What are the most common stumbling blocks for new writers trying to get published?

What are the most common stumbling blocks for new writers trying to get published?

Alexandra Pringle (Editor in Chief) gives expert video advice on: What are publishers not looking for?; Where or how do I find a publisher?; What are the most common stumbling blocks for new writers trying to get published? and more...

The most common stumbling block when trying to get a book published is in finding a literary agent. They, like publishers, are inundated by manuscripts. The problem is that everybody thinks they've got a book in them and too many people try to publish them. There are so many that are very bad and it's a sifting process. There's also something of taste. You know one literary agent might love something and another might hate something. It doesn't mean that the book is bad or good; it means that it's not the taste. As an editor, I have read manuscripts and thought, "This is very good and I know it's going to get published, but I don't love it and so I'm not the person to be the champion for the book." So I turn it down. That's one of the reasons why an agent is important, because they know the taste of publishers. They can guess who is the more likely person to like a book. That said, it's very hard and sometimes it can take a long time to find that editor who's going to fall in love and champion that book.