: Re: Do publishers take the time to look at works from writers who have no qualifications or experience in the industry? We are currently in the process of writing a debut novel. Although we are

@Si5022468

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The easy answer is...it depends.
I'd say if you were a computer science expert but flunked out of English consistently (and this is by no means a reflection of most technical backgrounds; most of my friends who are programmers tend to also be very logical and strong writers), it wouldn't matter because the content of what you're writing is technical.

If you're a short story novelist and never did well in writing, well, it's still not an indicator of future success. You could have written books that your teachers didn't enjoy. Or you could have really improved writing years later.

But I think what you're actually asking isn't about writing ability but whether you can get published if you don't have connections and no prior publication experience (i.e. you've never written a book before and never worked as a journalist, for example, where you publish regularly). Yes, it's possible. Do you know people in the publishing industry? Are you writing a novel that will have a strong following? There are plenty of books in niche areas that have become hits and their writers weren't famous, e.g. JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, etc. But they have a specific audience.

My coworkers who just published their books are reputable journalists but never wrote a book so they partnered with other famous in their field to publish a book with 12 authors cooperating. Perhaps this strategy can help you find the connections and publishing houses you need.

Again, always look into ebook self-publishing. It is becoming more and more legitimate, and you can grow a following from there.

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