Position:Home>Books & Authors> I have this really good book that i want to send to houghton mifflin but im not

Hi:
Certainly, you can self-publish your book!. There are several ways to go about this:

1!. Use one of the national vanity/subsidy presses like Vantage Press whose ads are prominent in writers' and other magazines!. You pay for everything and end up owning a basement full of expensive books!.

2!. Use one of the many national print-on-demand (POD) presses like iUniverse!.com!. They usually cost less than option #1, and you only buy the number of books you want, so storage and massive investment are less a consideration!.

3!. Use a local printer/book-binder!. In my area this works out to be the lowest cost option for self-publishing!.

In all cases, though, be aware that you will do almost all the marketing, advertising, and selling!. That's the way self-publishing is!. You will get very little (if any) help from the publisher (except at extra cost), and little help from bookstores!. On the plus side, you reap all the profits, if any!.

Besides a copyright, which you get from the US Copyright Office (presently $45, I believe), you will need an ISBN number (at approximately $10 each!. You must buy 10 of them to get 1), a barcode, and a library number!. You need these numbers if you want to sell any of them through bookstores or get them onto library shelves!.

And last of all, ask yourself, 'If this really is a good book, why wouldn't Houghton Mifflin accept it!?' Those answers may tell you if by self-publishing you are simply tossing your money away to pat your ego!. It takes an investment to publish any book!. Will you get your investment back!? Or will your estate own a box or basement full of worthless paper when you are in your grave!?

Hope this puts a realistic spin on your question!.

Chuck Lyons, author of:
Love On His Mind, published 2002
Shanghaied Heart, published 2008Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

You need to get the 2009 copies of The Writer's Market & The Guide to Literary Agents!. If you send it to a publisher w/o representation, it'll end up on a slush pile where it may never get read!. Read the articles before you begin searching!. Find an agent who is accepting unsolicited submissions in your genre!. You'll need to read about query letters & book proposals, but become well-versed in the initial process!. Before anyone sees it be sure it is perfect for punctuation, grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc!. You're better off hiring someone to do this than waste it on self-publishing!. If your book is as good as you say, you want to go first-class!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

From what I understand, the major publishers will not accept or read manuscripts that are unsolicited, or that don't come through a literary agent!. If you do send it, you have better make sure it is absolutely free of spelling and punctuation errors, or they'll just chuck it!.

www!.lulu!.com is considered one of the best self-publishing companies!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

You can self-publish!. There are books that tell how to do this!. To find out whether Houghton Mifflin would publish your book, visit their website, www!.hmco!.com, and read their submission guidelines (in the "Contact" section)!.

If you don't want to self publish and HMCO won't handle your book, go to Writer's Market (a book usually in your local library) and look for agents and publishers who handle your type of book and are accepting new clients!. They will all have submission guidelines, which are rules to follow when submitting your book to them!.

Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

Send it to as many publishers as possible - you'll probably get a ton of rejections but you'll have to let that roll off your back and keep trying!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

Send it to more than one company!. All authors get rejection slips!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---