I wrote a really great book and now I need to know just how to get it published!! This is all very new to me! But I want a legitimate way, so please answer if you are sure.. THANKS

Traditional approach to commercial publishing: get an agent, who will present your work for you to publishers. Forget sending directly to publishers, they get enormous piles of manuscripts and yours will go in the circular file unless it's coming from an agent.

The other approach is self-publishing. The two sites I'd suggest for this are Lulu and CreateSpace; they both will publish your book and provide resources for marketing (or if you just want a few copies for family & friends, they'll do that too). The latter one is an Amazon.com venture.

Avoid vanity presses - they'll take your money and you'll end up with a pile of low quality product. If you're lucky.

The other information you need is how to package your manuscript; go to your local library or bookstore and look for the Writer's Market, which provides a lot of useful information on manuscript preparation. Another good resource is Writer's Digest, a magazine that's widely available. But watch out for the vanity press ads in the back.

Finally, pursue publication because you love to write and are driven to do so... writing books is no way to make a living so you'll not be quitting your 9 to 5 job.

Congrats Shaniqka. What's the name of it? I'll keep a look out for it. I am writing my own book and have done some research about different publishers. There is a lot of information out there. It is hard to choose what is right and what is a scam. I do know that a publishing company will not ask you for money to publish or promote your book. Self-publishers will take anything because you are paying for it. I would use a self-publisher as a last resort because you will have to do all of the promotions, getting the books in stores, haggling with the pricing and discounts, public appearances, and other things that a true publisher will take care of at no cost to you. They will get their money when the book sells.

You can try Publish America. Their site has a lot of information about how to get published and they have a forum for authors. You can join the forum and network with other authors. Some will be first timers like yourself and others will be seasoned pros. That is the best way to get the publishing answers you need. You are already far a head of some that try to get book deals because you have finished yours.

Good luck with the book.

LaCresha