Are you killing your chances stone dead before your book even lands on an agent's or publisher's desk? In all likelihood, you probably are. Top agents and publishers are getting in the region of 1000 submissions per week. They're taking on less than 5% of these books.

It's no secret that publishing has changed. Increasingly, publishing houses are led by sales teams with commercial aims. Literary agents have had to adopt these values too. Even professional authors are struggling. Writers have to develop new tactics to keep abreast of these changes. If you don't, you won't survive in this unforgiving climate.

If you keep getting rejection letters, it's time to time to change your methods and learn new skills.

o Forgetting Your Reader

If a publishing house is going to the expense of printing your book, they want to know they'll be able to sell it. It will help you no end if you can show them why your book is going to sell and who they are going to sell it to. What is special about your book? Who is likely to buy it? Why should they choose your book rather than someone else's?

o Weak Sales Pitch

Most authors fail to flag up the selling points for their books. They sometimes use jargon or academic language that only appeals to a small minority.

Try to make your synopsis and introductory letter as accessible as possible. Put some sparkle into your pitch to arouse curiosity or engage interest. If there's a bestselling book that's similar to yours, point this out.

o Uninspiring Synopsis

Your synopsis is probably the most important page you're going to write. Get this wrong and you won't even be allowed on the starting block, let alone allowed to run the race.

Put twice as much effort into your synopsis as any other page in your book. Check out the blurbs on bestsellers to get help you get this right.

o Long-winded Submission Letter

Publishers and agents are busy people. They don't have time to read a long introductory letter detailing your professional career, or telling them that your friends all love your book.

Your submission letter should be no longer than two pages of double-spaced A4. If you can make it shorter than this, even better.

o Dull Sample Chapters

Imagine yourself in a room filled with thousands of books. All these books have white covers. There's little to distinguish them. How would you choose the best one?

Would you read every book cover-to-cover, patiently waiting for the plot to unfold? Or would you skim through the opening pages, tossing aside anything that seemed too ordinary?

Start your book with something startling, memorable, or original. This can be a challenge, a question, or a crisis. Grab the reader's attention. Make them want to keep turning the pages.

If you're making any of the mistakes I've mentioned, take heart. It's something that can be fixed. These simple marketing tricks can help you create a pitch that will have agents and publishers clamoring to read your book. You may even be taken on by someone who has previously rejected you.