[edwest]

As someone who works in the publishing business, a few thoughts. Send a few letters of inquiry to publishers who produce books you like. Ask them what they are looking for from new writers and/or send them a proposal. Second, start writing. If you have not done this before you will not have a good way to determine how much time you'll need. Make sure your data is accurate. Don't worry too much about spelling and grammar at first, get your data straight and clean it up later.

It's usually a good idea to have someone proofread your material before it goes to press. A different set of eyes may reveal some problems in the way the material is presented, along with spelling and grammar.

Finally, if you do find a publisher, make sure to get everything in writing. Ask questions if something sounds vague. A good publisher will not fault you for that. And have an attorney look over the final agreement. I hear from too many 'poor' people who think an attorney will only put them in further debt, but I hear from far more who were cheated out of a fair payment or who did not understand terms like "worldwide rights" or "North American rights."



Regards,
Ed