Most publishers are not taking chances on unknown writers because publishing businesses are struggling. But it’s easier than ever to get known. Present at conferences (like TCTELA and NCTE). These don’t pay, but if your ideas are useful, teachers will shout for more. Publish your own version online, the way I posed a free video about "the truism braid." Submit an article to Voices from the Middle or the English Journal. (Check their calls for manuscripts on ncte.org.) You don't have to persuade anyone your book would sell if your ideas are already spreading. If publishers think you have something teachers want, they’re looking for you. Smart editors are watching presentations at conferences, scouting for new talent.