Publishing

Hello there fellow scribes,

As we are all writers on this site, I thought that there should be at least one thread dedicated to publishing, including suggestions, tips and just general discussion.
I myself am in the process of having a book edited so that I can try to get it published, but have a few questions about the publishing process.
First off, does anyone know of any publishers they would suggest I contact, considering the novel I wrote is science fiction/romance?
Also, does anyone know how I should go about contacting prospective publishers? I've had a friend offer to help me send out emails, but I'm not sure what I should say in those emails.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, and of course I will offer as much help as I can to anyone else with questions about the publishing process. :)

Thanks,
~Survivor Guilt