I will advise you to seek out those books and websites that can offer you some ideas before you seek to publish. I hope this information below is helpful to you. Now decide how you want to publish, and go for it!

NEVER CHOOSE A PUBLISHER WHO REQUIRES ANY MONEY FROM YOU TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK!

Find a good copy editor to check the manuscript and critique it for you. This step is especially important if you plan to indie publish. As with just about anything, you can find copy editors online by searching for them, and then check their reviews before committing to them. They don't come free, but shop around.

Another wealth of resources are writing groups found on Facebook: search groups on there, and I'm sure you'll find those that fit in with your goals. I've found that Facebook writing groups (and there are tons of others as well) have much information and discussions about indie publishing, if you decide to go that route.

If you want to get your book published by the traditional method and before sending your manuscript off to publishers who still accept them (few do nowadays, preferring to go through an agent), be certain that you are following their submission guidelines. Only send your hard work after you've researched and narrowed publishers down to those who share your values.

3. There are all types of publishing, and I have relied heavily on Wikipedia to give the information below. To get in-depth information, search the types of publishing listed and research them accordingly:

• self publishing (aka indie, or independent) - you absorb all the costs and plan to market the book entirely yourself, and to expand upon that idea, Wikipedia says: "Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design (cover/interior), formats, price, distribution, marketing and PR. Authors can do it all themselves or outsource all or part of the process to companies that offer these services such as Lulu or Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon), and a multitude of others";

• traditional publishing - keep in mind that the "big houses" of publishing no longer accept manuscripts (see above). They do not charge authors anything to publish books. Once you receive a contract, it is usually two or three years before your book is published. Wikipedia: "Many book publishing companies around the world maintain a strict 'no unsolicited submissions' policy and will only accept submissions via a literary agent. This shifts the burden of assessing and developing writers out of the publishing company and onto the literary agents. At these companies, unsolicited manuscripts are thrown out, or sometimes returned, if the author has provided pre-paid postage. Esoften represented by a literary agent tablished authors are to market their work to publishers and negotiate contracts. Literary agents take a percentage of author earnings (varying between 10 - 15 per cent) to pay for their services";

• subsidy publishing - Wikipedia states: "Vanity or subsidy presses usually require payment by authors, or a minimum purchase of copies." (Most writing blogs and websites caution writers to avoid these for various reasons--and they're right!);

• audio book publishing - there are several reputable audio publishing companies, but I suggest that you wait until you have established a market for your ebook and paperback books prior to doing audio books. There's a lot more involved in this endeavor than you'd think.

Best wishes, and my prayers are with you in your writing endeavors! <{{{<