I have drafted a story by writing it by hand. I want to send it to a publisher and to get it published. I want to make a living out of this. Also I write poetry some of which I did get published. I also write songs and am looking for someone to produce them and of course so I can make a living out of it. Any ideas?

How old are you? Please tell me more about the poetry getting published. What was the process?

If you mean actually written by paper and pen, most publishers will not accept it that way, most require it to be on computer format in specific formats.

Also most do not accept unrequested material, beyond a basic outline or merely first chapter

You need to get your story typed up, double spaced, in 12 point, and in a standard font like Times New Roman. Leave wide margins at top, bottom and on both sides. Do not staple or bind your pages.

When you are happy that your story is as good as you can get it, perfectly spelled and typed, with no mistakes, you can submit it to a publisher. Use the Writer and Artist's Yearbook to make sure your chosen publisher actually accepts the sort of story you have written.

If it's short, you can send the whole thing. If it's longer, send a synopsis and the first three chapters.

Then you wait. It takes a while for publishers to read manuscripts and decide if they are going to publish them.

However, even if you get lucky right away and get published, it's not likely that you will make a lot of money, unless you can keep writing books that get published and sell. If you write full time, then you can definitely make money at it, but you have to treat it like a proper job.

Thank you for the advice. I

I also looked on videojug.com which gave advce on getting published. When I got the poetry published I wrote them out by hand and typed them each on A4 size paper. I sent them off to the publishers with a SAE. They sent a printed copy for me to proof read and send back then a copyright for each one to sign and send back. They were published in anthologies though with other people. The royalties mostly went to charity. The story I have written is freeehand and is almost complete. I just need to type it up,however thee is a lot of it. So doing the first three chapters is a good start. Can it be sent by email or on a disc instead of printed and posted?

I would print it up on paper and post it. While some publishers will actually read submissions by e-mail, most won't. In any case, it is easier to read and looks better on paper, so you will make a better impression on the publisher. Submissions on paper are always read in preference to stuff on e-mail or disc.

One editor told me they know they have a winner on their hands when everyone in the office is queuing up the read the MS next. That doesn't happen with e-mail.

Either send an SAE to get your manuscript returned, or tell them that you don't need it returned so they don't have to pay postage.

Before you get it typed up, make sure it is as accurate as possible. Read it out loud, that's a good way of catching mistakes.

If your story is book-length (60,000-120,000 words) and completely finished, you first send a query letter to a publisher (although most fiction publishers right now will not even read anything that comes in without an agent behind it).

Go to the public library for Literary Marketplace or Writer's Market (current year) to find out the name and address of publishers who market the type of book you wrote. Write down this information plus the name of the submissions editors. Read the submission guidelines and be sure to follow them. Some publishers (especially of short stories or novellas) prefer to receive query e-mail.

Using standard business format (and excruciatingly perfect grammar, spelling, and punctuation), begin your letter with a paragraph about your book's highlights (short synopsis). This paragraph will need to hook the editor, so he will continue to read your letter and not toss it into the wastebasket.

In the next paragraph, describe your experience as a writer and why you came to write this book.

In the last paragraph, explain who would want to read your book and why. Mention already published books with this theme or storyline, and explain why your book is different or better.

Close your letter with a cheerful, "I hope to hear from you soon." Sign it and be sure all of your contact information is either in the letterhead or at the bottom under your signature.

You can approach more than one publisher at this point, but if you do, be sure to mention that in the letter (probably in the third paragraph). **Even better would be to approach several agents who work with this type of book genre, and send each of them this same letter.**

Then you wait.