by Patrika Vaughn

Created on: December 10, 2009

Ever wonder how a writer becomes a published author? Or how a book makes it to the top? You see the same authors over and over on Best Seller lists. They're not necessarily the best writers: their success has more to do with today's publishing realities.

Publishing is a whole new ball game today and the old rules don't apply:
Major publishing houses are being gobbled up by international cartels

Bookstores are giving way to superstores
Accountants now decide who gets published
Editors acquire, they don't edit
Literary agents handle authors as "properties", rarely talking to anyone unpublished

So what's an aspiring writer to do? Opportunities do exist for new writers. You just have to know how to find them.

"Publishing today is market driven," says Patrika Vaughn, the world's first Author's Advocate. "Before you write the first word, you have to know who is the audience for your work."

She ought to know. Vaughn is a published author and ghostwriter. She has been a literary agent, an editor with several national publications, and is currently president of A Cappela Publishing. She explains:
"I quit agenting because agents can't serve the true interests of new writers these days. Writers want to get published, achieve recognition and make money. The publishing market has gone through huge changes in the past decade, making it difficult for agents to do the wonderful things they used to in order to help writers get published.

"About 40% of today's agents won't read manuscripts by unpublished authors. Those that do usually charge a fee. Eighty percent of agents won't represent profesional books; 93% won't touch reference works; 99% won't handle technical books, and 98% won't handle regional books, satire, musicals, or other specialized manuscripts. Although most agents will handle novel-length fiction, only 20% are willing to take on either novelettes or short stories. Most amazing of all, only 2% have a special interest in literature or quality fiction!

"This creates a Catch-22 for writers: agents won't look at many types of manuscripts and the larger publishing houses tend to only consider works that come through agents. This results in fewer and fewer books by new writers on their lists. Most bestselling authors were already well established. An unknown author is probably wasting time and money by hiring an agent to pursue this market.

"Midsize to small publishing houses are more receptive to new writers. Most of them will read manuscripts submitted directly by authors,

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