[pjmaas]

Hi, I am new at this, so please be patient. I am writing my first book, but I have been writing short stories and poems many years. I am 55 years of age. I am currenty writing a book about own experiences dealing with molestation by a neighbor, never telling anyone, the way I handled and survied it, blah blah blah... and am hoping heal not only myself where needed, but to help others heal also. I am thinking that I may want someone to help with the editing as I go along. I am really not sure though. Maybe I am jumping the gun here, so to speak. I welcome any advice.

Thanks so much,

Pam: rolleyes:

[vingogly]

I would definitely suggest hiring a good editor to provide you with feedback. You can post a project at Elance or Guru; be sure to hire someone with a portfolio, a good rating, and a number of successful completed projects without complaints.

You're likely to be rejected by publishing houses if you don't have an agent, and getting an agent can be difficult if you don't already have a name. If you're open to considering self-publishing and distribution, Lulu offers both services. Amazon offers a competing service through CreateSpace.

Here's a great list of writing software for both the Mac and Windows (I personally use Scrivener for the Mac for writing the first draft and am very happy with it, and MacJournal for journaling - there's a windows version, WinJournal - click on the MacJournal link).

[Clough]

Excellent and very helpful answer above!

Would I be correct in assuming that you will be wanting to sell your book? If I am correct, then here are some additional ideas that I hope might be helpful to you.

I don't know where you live. But, if it's in a fairly large metropolitan area or near to one, you could try self-publishing your book and asking some bookstore owners or managers if they would consider putting some copies of your book on their shelves for sale. This might be a good way to test the potential marketability of your book before spending the money to make a whole lot of copies and any other expense that might go into printing your book on a large scale basis.