My friend and I are thinking of publishing our manuscript of humorous articles about men-woman relationships. I know it is a special interest book, and we are not well known authors. Are there boutique book publishers who would consider such a project? We really don;t want to go to subsidy publishers like Vantage until we try out a few genuine publishers.

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Publishers assume all the risk in publishing; therefore, you do not decide to publish--a publisher makes all the decisions. You may have a manuscript about which you have very strong feelings, but unless a publisher is nearly certain of its ability to turn a quick profit, it will not see the light of day through conventional publishing means. Today, publishing in the USA is owned by three multi-national conglomerates who concern themselves with profit and not the dissemination of valuable literature as was once the case in publishing. Each manuscript has to present evidence that it can bring in more than it costs to publish it and take it to the shelves. To this end, publishers expect you to come with your own marketing platform. This is why WWF wrestlers can publish cookbooks and dimwit celebrities can publish children's books. It is not about quality or value; it's about sales. Each and every publisher has a set number of titles it can publish annually. In order to grab one of those slots, you have to have chops. You also have to have an agent. Publishers no longer accept submissions "over the transom." They expect an agent to act as a buffer and filter out the rubbish so that they are not bothered with it. Given your subject matter, unless you Dr. Phil or Dr. John Gray, you most likely cannot be considered an "authority" in the matter of "relationships," humorous or otherwise. This is not to say that what you have written isn't great fun; I'm simply telling you how publishers view these things. Keep in mind, too, that the majority of book sales in this country are happening online at Amazon, and on the ground at Barnes and Noble and Borders. Retail shops have limited space and can hold a very specific number of books. The average shelf-life for a book today is about 30 days before it is pulled and returned to the publisher to make room for another new book that no one will buy. Thirty days is not enough time to get a toe-hold. Getting local bookshops to take on a consignment is tricky and depends very much on the attitude of the owner of the shop. Go to the public library Reference Desk and ask to see the Writer's Market, which lists publishers of all types. You will find information about submissions, requirements, rates, queries, representation, etc. The Writer's Market also breaks listings by genre, which you will find helpful. The other thing you can do is to publish your work yourself, not through a subsidy publisher, but through Kinkos: print it, bind it, distribute it locally. See if you can get any buzz going. Before you take this step, find out what local bookshops might be willing to carry it. Are there local morning chat shows you might be invited to? How can you promote your book? There's a lot to publishing and most of it is not pleasant. You have no doubt poured a lot into your manuscript. But in the big picture of publishing, that is only one small consideration. Good luck to you.

Hope this helps!