writing a book

[michele u]

I took my onc advice and have started writing my book. Does anyone know how to get published or where i could find a editor? My title is going to be Forced Courage: My journey through the War against Cancer I wrote an article about Forced courage awhile back. I went out on a limb an bought me a lap top and am going to take it everywhere i go and write

[Hopeful]

Michele,

For potential copyright infringement reasons, a lot of publishers will not read a manuscript unless it is submitted through an agent, so that is a place to start. There used to be a magazine called Writer's Digest that was very good about giving tips to writers on how to get their submissions read, and how to find an agent, etc. There are also digests published which have the names of magazines, publishers, agents, etc. and what their requirements are for submissions. You may be able to get some help with one of those at your local library.

Best of luck to you.

Hopeful

Dear Michele,

I am a writer of fiction, and I have a book coming out on May 1, a murder mystery set in Italy, the first in a five-book series. The title is "The Last Enemy," the publisher is Soho Crime, and my name is Grace Brophy. You can do a search by my name in Amazon.

But to your question. I assume from your message that your book is non-fiction. The rules for getting non-fiction published are different from those for fiction. Agents/publishers prefer to receive proposals rather than a complete work. You would need at least a finished chapter to show your writing style and a complete outline of the book. If you have any writing credentials, you should send those along as well. Although there are a few publishers that accept unsolicited manuscripts they are few and far between, so finding an agent is usually the first step. And most good agents specialize in certain types of books. You need to find the ones that handle your type of book. There are many many sites on the internet that describe the process of getting published and also give names of agents that might help you. It's difficult for me to post the links here, so I will send them to you via a private email tomorrow.

One very important warning. Never, never give money to anyone up front. Real agents with real credentials never ask for money. Anyone who does is a charlatan, and will just take your money and deliver nothing in return.

It's a difficult process so you must be prepared for some disappointments but if you write well and have something important to say, I'm sure you'll find an agent.

Good luck.

[rinaina]

MicheleU, just wanted to wish you good luck with writing this book. I give you a lot of credit for doing so. I have been journaling everything and all my family and friends have told me to turn this into a book but I am not sure I would know how. The journal includes all the medical things as well as all my feelings and experiences. Keep us posted on your progress. I think it is terrific what you are doing.

[RobinP]

Michelle, yes, I have experience with book writing. The way to go with this, especially if you are new to writing, is print-on-demand,POD, and self-publishing. I've worked with a little self-publishing company called Lulu. You may want to check out their website; they do have an online discussion board too. Additionally, they have all kinds and levels of editors, graphic artist, formatting book editors etc. that will work with you via online. The best part about Lulu is that they help new writers get easiily published and allow them to have 80% of the royalities or profits.Good luck with your story-- it should be an interesting one!