Y ou have written a book. You have spent months on it — perhaps years. You believe you have written a good book. You have faith in it. That is why you are looking for a publisher.

If you are a new or unknown writer, you are especially interested in finding a publisher who is sympathetic to the problems of new authors, and who will work with you.

 But what confronts you when you submit your manuscript to the average publishing house? Even if they think your work is good, they will hesitate to bring it out. Why? Because production expenses have increased so much in recent years that, merely to regain their costs, they must sell many more books than ever before. And since no one can predict the sale of any book — especially that of a newcomer — the publisher usually does not care to take the risk.

Of course, there are exceptions. A handful of unknowns get published every year, and some become stupendous successes. But for every Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind), or Colleen McCullough (The Thorn Birds), or James Jones (From Here to Eternity), or Norman Mailer (The Naked & the Dead), or Kathleen Winsor (Forever Amber), or Erich Segal (Love Story), or James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy), there are thousands who are told politely, "Your book does not meet our needs at the present time."

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