If you are a budding writer, there will come a time when you will want to get your works published. This is, however, not as easy as it sounds and, for a great many writers, it can be the most frustrating part of their writing career. As a professional writer myself, I know how important certain things are and also how strong the urge can be to get yourself published. So, I shall try my very best to give good advice on how to get your works published in this article.

So you have a story? That's great. Now, what are you going to do with it?

Self-Questioning
Now think about this carefully.

Why do you want to be published? Is it for the money? Perhaps you just wish to educate people, or to make your opinions, your talent, or your ideas known? - Publishers will want to know that you know what you are doing and understand everything that is involved. They are only interested in the money side of things and will, in turn, expect you to know your financial stuff, so to speak.

Are you 'good enough' to be published? - If you, yourself, answer 'no', then don't bother. You are your worst critic, after all. But, don't worry. All that means is you have a lot more practicing to do to better yourself. There is no greater satisfaction than bettering oneself.

Are you 100% accurate in your depictions etc? - After all, you wouldn't want to write a book with inaccuracies, now would you? If you aren't sure about something, always do your research. Talk to people who specialize in that area. If its about a war, see if you can talk to veterans, or maybe just look up as many websites as you can to be sure you have everything spot on.

Always question yourself before going ahead with anything.

100% Satisfied?
Are you 100% satisfied with your work? I mean, seriously... If you are not happy with it, then how can anyone else be? Sure, it can be a real pain in the butt having to edit it and come up with new things for it, but it is really worth it in the end.

ALWAYS make sure you are happy with your work before you even CONSIDER getting it looked at by a publishing house

Errors
You will have to be sure that you spell-check your work and 'proofread' it. 'Proofread' it over and over again. 'Proofread' it so many times that you are so certain that everything is in order, you'd bet your house on it. Also, get others to 'proofread' it for you. They will often find mistakes that you will probably have missed. You can also send it to a 'proofreading' service, who will give it a once-over and edit it accordingly. (This will, of course, cost you money, but it is a very good way of ensuring that your work is 100% mistake free. However, some services offer a no charge guarantee if they do not meet your expectations.)

Target Audience & Guidelines
Your publishing house will, of course, depend on your target audience. Many people actually start off writing with a view of being published by a specific house, but that often leads to disappointment and, more often than not, a heck of a lot of problems when they turn them down. If you have a publisher in mind, then all well and good, but do you know that they are going to like your work? Does your work adhere to their guidelines? Oh yes, there are guidelines. Most publishing houses will actually send you a copy of them, if you ask them nicely. The houses are often very strict with their guidelines. (For example, issues such as length, how many characters you have in your story, background stories, character development and so on and so forth.)

Here is a basic check list for you to follow: