5307239">The Witer's Guide</A> which is a huge list of publisher's and agents. Your local library likely has copies. Realize going this route will also cost quite a bit in printing and mailing costs plus take a great deal of time. Patience is essential.

Don't pay to have your manuscript read. There are enough agents and publishers that will do it for free and asking writers to pay to have manuscripts read, although becoming mor popular, isn't looked upon highly in the writing world.