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Getting a book published is difficult, to say the least. The harsh reality is that only about 20% of all books published actually make money and thus publishing companies have to be very careful in their decisions to try and find the books that have the potential, which is a near impossible task most of the time, especially in the world where a book can explode into popularity unexpectedly, ala Harry Potter or The DaVinci Code.

The best route to getting published is generally going through a literary agent. Most publishers will not look at any manuscripts that are sent unsolicited, so just mailing your work out will not get you results 9 times out of 10. If an agent takes you on, they will help you get your manuscript into a form that will be accepted by a publisher and will also help find the best publishing house for you and ensure that you get a good deal when it comes to your contract. A good agent is a representative for the author, who will make sure that they make more money than they would have without an agent.

However, be careful about agents and make sure whoever you choose is reputable. If you known any authors, asking them for advice about getting published yourself and getting an agent is probably the best thing you could possibly do.

Finally, just keep at it and don't let rejections get you down. Not everyone will like your book but that doesn't mean it isn't good, it just means it's not for them (and if it isn't for them than likely that's not who you wanted to publish the book in the first place).

Learn more about this author, Victoria Martin.
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