So you want to write a book.

Congratulations on taking the first major step in knowing what you want to do with your life. Now prepare yourself for the long tumble down the flight of stairs leading to signing with a major publishing company.
There will be pain, plenty of it, along with anger, frustration and the feeling no one really likes what you wrote. You have friends and family that have told you 'this is great, a wonderful story, you should publish this' until you meet an editor that rips every word, sentence and phase apart making you question if what you wrote was really so bad or did someone lie to you to keep from hurting your feelings. In either case, the editor, who hopefully gave you some important tips on how to correct what they pointed out being wrong, would be the one to tell you the truth.
You will need to have a following. A throng of people on the edge of their seats waiting for the next line, excerpt or post of when your next idea will come out. Don't have one yet? Don't fret, you have time to build on it. There are many social networking sites you can build a fan base with. Tease a few with a sample, and go from there. Post without care if anyone reads it, you may come across the one that does.
Your success will not happen overnight, in a week or in a month, don't expect it to. You have to work hard and steady to get to where you want to be. This means posting on all social sites, keeping a blog, a fan page and you still have to find the time to write. All posts need to be uplifting, inspiring, and able to catch the attention of current and hopefully new readers. You will need teasers, trailers, possibly a mini movie, this is the latest addition to social media. Making a you tube trailer. Finding a cover that will knock people off their socks is also important. Granted, there just cant be enough half naked men showing their abs, or some sexy woman in an erotic pose or a bit of both, you still need to come up with an attractive piece. There are several hundred or so of people that do covers for a reasonable price.
Speaking of price. You may spent anywhere from a couple of hundred, to a couple of thousand for your book to have a decent cover, be properly edited, software to format if your editor doesn't do it for you and to market your newfound article before you even sold the first book. Which is why many authors do a preorder a few weeks before the release. Sounds crazy right? You have to pay the editor this huge amount, either per word, per page but definitely per book and don't know if the book will sell enough to make the money you spent back and the same goes for the cover. So now you're thinking you are in the wrong profession when it's easier to be an editor or a cover artist. No, not as easy. To be a really good editor, you have to catch the things others wouldn't or point out what really sells a book. A cover artist needs to have a great software to make covers seamless. Merging layers of photos takes years of experience. And still you will need a following to get your books out to people.
Haven't been deterred yet? Well there's more.
You will need to find a group of trustworthy beta readers (people who will read your work and give you feedback) who get your book for free. You will need to find some that will get back to you in a timely fashion, nothing like asking a person and you ready to publish tomorrow but its been two months and they have you on a TBR list. There is the worry of one of the betas being an author who may take your idea, twist it a bit and market it. Don't panic, its been going on for years, but it does upset one just a bit.
Still want to get that book out?
If you know nothing about making a web page, blog page, teaser, trailer, synopsis, cover or formatting a book this would be a good time to learn. Everything you do is all about grabbing the attention of potential readers, once you have them established you wont have to work as hard at it, but until then you will need to have some stunning site for people to see what you are up to next. This means getting a domain name, again having to shell out money you are not sure people will visit daily or leave a comment. Not sure if you want to use your name, a pen name or come up with a combination of both to make yourself stand out? In either situation, you will need to know how to set up your webpage, pay a monthly or yearly fee to keep it going and update it often. There are others out there you may come across willing to help you set it up, be careful, some people are out there just to get your money.
Speaking of which, there are people who claim to be publishers. They are on social media just as much if not more than you and will see what you are doing, willing to sign you to a contract and some where down the line, you get screwed over. Granted it may not be every one you come across, but when blended together, its hard to know who will and who wont. This is where the most important part of your newfound skill comes in. Research.
Look into all cover artist, editors, self proclaimed publishers, beta readers, and web designers. Follow them if you want to work with them, see other samples of their work, talk to people who have worked with them before. Don't be afraid to do some digging, its the only way you will find out what you need to make you run or stay. Before signing with anyone, give a try at doing it yourself first, see what the task involves before agreeing to the terms. You Tube is filled with millions of videos to show you how to make covers, create a web page and publish your book. Its like how mechanics used to get over on women because many didn't know the true ins and outs of a car.
Don't get blindsided by a bunch of fancy words, do your research and understand the meaning behind them. If you are still ready to get that book out. Self publishing has always been one of the best options. But still, do your research. Find an author you like and ask if they will help mentor you. Granted they will be just as busy, but you may find one that doesn't mind the occasional question and who knows, it may be the cushion you need to steady your fall.
Good Luck.