Looking back, Haderlie said he wishes he had done a few things: First, actually outline his book so he wouldn't have needed to revise so much. Second, he wishes he had written and perfected a few short stories before writing his novel. "Every author has these little amateurish quirks that go away with the more you write," Haderlie said. "I wish I could have worked through all those quirks in short flurries before I finally wrote a novel."

Ben Behunin, of Salt Lake City, said he had several people read and edit his book before he published it earlier this year. He also took a class offered by a prominent Utah author but said he wasn't given the help and resources he felt he was promised.

His book, "Remembering Isaac," is fictional and based around experiences he had as a potter's apprentice in a German village.

Behunin said he had the idea for the book about 10 years ago and began writing it about two years ago. He devoted several hours a day to writing and ended up self-publishing the book because he wanted control over how it would look and be edited.

Behunin has already sold about 650 copies. His goal is to get it placed in a store such as Costco, because his competition would be less than in a typical bookstore.

From his perspective, self-publishing is not for most authors. It's expensive and requires an author to do their own marketing. Behunin said he has been successful because of contacts made in his work as a full-time potter.

"Writing the book, I think, is the easiest part," he said. "The hard part is marketing and selling and getting the book out there."

At Deseret Book, Watts said authors have the advantage of a built-in audience at her company's retail stores. But it's still important that an author take the time to ensure the book is noticed by publishers and then readers, she said.

Her advice is for authors to come up with a unique idea and then find a good title to "hook" the reader and make them want to pick it up.

"A lot of people want to write books," she said. "You need to know what will make your book stand out."

Each year, Deseret Book receives an average of 1,700 unsolicited manuscripts. It publishes fewer than 10 books each year by first-time authors.

From Watts' perspective, one of the most important things a writer can do is join a local writing group or find a person who will give them honest criticism. Most publishing companies do not have the time to help a writer perfect a book, she said.

In Salt Lake City, authors can get help from groups at independent bookstores such as The King's English, at colleges and universities or through online groups such as www.utahwriting.com.

"Salt Lake is a great writing community," Burningham said. "A lot of people are willing to share advice. Find someone to talk to and get involved. You never know who will help you and what you can learn."

And that's the key, according to Watts. To get a book published, an author needs to be willing to accept help and to learn how to improve their writing.

"It's a tremendous risk to take your life or heart or thoughts and bleed them out onto paper," said Watts, who has penned several of her own books. "But every time you write something, you learn from writing it. You learn how to create in the process of creating."

e-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com