One thing I’ve really learned from knowing so many authors is that luck plays a big part in getting published. You submit exactly what the publishing house is looking for at the right time, you bump into that agent at a conference when they are in the market for new authors, you tap into the zeitgeist at just the right moment. Sure, you have to write an engaging story that is a good read, but there are millions of those out there without a home. Luck is the final bit of magic