New to writing

I am new to writing, it has been a dream for longer than I care to remember. I have a story I'm working on. I work full time and write everyday. My book is almost finished. What is the next step once I've finished revising? I don't have a lot of money so where can I go to have the rough edges smoothed out so to speak. Without breaking the bank?

After completing your book you should re-read.  Try to fix all editing errors. If possible, give it to a friend to proofread. If you are sure that your book is error free it's time to submit it to a publisher.

There are two basic types. The traditional press publishes your book without a fee. However, getting accepted is often a uphill climb and royalties are 10% - 15%. The self publisher allows you to take charge of the marketing and promotion of your work. It's hard work but because you pay to publish your work, you will collect all the profits.

DLite Press offers great deals on self publishing. And if you need a professional to edit your work, we offer editing analysis for only $299. 

Welcome to the jungle. Dozens of us on this and other forums have written the Great American Novel and can't get the time of day from agents, publishers, etc. Some of us are experienced (even published in other media), while others are complete novices with little grasp of what goes into a readable (and salable) work.

It's a long and frustrating climb. You can pay somebody to critique it (and smooth out the rough edges), but that's going to cost a bundle, probably at least $500, and maybe much higher, depending on how thorough you want the critique to be. You can get a beta reader, but there's a good chance that reader will either be inexperienced, or will pat you on the head.

One small step would be to put the first few pages on the critique pages here, and see what happens. But keep in mind most comments will be about the story, not so much technique. Still, it starts to give you an idea of what's going on.

You shouldn't go anywhere to have it "smoothed out".  Smoothing it out is your job, and one every writers needs to be able to do.  Your book doesn't have to be perfect to find a publisher, it just has to have a good story, with good characters.

There are always those who will take your money, and do so for your own good.  Don't give anyone a dime.  Money should always flow to the writer, never away.

As an editor, the last thing I need is a writer who can't do his own editing, revising, and rewriting.  I am an editor, and I don't want some know-nothing paid editor doing my work for me.  I'm the only one who knows how I want a novel, and the writer is the only one who can give me a novel I like. 

And don't believe the silliness people spout about self-publishing.  One hundred percent of nothing is still nothing, and this is exactly what most self-published writers earn.  Ten to fifteen percent of a bunch is still a bunch, and the money is in commercial publishing.  So is the quality.

If your writing is any good, a commercial publisher will buy it.  If it isn't, self-publishing won't make it any better, but could delay or kill your chances of becoming commercially successful.

There is a time and a place for self-publishing, but that time and place is after you've proven you're commercially viable.  Until then, it's just vanity, and bad writing.

Thank you for your response. I agree with you, I don't want to do the self publishing. However I have thought about formatting my book for an ebook with Amazon or Barnes and noble. Would that be a good avenue for an aspiring writer?

Thanks for answering my questions. How do I post a couple of pages to this forum?