Posted By:
Paul SHal,
About 8-9 years ago a friend had a novel published. He would hang out on writers forums and discuss his work. A small publisher saw his posts, they exchanged a few emails, he got it read, it was published. He said the key was the fact that he had actually COMPLETED the novel, and secondly, he knew the subject matter he was writing about.) Make sure you emphasize that if you go this route.
Paul S