So today I tackle #5 "With additional editing and tightening, In Between Goodbyes might have luck being shopped by a reputable agent."
Would you like to see my rejection stack? That's it. In order to be "shopped by a reputable agent" you must first land a "reputable agent." 82 rejection letters later, all from "reputable agents" (perhaps some were not so reputable) I couldn't even land that.
These days most publishers don't want author submitted (over the transom) manuscripts. In order to land a publisher you must first land an agent. Perhaps you also need to land a friend who knows an agent. I'm not sure what the answer is. By the time the 82nd rejection came and by the time I had gone through 81 rewrites of my query letter, my ego said "uncle." I self-published.
This is not to say that self-publishing should be relegated to the land of the totally rejected but I can tell you that when I had my book in my hot little hand I was elated akin to heavy, heavy drugs for at least a few weeks.
You see, my joy in writing comes from just that, writing. I don't really care if I sell, just that I write. The soft, shiny covers and smell of printer's ink was a bonus.