Do I need to get an agent before I can get my book published? What are the steps?

Yes you do if you want to publish through traditional publishers. An agent will help you get your dad's manuscript reviewed. When accepted, the publishing house will pay you for the rights and then they publish the book according to how they want it packaged and based on their own schedule.

Your dad can also opt to publish the book himself buy availing of the publishing services of self-pulishing companies.

Get this FREE book publishing guide and a publishing consultant will walk you through the whole process free of charge:

http://www2.xlibris.com/requestkit/index.asp?src=a...

I hope you find this helpful.

Yep. First, your father needs to review his book, and edit it as much as he can so it can be perfect. Then, you need to find literary agents. I suggest you find A BUCKET LOAD of agents, because it's really hard nowadays to get an agent. Once he gets an agent, the agent will try and find a publisher, and then they will go through the copyright and everything :)

Good Luck!

i do no longer choose to deter you, yet...i've got seen some tries at writing by way of some people who do no longer look to realize how substantial form and accuracy are. the 1st step for somebody who hasn't completed quite some writing, is to do quite some analyzing. next may be to take some training that stress you to write down issues which you won't elect to write down--and then be graded on it, so which you will locate out what skills you will possibly be able to desire to artwork on recuperating. i've got examine some drafts that somebody theory have been waiting to be despatched to a writer, and located that the author misspelled words, did no longer understand punctuation, did no longer understand storytelling, did no longer be responsive to the location o.k., etc. i've got completed it myself. i presumed i became right into a genius for a pair of 365 days--then found out that each and every thing I wrote became into undesirable. After that, I subscribed to a author's magazine and examine all the articles appropriate to the craft of writing. i offered/examine books approximately writing, and that i examine quite some novels. I nonetheless have issues to learn, yet i've got come a protracted way (i'm hoping). attempt to get some impartial (and brutally truthful) criticism approximately what you have written so some distance. in case you do in contrast to what you hear, don't sense undesirable, only use it to learn the place you will possibly be able to desire to develop.

http://www.maassagency.com/books.html

Download this free book "The Career Novelist" by agent Donald Maass. There is some really good information in it.

Learn as much about publishing as you can so you do not fall victim to a scam. Some things you need to know are

-the difference between traditional and self publishing and why self publishing has a poor reputation in the industry

-what proper manuscript format is

-how to write a query letter and synopsis

-what unsolicited means

-the difference between copyright and publishing rights

-what an advance is as how royalties really work

-what an agent does for an author besides sell the manuscript (and why you need one)

-how to spot a scam before it bites you

Get familiar with scam busting websites like Preditors & Editors and Writer Beware (and their blog).

Get a copy of the Writer's Market or Author's Yearbook. Most of what you need is in there.

Always remember

1-real publishers pay you, you do not pay them

2-real agents get paid after they sell your work, not before

3-being "available to order online" is not the same as having books on shelves at real stores

The agent is not necessary. Of course, if you get an agent, you will have the good service but you have to pay extra I guess.

There are so many online web sites to help you to do that.

You may have a try on this web site: www.bookemon.com. It's a "DIY" site which means everything is under your control and you own all the copyrights.

It provides an online book builder tool so that you can create your book in page by page. You can also share your on-going book to your friends or public then people can read them online. Of course, if you don't want this, you can set the access on your book to be private.

If you have already done your manuscript, you can also upload the manuscript and create the book immediately.

The most import thing is: you don't have to pay in the above steps. You only have to pay when you want to order the hard copies of your book.

If you believe you write a good book, you can also set a profit value to your book, then one copy sold to others, profit you will get from it.

If you want an ISBN on your book, www.bookemon.com also provides the service package in price $50.00.