Are you determined to land an agent, sign a book contract, and celebrate that happy day when your book sits on the "best seller" table at Barnes and Noble?

Once upon a time, I opened the virtual doors of my Publishing Wizard office. My goal was to help author wannabees resolve issues that prevented them from experiencing their "Barnes and Noble moment."

As expected, frustrated writers beat a path to my door, clutching partial or completed manuscripts in one hand, broken hearts in the other.

Surprisingly, every one of them asked the same question. "Why don't industry professionals...