Below are THE HARD YET REASSURING FACTS about getting a first novel published (with a suitable publishing house) regardless of genre. (This information is based on dialogues with top agents, my experience as the editor of a well regarded fiction publication (Del Sol Review), and observations of first novel workshop students who through no fault of their own were not aware.)

     - Michael Neff
       Director, Algonkian Workshops

• You MUST have a good editor. A good editor will tell you what you don't want to hear. A good editor will quickly see the small narrative speedbumps that will irritate an agent or editor and forever prevent your manuscript from being published.

• You MUST learn your craft! Does that go without saying? You would be surprised at the huge number of aspiring novelists who know next to nothing about structural craft and fiction narrative technique. SURPRISE: many of them graduated from MFA programs!

• You MUST have a good agent. (Can you get one? Yes.) A good agent is one with a strong track record and connections to major houses.

• You MUST publish prior to submitting your first novel. Many writers won't accept this, but it's true. Under most over-the-transom circumstances, a good agent will NOT consider your work unless you've been first published in viable short fiction markets. (Don't be depressed. You have some work to do, but that's the literary life!) If you get in the right publication, the agent will come to you. FACT: good agents routinely peruse major magazines looking for new writers to represent.

• You MUST avoid THE SYDNEY SHELDON MISTAKE. It's vital that you research what other first novelists are publishing in your genre. (This will give you a good idea what types of stories, protagonists, settings, etc., will most likely fly. Established writers can often publish substandard work and get published. You have to do better.)

• You MUST avoid counterproductive group critique workshops. Too many opinions and various social conditions actually harm more than help.

• You MUST Ignore all man-bites-dog stories about getting published. They are exceptions and only serve to confuse and build false expectations.

  Please note the good news: 99.9% of first novelists will never be published, either because they do not understand the market (literary or genre) or cannot write well enough to satisfy The Art of Fiction. However, by understanding the market and writing with an aim towards satisfying The Art of Fiction, writers are able place themselves in the uppermost tier of consideration.
  
  
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