Excellent article. I'm highly dubious of writing courses that offer guarantees, to say the least. I've had two agents and one publishing deal (with a small indie publisher) and to be honest, I made more money self-publishing my novels. It's exceptionally difficult to find a mainstream publisher (let alone an agent) and the chances of big success are even slimmer. Anyone claiming otherwise, or claiming to have a magic formula for success, is simply lying.

But I'll never stop writing fiction. It's the only way to silence the voices in my head (ie by putting them on paper). :)