Advice for newbies

How hard is it to be published when you never wrote something before? That's a question I have been asked quite frequently in the past few weeks. The truth is, I usually tell them, that I have no clue.
There's something to do with imagination and intelligence, but there is a great deal related to sheer luck. Sometimes it's just NOT gonna be published. What my advice is for anyone trying to find its way into the publishing spectrum is "try as much as you can". Stephen King submitted two novels to publishers until "Carrie" was finally accepted. Rejection doesn't necessarily mean that you are not good, it might just mean that you are not writing what the publishers have to send to the market.
So, check the bestseller lists and see if any of the genres of literature there are appealing to you. If so, you're on the right path.