Hi, Renee, yes, the Roorbach book is excellent! I would definitely recommend it. One way to research publishers is to use the book "The Literary Marketplace," available in the reference department at virtually all libraries. This book also lists agents. What’s good about this book is that it’ll give you some idea as to the kinds of things they publish. (For example, if you are interested in pursuing feminist presses, you'd be able to determine who publishes in this category.)

Some things to think about: Do you want to try to publish your book with a big New York publisher, or a university press, or a small publisher? There are advantages to each. For a New York publisher, you’ll need an agent, but you’ll get more money. In terms of small presses and university presses, you’ll probably get more individual attention but less money in terms of an advance (although I have NO complaints with any of my publishers, so have been very lucky).

Additional ways to research publishers/agents: an online resource to find an agent is www.agentsource.com. And, if you are interested in smaller presses, you might also want to get ahold of "The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses," published by Dustbooks (P.O. Box 100, Paradise, CA 95967). I think this book lists by category, so you’d be able to find feminist presses rather easily, if that’s the way you might want to go. Another place to look is the magazine “Poets & Writers.” (You can find hard copies in bookstores and they also have a website.) Look at their ads; read some of their articles, as they provide a lot of information about publishing, as well as writing contests that you might enter. Also, of course, see who publishes some of your favorite memoirs. I hope this helps you some. I guess the good news AND the bad news is that there are, literally, thousands of publishers. So many, many options, but it might seem daunting to get started. But once you start making initial decisions, it'll get easier! Sue