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I was a bit bored recently and got around to finishing a book (non-magic related fiction). I have had a sample of people proof read the first draft and am in the process of tidying it up/redrafting it.

What's the next step? I would assume bombarding as many publishers as possible is not the best way to go about this, so there is the option of a literary agent but then there is the problem of being ripped off.

The information I have been able to find ala Google appears to be conflicting and appears to also vary by international region greatly.

Guidance much appreciated.

Unless you've had other works published, or you're famous in some way, you probably won't be able to get an agent. Something of a catch-22, but true.

Read some "how-to" books about writing -- especially ones written recently (say, since the year 2000 or so) because standard procedures have changed since the coming of home computers and the internet. Your local library should have plenty of writing books.

The general steps are:

1. Finish your book. Get it as polished and perfect as you can make it before looking for a publisher.

2. Look for publishers who make the same sort of book as yours -- the same genre and general audience.
There are two reference books to help you in this task (in the UK): The Writers' Handbook and The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook. They cover much the same ground, so use whichever you prefer. They come out yearly, and you should use only the most recent edition because things change fast in publishing. Your library should have at least one of these, too.

3. From the reference books, make a list of likely publishers. Note down the name of the right editor to contact, and any details about what they want in terms of submissions. Then use the internet to double-check these details, especially the editors' names, since they might have moved on since the books were printed.

4. The usual form of submission these days is a query letter, summary, and sample chapter or two. The recent book How Not To Write A Novel has the best description I've ever seen of how to write a query and summary. Follow its advice.

5. Using your list of likely publishers, start submitting. If a publisher has mentioned they want submissions in a certain format (e.g. query and summary only, no sample chapters), then for heaven's sake follow that format.

6. Simultaneous submissions (submitting to more than one publisher at a time) are frowned on, but you can usually get away with querying two or three at a time, since frankly they'll probably all say no. Check the details for each publisher -- if they say very clearly "no simultaneous submissions", then take them at their word and don't submit to anyone else while it's with them.

7. Allow lots of time. It may take months before a publisher gets back to you. (Unsolicited submissions are absolutely the lowest priority.) Don't start chasing until at least six months have passed.

8. Don't be discouraged at rejections. Publishers reject for lots of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with the quality of your writing. It might not be quite the genre they publish, they may have used up their quota for the year, they may have published (or be about to publish) something too similar, etc.

9. If you receive a personally written rejection letter -- even the smallest note scribbled on a form letter -- take this as encouragement. Somebody thought your work was worth commenting on. If they make any suggestions, take them very seriously.

Thanks Robbie.

Some of that is familiar with what I had read and it weeds out some of the conflicting info. I'll take it on board and see what happens!

How Not To Write A Novel is one book I really can't praise highly enough. Lots of tips about fiction writing, and then an enormous amount of information about exactly how to go about putting together a query and summary. It's written by two book editors, so they know what makes them sit up and take notice (in the good way or the bad). And it's very, very recent. And funny!

It is an American book, but the standard procedures for US and UK authors are pretty much the same nowadays.

For some encouragement, have a look at Slushpile Hell. It's a fairly new blog started by a literary agent. Every day or so he posts one of the more... er... interesting queries he gets. They'll make you feel very professional by comparison.

For very serious stuff about writing, Story by Robert McKee is a book I keep going back to. Strictly it's about screenwriting, but in fact its lessons apply to any kind of fiction. McKee seems to be a bit controversial, with hardcore followers and denouncers, so maybe he's a love-or-hate kind of teacher. The book's a bit pricey, so you might want to borrow it from the library before deciding whether to buy.

Writers' News and Writing Magazine are sister publications, and both are good. They're UK-based, and frankly much better than the US magazine Writers' Digest. The News is subscription-only and is mostly news about publishers, writing competitions, etc.; Writing can be found at newsagents and has lots of good articles and interviews.