Getting published can be a long, uphill battle, with little hope of actually getting your work picked up by a publisher, unless it's something that they really want to publish.
Another way to get yourself published is going the print-on-demand way - which is what I did when I published my book. Mainstream publishers and critics will scoff at the industry as being the new 'vanity press' but at least with print-on-demand you don't hafta shell out a whole lot of money and wind up eating the cost of hundreds of printed books.
Print-on-demand titles are printed only when the customer or the bookseller orders it. You don't get stuck with cartons of excess book stock. Publishing using a print-on demand service requires an initial setup fee of about $300-$500, which covers the publishing, distribution, basic promotional materials and a few promotional copies of your book; it's up to you to market it. Occasionally, they offer specials such as additional copies or hardcover/e-book production for free or a reduced cost.
Two places online that do print-on-demand publishing: iUniverse (
www.iuniverse.com) and XLibris (
www.xlibris.com) are the better ones out there.
CafePress (
www.cafepress.com) also does print-on demand publishing, but you have to do the work to get it laid out and uploaded, and you set the selling price (which is any reasonable amount over the base price CafePress sets).
I knew full well when I published my book that it would only be enjoyed by a very small audience, namely my fellow high school classmates. It certainly isn't gonna make the bestseller lists, but for me it was a labor of love to put in writing some fond (and not-so-fond) memories of high school.
Here's my book, listed on iUniverse:
Senior Year: Memories of the Class of 1983 of North Miami Senior High School. It can also be ordered online at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble (online or at the store).
Best of luck getting your work published; if you have any more questions please feel free to reply in this thread or via PM.
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