To those who are published...

[SheilaT]

5. Robert Heinlein gave the best advice.

Write. Finish what you write. Send it out. Sit back down and write something else. And so on.

I would also advise attending a writer's conference or two. They will inspire you, put you in the same room with other writers as well as with (at the good ones) editors and agents.

I know nothing about self-publishing, but there must be books, blogs, and websites devoted to those things.

I will say that I am one who simply avoids self-published books these days, unless by an already conventionally published writer, because most of the time they just aren't worth reading. The writer either jumps straight into self-publishing without sufficient re-writing and editing, self or otherwise, of the work. If you do decided to self-publish get as much professional assistance as possible.

I got published by following Heinlein's advice, then gave up writing for a long time. I'm back at it, but am a very long way from anything new being published. If ever.