True! Most of what's out there on the web is crap.

Although in the crime fiction world, there are a handful of online magazines that are sufficiently well-respected that stories from them have been anthologized in book form, including in Houghton Mifflin's Best American Mystery Stories series. I don't know if there's anything similar in speculative fiction, though.

There are a few online SF magazines that include works from real published authors, but there are a lot more that are crap. The guys who start them often pop up in the rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup to ask for submissions, at which point one of the resident authors will inevitably say, "My going rate is $400 for a story," and the "publisher" will be forced to admit that he's not paying authors and just expects them to donate to his webzine.

Incidentally, if you're really interested in SF publishing, you should read rec.arts.sf.composition, where you can get advice from SF novelists. I haven't been there in a while, but I know Brenda Clough, Jo Walton, Lois McMaster Bujold, Lawrence Watt Evans and Charlie Stross used to hang out there.

You're right djmont, it's not done yet, but i would say that it's probably around 80% - 85% done. I'm going to shoot for 80,000. Now, I've got another question: would you recomend I get an agent or try to get my book to a publisher myself?

For a first-time author, either is a crapshoot. Best advice, research your markets (be they publishers or agents) and target correctly. From my experience on the editing side of things, the biggest mistake most aspiring authors make is a failure to research the market. Send to appropriate publishers (or agents). Don't send to some publisher who doesn't publish the sort of book you've written with a letter explaining why they might want to change their whole business plan because of your wonderful manuscript.

Long story short: Do your homework, whether it's an agent or a publisher you're trying to interest. And if it is an agent, know that REAL agents work on comission. Don't be writing them checks. If they ask you for one, move on.

There are different ways to break into print, depending on what your goals and expectations are. However, there is one way that, in my judgment, is indisputably the best -- assuming what you're looking for is a career as an author whose work is widely available, publicized, taken seriously, reviewed, etc.

That way is:

1. Write a great book
2. Get an agent
3. Your agent sells your book to a major NY publisher

Like I said, there are other ways of doing things (try it w/o an agent, small press, self publish, vanity publish, run off copies at Kinkos), but I think this way is superior in most instances.

It is also, of course, the most difficult way (and that should tell you something right there).

Good luck! If you can accomplish Step #1, and you persist, you WILL succeed.

My other piece of advice: do EVERYTHING you can to ensure the manuscript is as good as you can possibly get it before you approach anyone about it (agent, editor, whatever).

Finish it, revise it, set it aside, revise it again, get intelligent friends who know the genre to read it, revise it, try to get other writers to read it, revise it. THEN send it out.

You could post it or at least a small portion here to have avid sci fi fans read...also, BAEN does a lot of work with new fledgeling writers and does have a new web based magazine for newer authors...check them out.

Also, might be worth mentioning. If you send it to a publisher, do NOT label it "sci fi." In the business, "sci fi" often means things like Star Trek and Stargate and other "lesser" work. Label it "science fiction."

Some editors won't care. But a few do bristle at the use of "sci fi" to describe serious science fiction. No sense starting with one strike against you.

I should probably mention that it's not science fiction with spaceships, it's science fiction with cyborgs and mechs (if that's of any help). Aaron, do you mean post it here in this thread or someplace else on the site?

If I might respectfully disagree with Aaron, I would recommend that you not publish excerpts of the book anywhere on the net. There is little potential upside for you, and a lot of downside.

Agreed. Maybe the opening paragraph or two, but I wouldn't do anything beyond that. Some publishers would consider anything more to be a published work.

As far as the subgenre, it doesn't really make any difference, as long as it's good, original, well-constructed prose. I presume you've got some sort of message to convey, not just cool cyborgs and lasers and what-not - that's obviously not enough. It's the serious content that makes it science fiction, not just sci fi (and if it lacks some deeper character-driven level, it's probably not worth shopping around anyway).