Note to newer authors-
Start writing something for the next anthology NOW!
Some readers are more likely to take a chance on your work if it's part of an anthology collection. You don't need a long saga, as a matter of fact, I think short stories work best to give people a taste of what you can do. I know participating in them when I started helped me build a following. Write, find yourself an objective beta reader, then look for an editor. If you submit a decent piece of writing, those new readers are more likely to read whatever you publish next.
My thanks to @Renee Stevens and @Valkyrie for all their hard work.