On: The hopeless task of publishing your first novel

Boyd Tonkin of The Independent offers advice:

Should I bother to try to publish my novel?

Yes...

* Hundreds of first novels appear each year. Some do well, and not all of their authors are young, beautiful or already famous

* No agent or publisher ever knows for certain what will work. Their doors, and minds, must stay open out of self-interest

* Beyond the traditional houses, digital media have widened the choices for DIY publishing and greatly improved its status

No...

* Serial rejection and long months of disappointment await for the vast majority of wannabe novelists

* Writing your book, and making sure that friends and family can read it, might amount to as much authorship as you really want

* Far too many published novels clog an overcrowded marketplace. Even if you made it into print, your book might well sink without trace