how do you contact book publishers? is it difficult? does it cost anything? how long does it take to get your book published?

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It doesnt cost anything, only the price of a stamp as they are mostly contacted through the post and its not difficult. You should find a number of published books simular to yours and you shoudl write them a letter with a synopsis of your book, your name, that you want to get published ect as well as your story (best thing to do is put it on disc because it costs less to post then). They should read it and get back to you but it could take a number of weeks. Dont expect for all the people you wote off to to want to publish your book though but remain optimistic if you get denyed and you should be able to get published Good Luck.

Anne, Here's what I give everyone who asks this question. It seems like a long list, but you can get it all done if you are serious about writing, especially for publication. Here's everything you'll need to know. Read on: 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. Keep an eye out for spelling and grammar errors. When typing fast with fresh ideas in our heads, we tend to forget ourselves. Check and recheck your work. Editors are very expensive these days. You’ll need to know how to write an effective ‘query letter’ to a literary agent. The letter will also include 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. Never send a manuscript to a publisher or literary agent without querying first. You’ll need to know how to format your manuscript. This includes the fonts (size and type) that most agents, editors, and publishers want. These are usually Courier New and Times New Roman (12 pt). Short stories and novels are formatted differently. You will need to follow submission guidelines just as they are laid down for your submissions. Anything less will result in your manuscript sent back or destroyed unread. You will need to know what Point of View (POV) is. Know how to write in First Person Point of View. You’ll need to know the can and can not of each. Do you know how to write dialogue? How to format dialogue? This is very important and allows the author and his/her characters to communicate with the reader. Remember dialect as well. Dialect is how a person speaks. Your characters may be highly educated or dumber than dishwater. ‘Ain’t got none’ is highly acceptable when used properly by a character who is even less than street smart. 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 Learn how to get a ‘word count of your work. Some novels have a prologue and an epilogue. You’ll need to know how to write them and why they’re used. Know what the word ‘genre’ means. Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction; These are all genres. One of the most important issues in manuscript submitting is the proper ‘page set up’ for your work. This includes margins, indents, and paragraphs. Most editors will want to see your manuscript double spaced. This allows the editor to use his/her proofreaders marks between the lines. Most margins will be one inch all around with a ragged right margin and an even left. Are you prepared to do a lot of ‘research’ involving your work? Remember that many professionals such as, doctors, lawyers, nurses, public accountants, judges, architects, bricklayers, engineers, and police officers read, too. Do you know what a sub-plot is? This is a plot that comes ‘under’ the main plot. The hero may be after the vampire, but the mob may be after the hero as well. This is a sub-plot. Can you take rejection and constructive criticism? If you’re easily hurt in the feelings department, then writing may not be your forte. 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 per page. Then there’s the hourly rate that some charge. Usually it’s within the range of $65.00. So, if they work on your book for 18 hours, that’s another $1170.00 + $1800.00 = $2970.00 These are the things you must know to work at your craft. 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. They also have a website. Google: Writer’s Market. I wish you the best of luck!

You need to do a lot of research. Get a good book like The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook which will tell you specifics and also has listings. However, the best thing to do is look not for a publisher but for an agent. Few publishers these days will even look at the work of authors who do not have an agent. And approaching an agent is very much the same as for a publisher. You should never pay an agent anything, not even to read your manuscript. They're there to get you a publishing deal, and they don't get paid until you do. -Look up listings of agents. -Research them, find out other published authors they've represented and if any are of a similar vein to yours. See if they're right for you. -Prepare a submission; this must be a highly polished and professional package. --------You'll need to have a letter, detailing your title, word count and a brief description of your manuscript (i.e. one or two sentences, perhaps the genre and books it's similar to), plus a little bit about yourself (list competitions you've won or other things you've had published in magazines. If you haven't had any of these, leave it out, don't make it up). --------Include with it a synopsis: this is an outline of your novel from beginning to end with no secrets, and a clear ending. Cliffhangers are not for synopsi, it's not a blurb. -------You should then include an extract of your novel. This is usually the first two or three chapters. But check all this out as different agencies have different submissions procedures. You usually need to include a self addressed stamped envelope to receive a reply. Some agents these days are okay with it if you instead give them an email address to reply to. Send it through the post to several agents. Prepare to be rejected, but keep trying and don't give up!