I have been told for years to write a book about my life, for very important reasons but I am a person on a fixed income and do not know how to contact a publisher.  I don't even know if I'm supposed to send a sample writing (part of the story) for their review. As each type of story is different the style of writing would differ.  Is an editor an absolute requirement to a publisher? Grammar is one thing but style is another so I'm confused as to why the editor.\nTHANKS FOR YOUR ANSWER!
215653
There are many routes you can take. I tend to send clients the route less traveled as you have a better chance of getting picked up.  Most say you need an agent, and yes that is true if you want to be published by Powerhouse or other Large Publishing company.  However, they often pass on great books because they have so many in progress.  I manage writers, poets, models, and musicians. For all my writers I send them to small publishing houses first. I currently have a client and friend signed to YinSumi Press (www.yinsumi.com) at first I was hesistant to send her but they gave the best long term deal.  It is ran by people who have worked in the entertainment industry for over 15 years. So they already have her doing speaking engagements and her book doesn't go to press until August. Plus she will earn more than the larger publishing house was offering her.  They are a small publshing house with all the connections of a large publishing house. You might want to check them out. But if you do choose to go to a large publishing house, please get an agent and be patient, it may take years before anyone picks up your story.
48405
You specified a type of book I have never read, so I will answer the general part of your question.  Please understand that a book review's main purpose, from the reader's point of view, is to give him/her enough information to answer the question, "Should I read this book?"  Generally, that means "Should I buy this book," and that means parting with their hard-earned money.  \n\nFirst, you need to decide the answer to that question (yes or no?  Thumbs up or down?), and then support your conclusion with what you write.  Give enough information about the content to let a person know whether it is something they want, but not so much that they feel they've already got the point, and don't need to read the book.\n\nI would start by reading a great many book reviews, analyzing whether they satisfy your own need for information, and decide why they are good or bad.  \n\nAlways keep the reader's point of view in mind, but you also need to have a look at the publisher's point of view.  (The publisher of the review, not the book!)  What you see in a published review is important, by the standard of getting paid for what you write.  So read first in the publications that pay well for what you should do, then read in the publications that do not pay at all for what you should NOT do!  After all, if the author could have sold to a paying publication, he/she would probably have done so.
644314
This will sound strange but before you do anything write the story and then copyright it with the Library of Congress.  If you don't you will most likely have your story stolen from you and will never be able to received any royalities if the story becomes popular with the public.  I'm not kidding....I'm a screenwriter and I know.
157668
Generally editors must have college degrees. Often a broad liberal arts background is desirable, but some employers prefer a degree in communications, journalism, or English. When specializing in a particular subject area, a degree in that field is important.\n\nWriters and editors need to able to express ideas clearly in writing and should love to write.\n\nAlso desirable: creativity, curiosity, a broad range of knowledge, self-motivation, and perseverance. \n\nEmployers often appreciate unpaid practical experience, such as that gained through work on school newspapers and internships.\n\nMedian annual earnings for salaried editors were $41,170\n\n\nAn editor's work can include:\n\n    * reviewing, rewriting, and editing the work of writers;\n    * planning the content of books, journals, magazines\n    * deciding what material will appeal to readers;\n    * reviewing and editing drafts of books and articles;\n    * offering comments to improve the work;\n    * suggesting possible titles;\n    * overseeing the production of publications;\n    * reviewing book proposals and deciding whether to buy \n    publication rights;
565822
Do you need someone to write stories FOR you or do you need someplace to find them? If you just need to find them you can always go to FanFiction.net. If you need someone to write them for you, send me an e-mail with the specifics at marcial.guevara@sbcglobal.net and I'll do my best.
148140
Traditonal publshing houses are great, you just have to choose which route you wish to take. Either way, do not spend any money.\n\nLarge Publishers like Simon and Schuester require that you have an agent that submits your book.  The large publishing houses are hard to get into and once your in, if your not a heavy seller you will have to do your own PR. In the end it can take years to get signed and published through a large publishing house.\n\nSmall Publishers like YinSumi Press works with both agents and directly with authors.  It is ran by people who have worked in the entertainment industry for over 15 years and have access to all the same outlets as the major publishing houses.  It can take anywhere for 30 days to 6 months from start to finish before you book hits the stands. www.yinsumi.com.\n\nThe large publisher will often give you an upfront retainer of 5k to 20k depending on your book and if you are a person who is known in the industry.  Typically, after that you will receive about .10 cents per book sale after they have deducted the cost of PR, Advertising and other expenses, so you may find yourself selling 100,000 books and making only 5k.\n\nThe small publishers often do not offer an upfront retainer, however you receive full PR, advertising, book tours and more. In addition to this, you will also receive anywhere from 20-45% of the proceeds from the book, so if you sell 100,000 books you will walk away with at least 50k.
