How Do I go About Writing A Book/Publishing etc

Many people have said to me over the years I should write a book on my life story as its better than most soap operas with the amount of things that have happened to me.
How do I go about it? Do I write it and then how do I find a publisher? Would I have to lay out lots of money to get it published? (If thats the case it will be a no go from the start).
I would also like to write some childrens short stories of made up stories that have been passed down generations of our family and are still very popular with the youngest to this day.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I can't really offer any help Bev, but didn't Lucky Star do this once??? I'm sure she did, so maybe ask her?

If I were you I'd just settle down and write it as and when you feel like it. When it's all put together, I think you can then send it off to a publisher, who either wants it or sends it back, but I'm not sure about cost, maybe you'd have to pay them for the priveledge of them reading it perhaps? Can't you e-mail a publisher and ask them?

Good luck, it's something I've always wanted to do but never seem to have found the time! I blame Dogsey!!!!!

Thanks H,
I will PM LS and see if I can get any advice. Yes Dogsey is the distraction I have problems with

I suggest you find a class or a Writers Circle, then you`ll get support and tips. Try your local college and good luck!

The standard way is to write your book then try to get an agent (typically by sending a synopsis, cover letter and the first few chapters), who should then try to find you a publisher.

It's really hard to even get an agent these days though but if you want to write, it's worth trying.

Alternatively, you could try to find a publisher yourself but they seem to prefer the writers to go through an agent.

My husband is in the process of having a scientific text book published but he just approached the publishers directly. In his case, there was a 'space' in the market so the publishers were happy, although I don't know if you typically need an agent for a text book.

Get hold of a copy of the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook - it gives all the information you need on writing, getting published and all the contact details for relevant agents and publishers for your chosen genre too.

http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/

It is also possible to self-publish with different options - going it completely alone or involving the publisher for only some aspects of publishing. There are also ways to publish on-line too.
e.g.
https://www.lulu.com/s1/paperbackuk/...FZFh4wodPUHcdA

Good luck!

I am writing a book at the min and this one i really intend to work hard to get it published!

Here are a few tips i got from my Auntie who is published.

Write the book first and get a few people to proof read it and offer some feedback. If you are in a writers group great ask them to do this for you, if not then past it to some friends you trust to be honest.

Once you are happy with the novel then you need to find an angent to help get it published. With out an agent no publisher will even look at your writing. The best thing to do is write a letter to agencies and include a sentence that puts your book in a nutshel, avoid names though and keep it compact. There is lots of tips online about how to write a good letter.

The agent should do the work for you if they take you one finding a publisher ect.

Good luck x

ETA - Opps was writing this as LS replied too!

PS - you really should not need to pay out money to get either a publisher or an agent.

And here's a useful link:

http://writewords.org.uk/articles/

No tips Bev and seems it has been covered now anyway.

Wishing you the best of luck.

You need to develop a thick skin too, because if it takes a long time to get an agent (i.e. if your manuscript ends up on the slush pile) it can be disheartening seeing all those self-addressed/stamped A4 envelopes dropping through the door.

I don't want to put you off and if you want to write, you will ; it's just that it can be a bit depressing at times, to get rejection letters.

http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/2...ting-an-agent/

500:1 against getting an agent?

May 8, 2010 by Claire Fogg (Publisher, Yearbooks)
Filed under: Literary Agents
I was reading an interview with a literary agent over on Galley Cat and among her answers, one thing stood out. The agent, an independent who is just broadening her client list to take on young adult fiction, mentioned the number of manuscripts she reviews.
Quite often you’ll hear a literary agent saying they are swamped by manuscripts or drowning under their slush pile, but it’s not often they attempt to put a number on what they actually look through.
Are they really drowning, or just dipping their toe into the pool?
For this agent, Kate Epstein, the founder and president of the Epstein Literary Agency, it came in at 1,000 manuscripts in a four-month period, which is 250 a month, or about 8 a day. And this was just for her YA submissions.
That’s quite a lot, especially when you factor in the many other things that an agent spends their time doing, from building relationships with publishers, to tracking trends in publishing, negotiating rights, getting to grips with contracts, checking payments and, yes, blogging and even Tweeting – these all eat up valuable time.
The following are Kate’s exact words from the Galley Cat interview: “in almost four months I’ve probably reviewed more than 1,000 submissions and made two offers of representation”.
So if you’ve ever wondered what your odds were on getting an agent, they are perhaps 2 in 1,000 or roughly 500:1 against. But don’t be disheartened. This needn’t be as downbeat as it might sound. The advice we give here on this website, in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook and at our events for writers is all aimed at helping you to shorten those odds.
And for every simple improvement you make to your submission and your submission strategy (I say this, as there’s the bigger picture to consider here, such as pinpointing agents who are a good match for your manuscript), you are improving your chances of gaining representation.
Keep at it and you could be transforming your lot from rank outsider to odds-on favourite.
Good luck!
Claire
(Publisher)
Literary agent Kate Epstein Tweets advice and commentary for writers as EpsteinLiterary

Some info from a children's writer:

http://www.jackiemarchant.co.uk/the-...o-get-an-agent

Thankyou thankyou you have been really helpful and I appreciate all your time giving me all this info.
I am certainly going to give it a go and once i get my dogs sorted health wise I will set to and start my writing. Thankyou