The Right Mental State

Submissions are tough. Oh, I remember back in the beginning, when I really, really thought that agents were out there just waiting for me to write something they could hurry to a publisher and make into a bestseller.
Those days did not last.
Now I have to be excited about a project to garner any sort of enthusiasm for submissions. Not that I don't believe in my work. I do. But I have lost the belief that just because it's good, it will sell. I don't know what the formula is (no one does), but I do understand that it's a screwy business. An agent can like a MS but know she can't sell it. An editor can appreciate good writing but know he can't make a case for the book to his marketing department. And with changes coming swift and sure in the business, no one even knows if a given company will be publishing within six months. The roadblocks between reader and writer are high...and even if you get past all of them, the reader may not buy the book ("So many choices!") or may not like it ("It isn't funny like Evanovitch!").
So today is submission day. Again. It's not as much fun as it used to be, but at least I know more than I used to. To use a simile apt for mystery, it's like shooting a pistol as opposed to a shotgun. The shotgun sends out more ammo but tends to have less power. The pistol, aimed correctly, travels to the target and makes its mark.