I was unfortunate enough to hear 'novelist' Jeffrey Archer on the radio the other day, and although I wasn't really listening to the interview, I did hear him give one piece of advice to writers out there, which was 'Write what you know', and (and I'm paraphrasing this next part a bit) 'then hope that its popular'. And while I like Jeffrey Archer about as much as salt in a wound, I can't help but agree with most of that advice, because so much of getting published is down to sheer luck, and its the first time I've heard a published novelist say that (even if it was in a very roundabout sort of way). He also alluded to the fact that even if you get published, the popularity of the novel depends entirely on the mood and tastes of the market at that time, which I think we all already knew, but its not often that writers admit this in public.
But I've never listened to Jeffrey Archer before, and I don't intend to start any time soon.