102637
1. How do you "write sketches"?? \n\nA sketch should be a short description of the character.  Who is he?  How old?  What's his relationship to the other characters?  What's his personality?\n\n2. What does "substantiated with excerpts" mean?\n\nIt means that you have to back up your point with short passages from the book that show why you're right.\n\n3. And, what does the last 3 words mean ("to prospective readers")?\n\nIt means to people who might be interested in reading the book but need your help deciding if they should read it or not.
148783
I will have to answer both questions.\n\nOne.\nYou need to contact a literary agent, many have reading fees for unsolicitated manuscripts (which is what you have).  Some do not have these fees and it may be a better idea for you.  Remember, the agent, once he agrees to represent you will take care of everything else, so choose wisely.\n\nTwo.\nYou must write at least a rough draft of your book.  Even a ghost writer (someone who writes books for other people) will require a rough draft of your story.  Get on that immediately.  I would recommend that you outline your story by bullet points.  \n\nJohn mets Nancy\nNancy's Mom dies\nJohn at the funeral\nNancy breaks up with John\nJohn cries at the bridge....\n\nOutlining helps non-writers and writers alike remember how they want to tell their story.\n\nGood luck and get to work.
229873
Cafepress is really good for those beginner and expert writers. You can just simply take a demo. Like the one on lulu. I recommend lulu! Its soo helpful. A little confusing at times but was sure to help you out. When you get to lulu you can just take a demo that shows step by step what to do and click on lulu that will show you where to go.\nIts very helpful.
97019
I'm glad you are thinking about about marketing. Whether writers publish with a trade publisher or self-publish, they will be the primary marketers.\n\nIf you have self-published, you will want to read The Self-Publishers Manual by Dan Poynter. The part on marketing is good for all writers.\n\nAnother thing I recommend to my clients is to have a Web site that deals with the topic of the book and to sell the book from the Web site. That works even if you are not self-published. The best place to learn about the Web part of this is http://inquire-sbi.com\n\nBest wishes.\nhttp://www.writershelper.com
461894
I'd try talking to the Editor-in-Chief.  If she doesn't have a problem with your writing, then the next time he starts in, point out that she likes it.  Use his infatuation with her to your own advantage.  Of course, if she doesn't like it either, then you're stuck.  Be careful telling him off though.  If she is hooking up with him, you're liable to get the boot.
174811
um... a friend of mine gave some advice on getting noticed as a writer once that was 'ass to the chair.'  it's a very similar philosophy.  play your asses off.  get gigs, any gigs.  if you're any good or you get better it will lead to better gigs.  then someday, after a lot of hard work and dedication you'll get noticed.  unless of course you're totally freakin awesome right off the bat... which is an oddity.
35907
ideally you would have someone acting as an editor to preview your work before you submit it to a publisher, keep in mind alot of publishers work with agents of writers and might not take submission
337099
I shouldn't even be answering this, because technically it is in violation of the Community Guidelines.  But I must admit it is an intriguing concept.  I don't like horror stories, but the other categories you mentioned appeal to me.  \n\nI should tell you I am not much of a fiction writer.  Non-fiction is my forte.  But perhaps with your detailed outlines of the story, or even paragraphs and so on, my editing skills might be of use.  It's something we can discuss.  I will send you an email when I get a chance if you select my answer as best.  (Is that another violation of the Community Guidelines?)
670963
Sounds to me like you're trying to get someone to write a book report for you!  I've read the book and Sandel makes a lot of good points.  Do yourself a favor and read it for yourself.
666137
Contact publishers!\n\nAuthor/agent submission Publishers spend a significant proportion of their time buying or commissioning content. The door is open for authors to submit material for consideration. The majority of unsolicited submissions come from previously unpublished authors. Such manuscripts must go through the slush pile, in which acquisitions editors sift through to identify manuscripts of sufficient quality or revenue potential to be referred to the editorial staff. Authors who are represented by a literary agent are more likely to succeed with major publishers. Publishers thrive only when they are able to produce and sell books that match the needs of the target readers. \nOnce a work is accepted, the commissioning editors negotiate the purchase of intellectual property rights and agree on royalty rates. \n\nHaving agreed on the scope of the publication and the formats, the parties must then agree royalty rates, i.e. the percentage of the gross retail price that will be paid to the author. This is a difficult risk management exercise because the publisher must estimate the potential sales in each market and balance projected revenue against production costs. \nOnce the immediate commercial decisions are taken and the technical legal issues resolved, the author may be asked to improve the quality of the work through rewrite(s) or the in-house staff will edit the work. Almost all publishers operate a house style, and staff will copy edit to ensure that the work matches the style and grammatical requirements of each market. \nWhen a final text is agreed, the next phases are design. This may include artwork being commissioned or confirmation of layout. This process prepares the work for printing through processes such as typesetting, dust jacket composition, specification of paper quality, binding method and casing, and proofreading. The activities of typesetting, page layout, the production of negatives, plates from the negatives and, for hardbacks, the preparation of brasses for the spine legend and imprint are now all computerised. \n\nSimply, you must contact publishers to get your books published!
470560
you can check this out with various agents on line.it varies from person to person and depends on what kind of genre you are writing in