Two per cent - shortening the odds against getting published

I came across a handout from a talk I went to many years ago by Karen Traviss yesterday.  She titled it 'Two  per cent - shortening the odds against getting published'.

Most of her advice still holds good a decade or so later.  She reminds us that if we want to make a living from writing fiction we have to remember that we're in the entertainment business, a business that is run by multinational companies focused on the bottom line.

I'd say that the focus on the bottom line has become even more pronounced since Karen spoke to us.  The worst recession for a generation has made publishers even more unwilling to take risks on new authors.

But new authors do get offered contracts every year.  It can be done.  And the first step towards that is to make sure your work is as good as you can make it and professionally presented.  Edit. Edit, edit.  Put the manuscript aside for a week, better if you can manage a month, then read the whole thing through, preferably out loud, in as big chunks as you can manage.

Approach agents and editors in a businesslike manner. Present your manuscript double spaced on white paper with numbered pages and a sensible font like Times New Roman 12 point.  

Do your research.  Most agents and editors are on the web.  Look them up, check exactly what they want, and give it to them.  And persevere.  The one thing that comes across from nearly every interview with a successful author is how long it took them to get published.  Ten, fifteen years to get that first deal is not uncommon.  Never give up.