Who doesn't love the story of "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling? As a single mother on welfare, she wrote a book that made her into a multimillionaire.

Yes. She wrote a book, made millions and was instantly famous.

How's that for living the dream?

A study by Michigan-based publisher Jenkins Group showed as many as 80 percent of Americans want to write a book. Sadly, though, you aren't likely to become the next Rowling. Sorry. Just ask any publisher if you want affirmation of that statement.

But if you have the goal of writing a book and getting it published, your odds are fairly decent, according to Emily Watts, senior development and communications editor at Deseret Book in Salt Lake City.

You just need to realize it will take work, persistence and the ability to accept rejection.

To help you along the path, we talked with several authors and editors for their advice on how to publish a book. Their suggestions had a few common themes:

1. Actually sit down to write.

2. Learn to take criticism.

3. Determine the best way to navigate the publishing system.

"It's a creative process, but it's also work," said Sarah O'Leary Burningham, an author and associate director of marketing for HarperStudio in New York City. "I think if you take it seriously and you look at it as a job and you set goals and have a schedule, you're more likely to write a book."

Just last year, Burningham released her first book, "How to Raise Your Parents: A Teen Girl's Survival Guide." It's a fun but informative book for teens about how to better understand their parents.

Burningham came up with the idea for the book while attending high school in Utah. After college, she wrote the book. It took about five to six months of research, and Burningham said she had to stick to a strict writing schedule.

She's since written a second book, "Boyology: A Teen Girl's Crash Course in All Things Boy" and plans to write more in the future.

"It's really fun," Burningham said. "There's a lot of business to it, but it is such a rewarding process that I think that's one of the reasons people want to be writers."

For Steven Haderlie of Logan, getting published was a goal he made back in 2005. He decided to devote a few hours a week to writing, publishing his first book last year, "A Boy With a Red Parcel."

The book is the first in a three-part fantasy series. Haderlie is now working on books two and three. He received nine rejection letters before Helm Publishing picked up his book.