Writing a book...What is step 1 regarding contacting someone?

Are you looking for a ghost writer, an agent or a publisher?

I believe a publisher, but honestly I am completely new to this realm of things.

You’re not looking for a publisher until you have an agent. You’re not looking for an agent until you have a manuscript. Start by writing the book.

What Jeruba said. It is hard to meet someone who is not either writing a book or thinking about doing so. Once you do get it all down, then the real fun, and frustration starts. Most publishing houses get several thousands of unsolicited MSS per month. Without representation from a “recognised” agent you have little chance regardless of how good your book is.

The very first step is actually writing the book. Unless you have already written other books and a book proposal would be sufficient.

Agree with @Jeruba Manuscript, then agent. The agent deals with the publisher, unless you have an inside contact with a publisher. If you send a ms directly to a publisher, it will just get dumped in a pile.

Bear in mind also that the market research is going to be up to you and the “platform” is going to be up to you. I’m assuming that your book is nonfiction.

One initial step might be to go to the Internet and also to an actual bookstore and see what, if anything, there already is out there similar to what you have in mind. What will your book offer? How is it different? What will the selling point be? Who’s your audience? Who will buy it? This is part of your marketing.

Another is to start a blog. Really. A blog on a topic related to your subject matter, or even a blog that could become your subject matter—reedited into a book. The audience you gather is a big part of your platform and gains you a following before you ever publish.

Self-publishing is also becoming respectable these days, but there are a few big cautions with that: (1) you do all your own selling and promotion, (2) you have to be careful about choosing a service, and (3) writers are not capable of editing their own books and deciding when they’re ready to go to press. You must have an editor’s help.

Thank you everyone for all of your responses! I appreciate it.