Prepare your book for publication. Make sure that you have it completed, edited and fully proofread. If you plan to search for an agent or publisher, you must make sure that your manuscript is formatted properly, and that you have created a query letter (a letter sent to an agent or publisher) that clearly summarizes your work and indicates what genre, type, and market your book is meant for.
Find an agent or publisher online. For an agent, use online services such as AgentQuery, which allows you to search for agents based on criteria such as query type (snail mail or email) and genre (such as nonfiction, fiction, poetry). For writers who want to work directly with publishers, Duotrope Digest offers searches for publishers based on genre of writing and provides the website, contact information and basic needs of the publisher. This way you can narrow down your search and submit all materials online.
Use websites such as Lulu.com and Issuu.com to self-publish your book for free. Lulu offers opportunities to self-publish at no cost with a variety of book layout, size and binding options. Lulu gains revenue upon sale of the book only, so you do not pay if you do not sell a book, though some percentage of each book sale goes back to Lulu. Issuu allows you to upload your documents in a PDF format and makes them available for free. Unlike Lulu, Issuu books are not made available for sale through Amazon.com and other services, so do not expect any direct revenue.