Well, here's the deal; what type of book are you trying to publish, and, have you been active in those circles? Would you believe I caught the attention of Gerard Jones (a well-known comic book writer back in the late 80's mid-90's) all because of a fan/rant letter I wrote to one of the comics he was the writer of? Over the years, I showed him some of my work, and he was very helpful in his feedback. I'm not saying this approach is going to work for you (I was a writer long before the internet came around), but you do have to put yourself out there in the fields you are interested in writing for, and be consistent and persistent. No one will look twice at you if you come across as a one-hit wonder who wrote one great thing, and had no where to go from there. Not the smart publishers, anyway.
First thing you need to do, before you do anything, is to copy your manuscript, sign it, date it, get it notarized, and send it to yourself certified mail. Do not open it; just put it somewhere safe. This is to protect you and your work. Also, be very careful of editors. There are good and bad apples in every business; but a good/bad editor can make or break you. If your editor thinks your story is great, but thinks you need to get to the point in some places, don't be offended; he's doing his job. If your editor just takes your story and runs off and makes huge chunks of re-writes... run. This is not an editor; this is a frustrated writer trying to be an editor.
In any case, best of luck. Some of my happiest memories was getting reviews on my columns and stories.
