I try to be a realist but sometimes I can't help but wish for certain things, even though I know that my wishing won't make it happen. My Dad had a favorite expression, "Wish in one hand and &%$# in the other and see where you have the most." I lost my Dad in May and I miss him more than words could ever express but I believe that he's here with me now and that he always will be. Dad, try not to laugh too hard when you read this!
I wish, among other things, that all publishers accepted queries from first-time novelists. There, I've written it! The road to publication is a rocky, treacherous one and certainly not for anyone who is easily discouraged and/or can't deal with rejection. I understand that. What bothers me, what I wish for, is that every novel be given an opportunity to be judged on its own merit whether the writer has been published before or not.
It's a vicious circle. It's difficult (some might say, impossible) to get a literary agent to represent you if you haven't been previously published but large publishers will only consider queries from agents. You do the math! It seems that the only hope that we first-time novelists have of ever seeing our books in print is the small publishing companies. Thank God for them!
