Lin Stin ⋅ Herndon, VA ⋅ 1 years experience

Hi there, I would also reccommend reading some of the professional industry journals out on the market. I have submitted fiction to several publishers around the U.S. based on contests, classified ads etc that were posted in fiction/non-fiction journals. These journals include Writers Digest and Poets & Writers magazine. They are a good step to help you understand the market you are writing for, who is looking for your genre of work and where you might be able to get it published. Here's a link to Poets & Writers: http://www.pw.org/magazine

JOSE ZUNIGA JR ⋅ Lubbock, TX U.S. Marine Corps, Corporal ⋅ 4 years served

Hello, Michael

Have you considered self-publishing ? Depending on the type of book you are wanting to publish, here are some great resources to consider.

Trafford Publishing - http://www.trafford.com/
Xulon Press - http://www.xulonpress.com/christian-self-publishing/get-started.php

In addition, you can actually google literary agents to assist you to go on to the next level in your writing career.

Let me know how you are doing.

Jose Z.
Z-Man Enterprises & Media Group, LLC
jazj2006@yahoo.com

Mo Johnson ⋅ Dumfries, VA U.S. Army, Major ⋅ 20 years served

Hi, it's hard to say without knowing more about your book. But, I would say, in my experience, it is much easier and more financially rewarding today to self-publish. It is extremely easy and cheap to publish on Kindle (for instance) and then automatically be listed on Amazon where you book can be sold in any format the buyer wants. You will get much higher royalties than going the traditional book publishing route. It's also much faster. Also, these days, book publishers do less for new authors than they used to. They will rely on you to do much of the marketing work they used to do.

So, my advice (generally, again, I know nothing of your particular situation) -- is to self-publish.

Feel free to contact me at mo[at]zero-risk-internet-marketing.com if you want more info. I can tell you exactly how to do it as I've done it myself. The marketing is more work than writing the book usually -- although you could partner with someone to do the marketing for you....

Rashid Hill, MPM ⋅ San Diego, CA United States Navy ⋅ 33 years experience

Absolutely great posts here Michael. I have recently published my first book and yes, writing it is just the first phase... many more to go. Today, self-publishing is the way to go to have more control over your production. If you have a super unique manuscript with a specially attractive perspective to the major publishers then tighten your belt and hold on for a long bumpy ride trying to just get your proposal accepted and reviewed. Now, I will say this, if you can prove that you (1) have loads of money to support self promotions, (2) show that you have a speaking circuit that you frequently present your material and (3) have a huge audience to directly promote to then you might have a chance to get a proposal review and after that somewhere down the line it could be worth it when they offer a 6 figure advance on a book deal.
For the record, I self-published and now will be releasing my 2nd edition to my first book. I'm using Outskirts press for this edition. Compared them to the top self publishers in the industry before choosing the diamond package.
You can view my book here: www.blurb.com/user/Reemz1

All the best. If you do need additional assistance just contact me.

Rashid Hill

Kermit Burley ⋅ Bethlehem, PA Hewlett Packard ⋅ 33 years experience

I would also try the self-publishing route. I have done that myself and now have a book on the market. You can select from a large list, and I see many very good ones in previous posts. You will find a good number of options payment plans, advice and support. Of course, depending on your budget, you can add, select or delete as many or as few as you want to. I used Authorhouse http://www.authorhouse.com/ and have been very pleased. Best of luck, it is very hard work, but worth it, that is for sure.

Kevin McIntyre ⋅ Loveland, CO Ricoh Production Print Solutions ⋅ 30 years experience

I'll add to Jose's list of Self-Publishing links: http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-summary-page.html?topic=200260520

Parker Benton ⋅ Valencia, CA Hewlett Packard ⋅ 22 years experience

Suggest joining Linked In website to join groups in the same industry as yourself to create peer groups obtaining same goals and strategies! Forming a new team! Warrior!

Susanne Scholz ⋅ Conway, AR Hewlett Packard ⋅ 8 years experience

I took a writing course and their advice was to look at like topic books already published and seek out those publishers. Also you should expect to get turned down ~60 times before someone says yes. So if you really want to get published you better not have thin skin.

Timothy Nelson ⋅ Springfield, IL U.S. Army, First Lieutenant ⋅ 15 years served

I have heard veterans writing groups like VETERANS WRITING PROJECT in DC, and WARRIORWRITERS have developed excellent resources/contacts. In reference to Mo's suggestion, I know of a lot of writers that have gone the self-publish route, with positive results. Plus, looks like you already have a marketing guru ready to help! Best of luck!