For a new author, trying to publish a book can be rather intimidating. Many do not know what to do and where to start. I often meet people who tell me they have thought of writing a book, but the idea of getting it published scares them off. “I’ve got something to share,” they say, “and I’m pretty sure I could write it down well enough. But I wouldn’t know the first thing about publishing it.” Some are even certain that they’ve got no chance of ever getting published because they are “a nobody,” a person with no writing credentials, no experience, no established name.

The latter is a legitimate concern. It is pretty hard for a newbie to make it in the world of book publishing. But here is the good news: no one is born with credentials and experience, every writer had to begin somewhere. Credentials can be earned. Yes, you will have to learn a lot and work hard, but if you are determined to succeed as an author, you have a chance. If your book was worth writing, it is worth fighting for, wouldn’t you agree?

Now let us take a look at what you will need to do.

1. Know your market

First of all, you need to know exactly for whom you have written your book. Publishers call it your “target audience.” Who will be interested in reading your work? To whom will it appeal the most? Single moms? Homeschoolers? Teenagers? Young adults? Why do you think this particular group will benefit from your book?

Of course, we would want everybody to read our book, but we need to be realistic. With non-fiction, the potential reader is usually defined very strictly. If it’s a business ethics guide, then your target audience is businessmen, professionals. If you have written a book on parenting, then you are targeting parents, possibly including future parents as well. Yes, some other people may pick up your book as well, out of curiosity, but they are not your primary audience. And what the publisher wants to know, at the very beginning, is whom they are going to sell the book to.

With fiction, the audience is usually broader, but it still needs to be defined. Perhaps your novel appeals to both adults and children; very good. In that case, you should explain why you believe it is so, and present it as family reading material. If you have written a thriller with a romantic sub-theme, it might interest both women and men, which you will need to state, and explain, when presenting your book to a publisher. Science fiction and fantasy usually appeal to teenagers and young adults, romance (of course) to women, war novels to men. Suspense and thrillers work for both, but still tend to be either “men” or “women” fiction, and the publisher will want to know which one it is.

You might want to do some research, online or at your local library, and see how books similar to yours are marketed. Knowing your competition is always helpful. It is very likely that your future publisher will ask you this very question: “What are other works similar to yours? In what ways is yours different?” In that case, you will need to be prepared to speak for your book and do a brief comparative analysis.