1. Make sure your work is the best it can be.
2. Get someone you trust to read your work before you send it to any publisher/agent.
3. Remember your cover letter and synopsis are sales documents.
4. Make sure you have picked the correct publisher/agent for your work.
5. Remember that you don't need an agent to get published.
6. Consider smaller publishers as well as the big boys.
7. Set up a blog and post regularly.
8. Get involved with twitter.
9. Read and comment on published writer's blogs.
10. Never ever ever give up.