Greg Leaping asked Jacob M. Appel:

Dr. Appel, I'm an aspiring writer and my Question is - Once you have a book completed, what then is the first or next step toward getting it seen and or published by a Book Agent or Publishing House?

Jacob M. Appel Let me being by describing my experience with my second novel, The Biology of Luck. I wrote the novel, then drove around with the manuscript in the trunk of my car for eleven years and showed it to nobody. This was a very poor choice and should not be emulated. That being said, a lot depends on what genre and variety of book you have written.

If you've written a literary novel, you'll most likely want to find an agent. The best way to do this is to look up online writers who have written similar books, and find out who their agents are--then go the websites of these agents and read their submission instructions. If you're writing in genre (eg. science fiction, romance, etc.) you might also explore electronic and self-publishing options. For short stories, I'd recommend finding an independent press. A good book to get you started in Writer's Market, although there are a number of other similar, high quality volumes.

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