Writing a book

[fayelc123]

Hi, this might sound like a bit of a silly question but my brothers girlfriend & i would love to know how to go about writing a book for the first time, if anyone has any info on this at all, especially advice on manuscripts etc it would be much appreciated! Thanks

[fairkatrina]

It's relatively simple, you get an idea, write it up and proof-read it. The next step depends on what you want from it. If you want it published by a big house then you'll probably need an agent for it to be seen, although sometimes they accept unsolicited manuscripts in certain genres, you'd have to contact the publishers directly once the book was finished. (They will also provide their own manuscript specifications).

To self-publish, your best bet is www.lulu.com as they will let you print any number of copies, whereas most self-publishing houses want you to purchase copies in bulk, and you'd end up forking out several hundred pounds for scores of copies.

[saxy_jag]

Everything Katrina said, only it's not as simple as she makes it sound, but I think she knows that.

Once you've actually written it, then you'll need it appraising and/or editing. Editing is something that new writers (and some not so new) are notoriously bad at, but if you have an otherwise decent story then a publisher may do some of that work for you.

Lulu and places like them are excellent, but they will charge for extras like marketing which, to be honest, is ultimately down to you, you, you! You should also bear in mind that Lulu will not comment on the quality of your work at all, which means that some real dross is turned out by its customers (although that's not always the case). Sadly there's also a tendency among non-self-published writers to look down on self-publishing.

I suggest you buy or borrow a copy of the Writers And Artists Yearbook 2007 (it has a red cover - beware of imitations) and have a read of some of the articles in there. You'll also find a listing of agents and publishers and details of what they will accept, genre-wise.

You could also join one of the many writing forums on the internet, where you can 'meet' others with the same goal and get some feedback on your work. My favourite is Writers Dock ( http://www.writersdock.org ), but a search engine should find you a few more.

Have fun, and good luck.

[fayelc123]

Thanks for the advice!