It's Simple, Really.

Writers are over-thinkers. We knew that. What they most over-think is publishing. I've been talking to a few folks who opted for (or were tricked into) self-publishing their books. Now they explain their choice (or fate), and it always goes along the lines of the impossibility of getting an agent or an editor to look at their work. Of the Vast Conspiracy that surely exists to keep unknown writers from being published.

Let me say it simply: all you need to get published is a book that someone in the publishing world thinks will sell to the public. You don't need to be a celebrity. You just need a book that will sell. Yes, it is surprisingly hard to do that. It is hard to write well. Harder than most people think. It takes time to find the person who will believe in your book. But that's all there is to it. There isn't a magic code word to get past the gates. There are no gates.

Write. Don't waste time and energy believing in conspiracies that don't exist. Don't spread them around the Internet and mislead other writers.

Write.