I wanna be an author... how do i publish a book?

Mark Twain submitted Hucklberry Fin 60 times to publishers before it was ever published. In other words he received many rejections and rewrites before he had success. You need to get to know the publishing companies and what they want. Some have basically formulas for writing certain types of books. They may only write books that follow a certain line of thinking that agrees with their philosophy; such as, religious. There is a book you can get at the library or can buy it for about $40 at Hastings that lists all publishing companies as well as magazine publishing companies. If you can get published in some magazines, your name will become known and it will be easier to sell your book. Would you ever buy a book buy James Snider? Probably not unless you had heard about him from someone. Agents can give coverage in this area. But they don't have anything to do with inexperienced writers usually. On the net there are places where writing is discussed in all aspects. They have places that will allow creativity or editing, etc. These areas and the book will tell you of contests, etc., again that will help you become known and experienced. When you send a letter to a perspective publishing company, you will need to mention your experience. This letter usually is a request for publishing a book. The book (from Hastings) will tell you which companies want you to include a small synopsis, some a first chapter of your story and some which don't. Don't send a draft of your mcript unless the company asks for it. All your work will go in the trash can guaranteed. Alot of publication has to do with luck unfortunately. If they have time on the schedule, another author backs out of a contract, or they need a new writer to publish. Whatever you do make sure all work submitted is professional looking. No errors! The author loses credibily with the publisher when there are errors in his work. If you are lucky enough to get a publisher to read your letter, you sure don't want to lose them due to a tense error or misspelled word.