write a book and have it published

I found a book on teen publishing, and just in the title, I found out that I really need it. Maybe if I have something to look at and review over, it can lead me in the right direction. I just don’t want to get hurt or anything in the process. Sometimes you hear about authors whose stories get stolen by fake publishers, and I certainly don’t want that to happen to me!

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So…I have a story. An eighty page story on Microsoft word. Yes. My friend read the raw manuscript, and she CRIED. That MUST mean something. She said that it was absolutely beautiful, and I just feel like if one person liked it just from the little that was written, I could probably embellish it a great deal and make it WONDERFUL. BUT, I don’t just want to write a novel to sit in my room for the rest of my life. I want to share it with the world! No, I’m not asking to be famous or anything, but I would LOVE for it to just get published!

To walk into a Barnes and Noble and see my book on the shelf would be the most glorifying thing that I could possibly ever do. Let’s hope that I can at some point soon!

Does anyone know how to do this? Here’s some questions that I need answered from someone with experience:

1.) How does one go about finding a publisher that is right for their type of novel?

2.) How much money does it cost for a book to be published? If it is a lot, do you manage to get that money back and more after a while, or is it a constant debt?

3.) I’m only sixteen years old. Is it easier or harder for younger people to find publishers?

Thank you so much if you are so kind to help me out!

-Natasha Lemmens