Authors are told all of the time, "If your story is great, it will be published." This, unfortunately ranks up there with a lot of urban legends. There are far too many factors that go into the decision an agent makes when signing a new client, and the same for an editor to decide if they want to sign you to a publishing contract.
First of all, your story has to be something the market is looking for. While your story may be well written, if people are not buying that sub-genre of book, agents and editors will pass on the story.
Secondly, if you are writing in a sub-genre that is in a saturated market, your story will not sell, or will have a limited chance. Even if you have a unique twist, the editors simply have too many books in queue, and that means it is too far out in the calendar. They aren't going to commit to someone that far out.
Being a new author is another factor. I have heard from a lot of agents seeing the same thing. Your writing may be good, but publishers are hesitant about investing in a gamble that there is not certainty of. Much of this comes from the limited shelf space out there in the retail stores. Thanks to streaming services, people are simply not reading. Stores have found they can fill those spaces with other things that sell, and unfortunately, these are not books.
You also play a factor. You may have a great story, but if you come across as someone who is not ready to be a professional author will get in your way. If it takes you 2 years to write a story that should be written in less than 6 months, you are not ready. If you demonstrate you are going to need a lot of assistance to teach you to write properly you are not ready. If you have to pay someone to edit all of your stories, it means you are still in a learning process.
Just these points should give you a sense that this is a tough career, and until things turn around and people start committing to reading more, it will stay this way.
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