Becoming a published author has been condensed to 12 easy steps by author Minal Hajratwala. 1. Have a genius idea  2. Initial reporting and research  3. Write a book proposal 4. Write query letter 5. Research literary agents 6. Send query, then proposal to agent(s) 7. Sign on with agent  8. Revise book proposal  9. Agent sends proposal to publishers  10. Get contract; do math—can I quit my job? 11. Write book, sweat blood, etc. 12. I am an author!

— Chris Soriano, San Diego Chapter