Breaking through the barriers erected around agents, editors, and publishers seems impossible. Writers often believe they need to be related to someone close to the “powers that be,” know someone related, or have some other “in” to get to the people who make or break authors.

Writers often can find a small press that will give them a reading, but the “major” publishing houses won’t look at un-agented material. Major agents won’t accept unpublished authors. Vicious cycle, right? Well, maybe not.