Ok, I want to know how to publish and copyright a book. I'm a young teen and I want to publish it and copyright it. So, how could I publish and copyright it? What website do I have to give to hand it in? Please help, ever since I was like 7 I dreamed of becoming a writer. LOL! Thanks.

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Simply putting a (c) on a work serves to basically copyright it, but if you want the full deal you have to contact the U.S. Copyright office at www.copyright.gov Publishing is a different story. You don't just "hand it in" to a website. That is highly unprofessional. Before you even think about publishing your book, you should put it away for a few months and then come back and read it again. Chances are you will find many things you will want to change since you will be out of the mindset you were in when writing it. You will also want the entire piece edited. Make an edit of it yourself, and then perhaps get it professionally edited. You of course do not have to have it professionally edited as it can squeeze you dry on funds sometimes, but you should read over and correct any and all grammar and spelling mistakes you find. Do this more than once because you can and will miss things. This step is obviously crucial. If an agent or publisher looks at a terribly edited piece, they will toss it. Which brings me to the next point. Get an agent. You will have a much easier time going through the publishing process with an agent. They will tell you if your book is marketable or publishing material. Publishers will take an author more seriously if they have an agent. Agents will have your manuscript sent to various publishers, relieving you of the pressure of having to do it yourself. You can find a list of agents by genre in a recent edition of Writer's Market, which you should (emphasis on should) find in most larger libraries, or you can purchase a subscription to it at www.writersmarket.com. One thing to keep in mind throughout this entire process is that publishing is a hard business. Expect to be denied by many publishing houses, and you may not even be accepted by anyone at all. 95% of all manuscripts sent to publishers will not even make it past the first stage of review and will either be thrown away, or sent back. Large publishing houses recieve literally thousands of manuscripts each day, and 99% of them will be tossed in the trash. This is just how it works. Don't take it personally.

To publish a book: Finish writing your book (if it is not already finished). Type it in proper manuscript form (http://www.neverend.com/msformat.htm has the details on what is needed). You need to edit it many times to make it as good as it can be. Put it in a drawer, and don't even think about it, then take it out and do more editing. Don't try to say "It's perfect. It does not need editing." Yes, it does. Get it proofread by someone who knows what they are doing (do not rely just on spellcheck). There are a tiny number of publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts (those that don't go through a literary agent), so getting an agent is a really good idea. When your book is edited and polished, come back here and ask about how to get an agent. You can also use the search-bar at the top of this page and ask. It's a popular question.