A published book being publicly displayed and sold in the bookstore and anywhere else is every writer’s dream.

Traditionally, when one hears the word publishing, he automatically relates it to selling and distributing printed works such as books, magazines, and newspapers. Recently and largely due to the expansion of the Internet, publishing has included electronic resources such as ebooks, periodicals, websites, blogs, and games.

But the generic idea of publishing still revolves on books. And the biggest hurdle of writers is actually the book publishers themselves. If you have written a book, it is quite important to know exactly how to publish your book.

1. The first thing to know about how to publish your book is that big publishers like Bantam or ROC won’t look much in a new manuscript unless you are an established author or unless you have an agent. Having an agent, however, entails cost on your part.
   
   For starters, medium-sized to small scale publishers are the best choice for first-time authors. These publishers welcome new manuscripts.
   
   If you hire an agent to do the work for you, then you may try the bigger ones nonetheless.
   
   
2. The next thing to do in how to publish your book is to find a good publisher. To do this, you will have to visit a good, very commercial bookstore and check out the shelves where books with the same genre as yours are placed. Look at the spine or the first page inside these books and list down the publishers and their contact details. Since these publishers publish and distribute that particular type of genre, then it is likely that they are going to be interested in your book.
   
   You can also visit a university library. Look for Writer’s Market (most universities have this). This reference book lists all publishers in the nation and the sort of books that they publish. Contact details of each publisher are also presented. Second, look for the book Literary Market Place. This book also contains
   a list of publishers although it is less user-friendly since it is written and organized from the publisher’s point of view rather than the author’s.
   
   
3. The next step is to call each of the publishers on your list and speak to the secretary. Ask for the name of the correct acquisitions editor of the subject you are working on. Check if there are particular or special procedures for submissions done by an unpublished writer. Sometimes, publishing companies do have protocols for first-time submissions. Finally, ask about how you should be able to follow up regarding the progress of your submission.
   
   List down all the details and interactions of each publisher in your list. This will be especially useful especially if you are submitting your work to several publishers at once.
   
   
4. The next step in how to publish your book is to send the materials as stated in each publisher’s instructions. Usually, publishers ask for a package—a cover letter or a proposal describing your book and a sample chapter or section of the manuscript.
   
   Before sending the manuscript, it is a good idea to have a professional editor copyedit the book first. Even the best writers commit errors which are difficult to detect if they edit it themselves. Also, most publishers throw away a manuscript if they see it has a lot of errors.
   
   
5. Send the package to all publishers in your list.
   
   
6. An important step in how to publish your book is to make a follow-up call. This is to ensure that the editor who will decide on your book considers your work and gives it a look. It doesn’t matter if a publisher doesn’t like your manuscript; what is important is that they gave it some consideration. If the editor hasn’t taken a look, describe your book and convince them politely to take a look.
   
   
7. Assuming the publisher wants to publish your book, agree to a beneficial royalty deal.