Timewaster's Guide Archive

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but I think it'd be informative to aspiring writers. I've read that you wrote many books before you were published, but how many did you submit, or try to get published, before Elantris? Any to slush piles? I imagine it's a rare occurance for a writer to sell their first manuscript, so is there any advantage to submitting that first book? Or even the next few?

Thanks for your time!

P.S. Just finished MB1, and really enjoyed it. I wonder about "hard-magic" systems, and whether they help fantasy books tell a better story. With a system that relies closely on our physics, perhaps you have to spend less time explaining what it can and cannot do than other systems. Just a thought.