by Renni Browne

What you might hear:

• “Acquisitions editors at major publishing houses don’t want to read first-novel submissions.”
• “Literary agents don’t want to take on unknown writers anymore.”
• “Publishers only want novelists who have a strong platform or a great track record of book sales.”
• “If by a miracle you get a first novel published, it’ll sell 500 copies to your friends and relatives.”
• “There’s no place for first novels in today’s bottom-line-oriented publishing scene.”

Would it surprise you to learn […]