“My book came out yesterday!”
“Oh yeah? How do you get published?”
First, you get an agent.
In 2006, I finished my first novel. I started querying. By 2007, it became clear that no one wanted it. Barbara Lowenstein sent me my first form rejection letter.
In 2009, I finished THE GEARHEART. Again, I started querying. The only real response came from Laurie McLean, then of Larsen Pomada. I met her through Philippa Ballantine.
Laurie said, in a nutshell, “Great imagination! Your craft sucks!”
I spent 3 years wasting time on that book, trying to get it right, rewriting it from scratch. I never did.