So, you want to get published? Well then,

 

Dive In!

 

Head first. Give it your all. If you’re gonna write, then write your heart out. Get your manuscript(s) critiqued by other writers. Do the learning necessary. And submit! Submit to agents. Submit to editors (that accept unsolicited submissions, of course).

 

You’re never going to get published if you don’t write. That statement may seem obvious, but you have to remember that fact every time you get a rejection letter (or the black hole absence of a rejection letter).

 

You can’t just dip your feet in the water. If you never finish your story, it will surely not get published. If you don’t get it critiqued and revise, odds are likely that it’s not quite ready for prime time. And if it never gets sent to agents and editors, it’s not gonna magically publish itself (although that would be pretty cool).

 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “... and after ten years of writing, my first book was finally published.” And when I say 'someone,' I mean keynote speaker at a writing conference. And when they say ‘first’ book, it’s usually not the first manuscript the author wrote. It’s usually the 6th or 7th. It’s very rare to hit it big (or even publish) the first story you write. The first manuscript I wrote is gathering dust in a place that will never see the light of day.

 

So go and write that first or tenth or hundredth manuscript. And don’t stop! Because ...

 

Now You’re Ready!